Warm welcome to Canadian conference
The three day event took place in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, and the AAC president, Kathy Brewer-Dalton, had the pleasure of introducing a number of dignitaries who extended a warm welcome to the 3-400 delegates.
The city of Nanaimo got its name from the local First Nation, the Snuneymuxw which is pronounced Shnah-nay-mo. John Wesley is the current Chief of the Band, and he welcomed the delegates on behalf of the nation’s elders and council. Chief Wesley pointed out the importance of working together in partnerships - a sentiment that was echoed by most of the officials at the opening session of the conference.
Norm Letnick, the BC Minister of Agriculture, said that it is the job of the provincial government and its people to find a level of harmony between the serious issues of wild and farmed salmon. The government wants to see an industry that is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. Aquaculture development is crucial to the well-being of wild fisheries, he pointed out. Aquaculture products from BC are promoted during trade missions, where the current Premier Christy Clark is one of the biggest advocates.
Dr Ralph Nilson is the President of the Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo, and he also pointed out the importance of partnerships - both in general terms and in the case of aquaculture development. Wild fish resources are not there like they used to be, so the fishery economy is in a state of transition where aquaculture will be of increased importance. He pointed out that aquaculture has been practised in BC by First Nations for thousands of years, and the current industry can therefore learn from them through partnerships. He also pointed out that some of the VIU students - who come from a total of 85 countries - often ask why there is not more aquaculture production coming out of the pristine waters of this region. He recognized the standard-setting activity of the BC salmon farming industry in developing agreements with local First Nations which could be a model for the rest of the world. “The demand for protein from our beautiful coast will only grow,” Dr Nilson said.
Ruth Salmon, Executive Director of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), pointed out that Canada is the only modern country involved with aquaculture that is without a specific Act aimed at regulating the industry. Instead, the fish/shellfish farming business is governed by an antiquated law from the last century which was written to protect wild fish resources. This is one of the reasons that while Canada’s global competitors in the aquaculture business have shown an average level of annual growth to the tune of some 6%, Canada’s market share has dropped by about 40%. The Canadian aquaculture industry could potentially double in a matter of a few years, with a new Aquaculture Act and a supportive regulatory regime, Salmon said.
Sue Farlinger, the Regional Director for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the main regulatory body for aquaculture in BC, stated that the industry is poised for further development, given the global situation with respect to the supply and demand for health- promoting seafood. There is lots of room for growth within the industry she said, but the challenge for DFO is to work with all and everybody to ensure the sustainability of the industry. Ms Farlinger stated that DFO needs to ensure that all options for aquaculture development are evaluated and assessed. A risk assessment process is currently underway for the aquaculture industry, and some progress has been made in areas of new reporting requirements and public disclosure, multi- year licenses and regulatory research. She acknowledged that the BC aquaculture industry has one of the most stringest regulatory programs of any aquaculture jurisdiction.
The local member of the Canadian Parliament, James Lunney, used the occasion to announce that he will not be running in the upcoming October federal election. He also said that his first speech as an elected MP was to an aquaculture conference some 14 years ago. He pointed out the level of misinformation about aquaculture that is circulating among the general population, and that the biggest challenge for the industry is how to make people believe the solid science instead of the junk kind.
“When emotions enter the picture, science will suffer,” Lunney said. As an example, he quoted a fellow airline passenger who suggested that “sea lice from salmon farms are causing whales to lose their hair”.
