The Provincial Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is pursuing a number of initiatives with fishing industry stakeholders, to address the high cost of fuel and reduce the carbon footprint of the industry.
Approximately $379,000 has been provided to these initiatives under the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Program, as part of the Fishing Industry Renewal Strategy.
As part of these initiatives, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture provided $99,000 toward phase one of a fishing vessel energy efficiency strategy, to be carried out in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI) and the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW). The strategy is being developed to address short, medium and long-term measures that can be taken toward energy efficiency.
The latest activity is a series of facts sheets that illustrate specific measures that harvesters can take to reduce fuel consumption and costs. These fact sheets are available on the websites of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, FFAW and CCFI. Other partners include Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), the Marine Institute, the National Research Council and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Approximately 5,000 copies of the fact sheets are to be distributed to harvesters throughout the province by the FFAW over the next couple of weeks.
Earlier this year, the department provided $100,000 to CCFI and the MUN School of Engineering for a project with the National Science and Engineering Research Council. The project involves conducting an in-depth operational efficiency and energy audit of the Newfoundland and Labrador Inshore Fishery.
The department has also allocated $180,000 toward an auditing program for vessels. The department is working with the Department of Environment and Conservation and the FFAW to assist vessel owners and operators to complete a survey on their vessel operations.
