More money for Newfoundland aquaculture lab
The animal health laboratory and aquaculture administration building facility that's going to be built in St. Alban's, the very facility that originally came in at a cost of approximately $4 million, now has a different price tag, according to an announcement by Tracey Perry of the provincial Government that was reported by Matthew Molloy of The Coaster this week; "As a result of design and tender work, we realized that we needed to ensure we had a state of the art facility here," said Ms. Perry, MHA (Member of the House of Assembly) for Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune. "At the end of the day, when everything was said and done, our investment was increased to $7.2 million to make sure we're putting in the best aquaculture facility possible." The new facility will cover 1.2 hectares and besides housing the health laboratory, where diagnostic testing will be done, the building will also hold administrative offices and will have the capacity to do research and development. "We're going to have state of the art equipment there," said MHA Perry, "and we're going to have a facility that meets the needs of the industry." Many major industry players like Bob Sweeney, Doug and Jennifer Caines and Boyd Pack have said in the past that one of the key aspects of aquaculture growth in the area is infrastructure. MHA Perry said this facility will be "absolutely crucial" to the growth of the industry in the Coast of Bays area. "Attracting investors is attracting new wealth - it's not government dollars, it's sector dollars that's being brought here that was not here before - so when investors look into an area they look at the supporting infrastructure that's there," she said. "When we need to get our fish tested, which is a regular routine practice in any farming business, we have to take that fish to Gander and get it on a flight to PEI. Therefore, we're really a day or two delayed in diagnostics, never mind the extra costs. This is going to help us lower our cost per pound of production and tremendously enhance our efficiency." The Hon. Tom Hedderson, provincial Fisheries Minister, echoed what MHA Perry had to say about the importance of improving aquaculture health services in the province. "The rapid pace of industry growth increases the requirement for laboratory testing right here in the province," said Minister Hedderson. "As well, federal and provincial regulation and academic testing requirements all mean there is a need for enhanced aquaculture health services in the province." Since the Williams government came into being in 2004, aquaculture in the Coast of Bays has seen its production nearly double and the value has gone from $17 million in 2004 to $76 million in 2008. And the jobs...we are now at about 650 at 10,000 metric tones," said Ms. Perry. "Our goal is to reach 50,000 metric tones, which translates to 2,000 to 3,000 jobs right here in rural Newfoundland and Labrador." It is anticipated that 50 to 100 jobs will be created during construction of the $7.2 million facility, and it's going to take close to two years to finish construction, which is expected to begin this fall. When completed, the facility is expected to house 10 staff, including development and inspection personnel, as well as aquatic health staff and veterinarians.
