The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance is calling on regulators to develop a vision to grow the country’s aquaculture industry.
Farmed seafood now makes up the majority of production worldwide, yet Canada’s output is in steep decline because of government-mandated reductions in British Columbia salmon farming since 2020, says the alliance.
In an open letter to ministers, Timothy J. Kennedy, president and chief executive of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, points out that aquaculture practices have changed and it is now time to reap the benefits that fish farming can bring such as supporting sustainable food production and rural and Indigenous economies, as well as adding value for grain and oilseed farmers.
“It is time to move on to a new era of aquaculture production in Canada,” said the letter. “We challenge you, as government regulators and leaders, to develop a vision for a growing and vital aquaculture sector.”
Specifically the alliance is calling on regulators to:
- Restore confidence in scientific evaluation and advice processes
- Support the separation of federal science and regulatory functions from sector development and provide farming programme support to the sector
- Develop a federal-provincial aquaculture development strategy
- Support a long-term partnership programme for seafood education and communication
- Focus on stakeholders who bring practical and workable solutions to the table
- Be bold and speak positively about aquaculture’s potential
