'Our priority is clear: grow more Canadian seafood'
Cooke spokesman at forefront of new drive to turn the tide for country's aquaculture sector
Canadian Seafood Farmers has announced the recent election of a board executive committee that will spearhead a push for crucial changes, including a reprieve for the closure-threatened salmon sector in British Columbia.
Chaired by Joel Richardson, communications chief for New Brunswick-based global fish farmer Cooke Aquaculture, the committee brings together leaders from Canada’s finfish, shellfish, and aquaculture supply sectors.
The election follows the association’s recent name change from the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance to Canadian Seafood Farmers / Producteurs Aquacoles Canadiens, reflecting its alignment with Canada’s broader food and agriculture community.
More home-grown seafood
“Our priority is clear: grow more Canadian seafood here at home in an environmentally responsible way,” said Richardson.
“Our farmers and the Canadian businesses that support them are ready to invest more, create more jobs, and strengthen food security by making product of Canada seafood more available and affordable than imports.”
The executive committee will work with the association’s board to advance the association’s priorities, which include securing a positive, science-based path for salmon farming in British Columbia. Currently, Prime Minister Mark Carney is sticking with the policy of his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, to end open-net pen salmon farming in the province by mid-2029.
Practical experience
Canadian Seafood Farmers also wants its members to receive the same recognition and support as Canadian agriculture, and is asking for federal management of the shellfish sector to be modernised to enable new production and reliable supply.
“This executive brings together practical experience from seafood farming and the supply chain,” said Canadian Seafood Farmers president and chief executive Tim Kennedy.
“Their leadership will help us advance the policy certainty and recognition our members need to grow. Together, we are focused on building a stronger Canadian food system and putting more healthy, nutritious Canadian seafood on Canadian plates.”
