For a province that has always lived off the ocean, there’s no opportunity more promising than the future of our aquaculture industry.
Aquaculture not only brings millions of dollars to our economy—it brings hope. Hope for our future, our communities, and our families looking for a way to stay here at home.
It’s a modern industry bursting with potential. With over 17,000 km of coastline, our province is in a perfect position to take full advantage of that potential.
Aquaculture is a true Newfoundland and Labrador success story. Here at home, the industry is now worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars and has created 2,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Most importantly, these are good jobs that pay well and offer the benefits Newfoundlanders and Labradorian’s deserve.
Over 90% of jobs in the salmon farming industry are full-time and many occupations are challenging, highly-skilled positions that require formal and on-the-job training.
Aquaculture is transforming our coastal towns into the vibrant, prosperous communities they were meant to be. It’s creating a Newfoundland and Labrador that our children can truly call home.
More people than ever are eating seafood today and that demand is only growing. Luckily, Newfoundland and Labrador is well-positioned to meet that demand.
Atlantic salmon is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, low in saturated fats, and loaded with vitamins D and E. It helps prevent and slow the development of heart disease, boosts brain function… and it just so happens to be delicious too.
Despite some misconceptions, no dyes, chemicals, or growth hormones are added to the diet of farmed salmon and they are not genetically modified. Plus, antibiotic use on salmon farms is far lower than any other agricultural animal-producing industry.
In fact, farmed salmon have all of the same health benefits as wild salmon but have the added benefit of being available fresh year-round. And Newfoundland mussels are 100% natural and the first to be certified organic in North America. Dig in.
We produce Atlantic salmon, blue mussels, steelhead trout, and Atlantic cod.
One in five people worldwide rely on seafood as their primary protein. In fact, salmon has now surpassed beef in worldwide consumption.
But almost 80% of the world’s fisheries are either fully exploited or over exploited, depleted, or in a state of collapse. Each year, there are approximately 75 million more people to feed around the world. The United Nations predicts a 50-80 million tonne seafood deficit by 2030.
Aquaculture can help. More than half of the world’s seafood already originates from aquaculture farms. Farmed seafood can help meet our growing global demand and take pressure off wild stocks, ensuring a sustainable future for our children.
Atlantic Canada helped pioneer the aquaculture industry and continues to be recognized as an international leader today. Our region produces 30% of Canada’s farmed salmon, helping make it our second largest seafood export in 2013.
Some of the largest players in the salmon farming industry—including MOWI, Cooke Aquaculture, and Grieg NL Seafarms Ltd.— have recently made major investments in Newfoundland and Labrador that will continue to grow our local industry.
It’s all based on the natural wonders we have here at home. The abundance of pristine, North Atlantic waters with deep, sheltered bays, good current flows, and high levels of oxygen has positioned Newfoundland and Labrador to be a big player in a growing, global industry.
Keeping our waters pristine is essential for the continued high quality of our fish, so our farmers follow strict codes of practice.
Not only are salmon farms regulated by both the provincial and federal governments, but most of our aquaculturists also achieve third-party certification, ensuring their products meet comprehensive safety, environmental, and social standards.
What does that look like in practice? Well, it starts with innovative technology. Salmon farmers use underwater cameras and sensors to monitor feed delivery and reduce waste. Farmers also conduct regular sediment monitoring of the ocean floor to ensure farms meet high environmental standards.
Newfoundland and Labrador fish farmers are recognized leaders in this area and are committed to maintaining the environment where they work and live. After all, healthy seafood begins with a healthy ocean.
To understand how aquaculture works, it helps to follow the journey our salmon take from egg to plate.
Salmon: The smolts stay in their ocean farms until they are large enough (5-6 kg) to be harvested as adult salmon. This process can take up to two years.
Salmon farmers document their fish from eggs in hatcheries, to their ocean pens, through processing and distribution, so your farmed salmon can be traced back to its origin!
Salmon farmers document their fish from eggs in hatcheries, to their ocean pens, through processing and distribution, so your farmed salmon can be traced back to its origin!
© 2024 AquacultureNL.
