Letang, N.B. – Atlantic Canada’s salmon farming industry plans to take advantage of the worldwide growth in aquaculture to promote their products and educate visitors at the upcoming International Boston Seafood Show.
To help educate buyers and visitors who attend the annual show, the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) will distribute a new video about salmon farming on Canada’s east coast. Entitled “Farming the Ocean”, the eight-minute video shows how salmon are grown “from egg to plate” and highlights the industry’s environmental practices and economic importance to coastal communities.
“Our region’s fish farmers have built this industry over the past 30 years. Salmon farming is an important economic driver for Atlantic Canada, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs on farms, in hatcheries, processing plants, feed manufacturing, packaging and maintenance and transportation,” says Pamela Parker, Executive Director of the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association. “We’re proud of our industry and excited to help share our pride with this video.”
A large delegation of Atlantic Canadian salmon farmers and other sector representatives will attend the annual show, which is billed as the largest seafood exhibition in North America. Representatives from the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) and its member companies will attend, including Admiral Fish Farms Ltd., Northern Harvest Sea Farms Ltd., and Cooke Aquaculture Ltd. Delegates from many supporting companies in sectors such as feed manufacturing, packaging and the supply and service industry will also attend.
The International Boston Seafood Show, which runs from March 11-13, attracts upwards of 18,000 buyers from 120 countries and features about 900 exhibitors.
“The International Boston Seafood Show is a tremendous opportunity for our salmon farmers to showcase their products, build new markets and continue to grow our industry which already creates thousands of jobs to our coastal communities,” says Parker.
A recent report by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC) says aquaculture is the fastest growing source of food production in the world, with Atlantic Canada riding the wave of growth. The value of production in Atlantic Canada has more than doubled from $160 million in 1996 to $356 million in 2010. Atlantic salmon accounts for about 82 per cent of the value of aquaculture production in 2010.
“The potential is huge for economic growth in aquaculture in Atlantic Canada. We’ve got an abundant natural ocean environment that provides optimal conditions for the well-being of farmed fish and the sustainability of the environment. We’ve also got the vast aquatic resources, technology innovation and technical expertise to become even more of a leader in the globally competitive sustainable aquaculture industry,” says Parker. “There is a lot of international interest in Atlantic Canada’s salmon farming industry. Huge demand exists for our companies’ products and that demand is only going to grow in the future.”
Salmon farming is a proven and environmentally sustainable way to bring economic prosperity to rural communities across Atlantic Canada. The salmon farming industry is one of this region’s biggest economic drivers, generating over $270 million in revenue in New Brunswick alone and almost $50 million in Nova Scotia, which triggers over a half billion across Canada. Our region produces 30 per cent of Canada’s farmed salmon, and our industry has created over 2,600 jobs just in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia alone.
The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) is an industry-funded association that works on behalf of the salmon farming industry in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The ACFFA represents 95 per cent of salmon production in the Maritime region in addition to a wide range of supporting companies and organizations.
To see our Farming the Ocean video, please go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTmmQE2j7k
For more information, please contact:
Pamela Parker
Executive Director
Ph: 506-755-3526
Email: p.parker@atlanticfishfarmers.com