Aquaculture Industry Did Well in 2011
02 February 2012NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA - According to the Newfoundland provincial Economic Review 2011, the total aquaculture production in the province was expected to be up 49.7 per cent to approximately 23,000 tonnes in 2011.
The value of the aquaculture industry – salmon, trout and blue mussels – was expected to be approximately $170 million by the end of the year, reports TheCoaster.
The optimistic year-end projection was based on what happened in the aquaculture industry in the first two quarters of 2011. In that time period, aquaculture production increased 43.5 per cent over the same period in 2010 with a total of 10,059 tonnes produced.
Coaster reports that total salmonid production for the first half of 2010 increased 50.0 per cent to 8,510 tonnes compared to the same period the previous year. The corresponding market value increased 56.0 per cent.
Blue mussel production increased 16.6 per cent to 1,549 tonnes. The market value for blue mussels increased by 33.9 per cent.
Employment in the aquaculture sector, which was at 684 persons in 2010, includes about 700 direct jobs today.
Darin King, the provincial Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, was in the Coast of Bays area in the autumn of 2011.
Mr King said, “There are a number of jobs that have been created in the Coast of Bays directly in the aquaculture industry, and the number of spin-off jobs is just tremendous. There is a high value being placed on the contribution that the industry is making, not only on the Connaigre Peninsula, but also in the spin-off jobs being created in the service sectors in the surrounding areas that are supporting what’s happening in the area. This is an important industry to the entire province.”
Major developments in industry in 2011
Kathy Dunderdale and the then Fisheries Minister, Clyde Jackamn, were in the Coast of Bays in July to officially open two aquaculture wharves located at Hermitage-Sandyville and Pool’s Cove.
These wharves will definitely add to the infrastructure and biosecurity needed for the rapid growth of the aquaculture industry in the Coast of Bays as it moves into the future.
Another key event related to the aquaculture industry in 2011 was the official opening of the Centre for Aquaculture Health and Development in St. Alban’s in July.
Dr Daryl Whelan, the Provincial Aquaculture Veterinarian and the Director of Aquactic Animal Health Division with the provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, said that the Centre’s main role would be to ensure that we have a sustainable industry that can grow well into the future.
The Centre is equipped with the most modern fish diagnostic equipment in the world and is a state-of-the-art facility that seems like something out of a science fiction movie or novel.
Dr Whelan said, “Basically our job at the Centre is all about keeping the fish as healthy as possible as they perform better when they’re disease free, stress free, when they have good stocking density and are well fed and looked after.”
Two other major events to help the industry grow in the future were the opening of Cooke Aquaculture’s salmon hatchery in St. Alban’s and the opening of the Northern Harvest Sea Farms’ hatchery in Stephenville. Both facilities will be used to stock cages with salmon for both companies that are operating in the Coast of Bays.
Minister King said: “The aquaculture industry will continue to grow in our province and, if you go back 10 or 15 years ago, you can see a steady growth in the industry. There are a number of factors that contribute to that such as the companies and the people who work for the industry. These are major factors and, from the government’s perspective, we maintain the highest standards of conduct and expectations."
St. Alban’s is a major player in the aquaculture industry and the Centre for Aquaculture health and development is a sure sign of that. The hard work of the highly qualified staff there are key players in the industry.
“There are great things happening here. There are challenges ahead, but we will work through them.”
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