18 JUNE 2022 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG These efforts continue today with various academic and government labs continuing to provide support and innovation in fish nutrition, fish health, production technologies, environmental mitigation, new product and process development, genetics and genomics, breeding and climate-adaptation. Moreover, much of the innovation and trials on farming seafood in Canada’s Northern climate, which is literally frozen in ice in the winter in many places, has been from home-grown solutions through the entrepreneurial spirit by industry pioneers — it’s not easy farming in the ocean or on land when the ice is 1-m thick! Innovation and adaptation are the keys to success. Winter harvesting below the ice, submersible longlines and icebooms are just some of the innovations seafood farmers have adapted so they can supply fresh products year-round. The sector has always been innovative, always seeking solutions, using science and technology in partnership with governments, universities, research organizations and the private sector to find those solutions. Fish health management is a major challenge for aquaculture worldwide, so leading scientists on Canada’s east and west coasts, along with aquaculture companies, are developing a variety of tools to combat the principal scourges frommicrobial and parasitic pathogens (cleaner fish, vaccines, pre- and pro-biotic feed supplements). As well, climate change and global warming are a worldwide threat to all seafood farmers and there are Canadian teams leading the charge on adapting to production vagaries in the sector, among other challenges. Unfortunately, Canada continues to fall behind in terms of production of farmed seafood, compared to its competitors. There has been no overall growth in production in that last twenty years. There are indeed challenges with the regulatory frame and there is limited support for research, development and innovation, compared with other countries, so efforts to improve matters have been the subject of vigorous advocacy for about two decades. The real challenge is to take advantage of the opportunity to grow the sector in today’s framework of social, environmental and economic sustainability and to become a top-5 leader in the Blue Economy of the future. With our abundant natural resources, ingenuity and some fortitude, there is no reason why Canada cannot become a global leader in science and production of sustainable farmed seafood. Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America 2022 Many of the innovations and updates on Canadian and global aquaculture will be presented at the upcoming international conference entitled “The Leading Edge of Food Production” to be held in historic St. John’s, NL, Canada from 15-18 August 2022. The conference is being organized by the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, the Aquaculture Association of Canada and the World Aquaculture Society, and they look forward to welcoming delegates from around the world. To date, the trade show is sold out, and delegates from over 20 countries are expected to show. There will be somewhere in the vicinity of 400 presentations on topics ranging from policy and regulation to the science and innovation of aquaculture. Over 600 delegates are registered to date, with room to Overall Canadian production has been flat for the last 20 years with a five-year average annual production of 188,214 t, for a five-year annual production value of $986 million. Atlantic salmon and shellfish (blue mussels and Pacific and eastern oysters) represent the main commercial aquaculture production species in Canada, with Atlantic salmon representing 64.4 percent of the production quantity and 76.5 percent of the production value. Aquaculture production in Newfoundland and Labrador commenced in the late 1970s to early 1980s and has being growing at a modest rate. The average annual Newfoundland production quantity over the last five years has been 19,353 t for a five-year annual value of $130 million. Newfoundland total production and value represents about 10 percent of the total Canadian production and value. The main species of current commercial production are Atlantic salmon and the blue mussel. Atlantic salmon in Newfoundland represents 84 percent of production quantity and 89 percent of production value. ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 7 2 )
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