Valuable jobs and improve rural economy

Tor-Eddie Fossbakk Government policy and guidelines continue to limit expansion of the fish farming industry in Northern Ontario – an industry that could help revive struggling rural and single-industry towns. NOAA program co-coordinator Karen Tracey told The Chronicle Journal in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that the aquaculture industry has been requesting “clear and concise” government policy on cage culture over the past two decades. While the Ministry of Natural Resources is “working on” harmonizing guidelines for aquaculture licenses, Tracey said, the process was to have started two years ago and is currently about a year behind schedule. She said most cage culture operations are located in Lake Huron with its ideal water conditions, existing infrastructure, proximity to markets and established processing plants. While there is potential for fish farming in Northwestern Ontario, Tracey said, “I would not encourage any entrepreneurs to look at fish farming in the North until policy has been established by the regulatory agencies.” A NOAA-commissioned study last spring on the economic impacts of the cage culture industry in Ontario, found that it generates almost CAD 51 million in annual sales and supports 229 full-time jobs. The study found that the aquaculture industry helps diversify local economies, provides stable employment and important economic benefits for rural communities across Ontario, and produces a healthy food source. Meanwhile, the federal government last month announced CAD 70 million over five years to develop a sustainable aquaculture industry, including an initiative to streamline regulations and provide strategic investments in research and innovation. Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance executive director Ruth Salmon told the newspaper that “aquaculture is the solution” to meeting the world‘s growing demand for fish products while sustainable harvests of wild stocks reach their limits or have been exceeded in many areas of the world. The alliance says aquaculture could provide as many as 47,000 new jobs in an industry that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Photo: Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association