Canada’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers approve legislative development

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) welcomes the support of the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM) to advance the legislative development process for an Aquaculture Act in Canada.

“The timely development and passage of a federal Aquaculture Act is the most important and overriding need for the sustainable and competitive growth of aquaculture in Canada,” explained Timothy Kennedy, CAIA President & CEO. “There is such incredible opportunity for this young and innovative sector in Canada. This important support from Ministers is very much appreciated and will provide a fresh look at seafood farming in Canada. Canada remains the world’s only major farmed seafood producing country without modern national legislation specifically designed to govern a responsible and sustainable aquaculture industry.”

The sector’s great potential for Canada was identified in the Agri-food Report from Canada’s Economic Strategy Tables released in September. The report cited the potential for the sector to nearly double production from 200,565 tonnes in 2016 to 381,900 tonnes in 2028 to meet rising global demand.

“With a supportive policy and regulatory environment focused on innovation, economic growth and sustainability for our sector, our industry is ready to seize this opportunity, creating new middle-class jobs and growing our economy,” said Kennedy.

CAIA and its member companies stand ready to collaborate with federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous and non-government partners to draft and modernize federal legislation, regulations and programs keeping Canada’s seafood farming business competitive, sustainable, innovative and growing.