Room to grow for Canadian salmon farmers
Less than half of British Columbia's coastline has any salmon farming activity going on, and much of the untouched areas are considered prime growing areas. As the concerns about the safety of food supply and attention to improved human health continue to gain in importance, this unutilized capacity will eventually lead to at least a doubling of today's production of some 80,000 tonnes per year. When that will happen is anybody's guess, but the writing is on the wall. The supply of salmon from the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia is not going up, and the rest of the Pacific Ocean can only produce so much of hatchery-reared, salmon released for harvest.
A similar situation exists in the Northwesternmost parts of the Atlantic Ocean, where unemployed former fishers in Newfoundland are looking for new opportunities. In a recent interview with Matthew Molloy from The Coaster, Aquaculturists of the Year (2007) Doug and Jennifer Caines of Northern Harvest Sea Farms told The Coaster that they have noticed that more and more aquaculture players are setting up shop in the Coast of Bays, but Mr. Caines believes there is plenty more to come. Ms. Caines agrees with her husband, but inserts a note of caution. "There are a lot of opportunities. However, at the same time, I don't think anybody wants to move ahead too fast because the idea is to do this for the long term," Ms. Caines said. "We have to be smart about what we're doing. It's been a challenge to make people understand that we can only grow the industry as fast as the infrastructure that's needed to support us. That's really important because if your timing is off then everything suffers. You need wharf infrastructure, access to financing, scientific information, veterinary support, diving services, net manufacturers, cage manufacturers, transportation and skilled people too. You need all that to go with the basics for your fish - like a home in clean water and good feed." The Caines are no strangers to aquaculture. They started farming scallops 25 years ago and only recently did they begin farming salmon for Northern Harvest Sea Farms. They currently have 75 cages in the water. "This operation has been one of the pioneers of the Newfoundland (aquaculture) industry. Even though we have gone through different owners and name changes, it has been basically under the same operating management for the past eight years," said Ms. Caines. "Historically, this operation was the first one that moved outside of Bay d'Espoir in 2002 to grow salmon, which has really opened up the coast." "To see the success we've had, the people we have employed and the fish that we're taking out of the water going to market...Northern Harvest Sea Farms is a big part of the industry and the growth of it," added Mr. Caines, who has been General Manager since 2005. After more than 20 years worth of experience, the Caines say they're always learning. One thing they've learned is that all aquaculture players must work together if the industry is to thrive on the south coast. "We have to do our own things in-house and other operations have to do their own things in-house, but if, for example, we have information regarding environmental conditions or equipment suppliers that other companies ask for, we'll share that information with them," said Mr. Caines. Ms. Caines described the Coast of Bays as "one of the bright spots in the province for aquaculture. Northern Harvest is doing well, but in order to move ahead we need more in order to do it safely in terms of bio-security. There's an awful amount of investment here and we don't want it at risk." Neither Mr. nor Ms. Caines are surprised that aquaculture caught on so quickly. "It's because of the balance of proper shelter and maintaining excellent flushing and good water flow for the fish," said Ms. Caines. "If we were growing fish in an area where we were susceptible to pollution, it would be very, very difficult for us. However, because we are in an area where we have good, clean water and there isn't any industrial pollution, that's important for the quality of our fish." In terms of tonnage, Mr. Caines believes the total aquaculture industry on the south coast will bring in a total of 25,000 to 30,000 tons of farmed fish in five to 10 years. That number, however, can change. "That number can be a moving target because, for example, our fish are bigger this year than we expected. If we're going to estimate 25,000 tons, for example, that could be 28,000 tons just like that," said Ms. Caines. "We're a pound up from where we were last year and that's significant on hundreds of thousands of fish - that can make a big difference to your production." Northern Harvest has a projected goal of 10,000 tons in the next two to three years, according to Mr. Caines, who believes that dedicated aquaculture workers will definitely play a role in the company's success.
