OTTAWA, ON – The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) would like to thank the Prime Minister, the Minister of Fisheries & Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard for their commitment today to provide $62.5 million in support for the Canadian fish and seafood industry. As an essential service filling grocery store shelves for Canadians, this support is critical to ensuring the continued operations of our sector as we adjust to the latest public health guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It has been the top priority of our members to ensure the health and safety of our frontline employees while we continue to provide the essential service of supporting the food supply chain,” said Paul Lansbergen, President, FCC. “Many additional measures have been put in place to respond to social distancing mandates and market disruptions, which have come with significant costs.”
Today’s announcement acknowledges the very challenging situation that our industry is facing and will allow fish and seafood producers to invest in necessary production adjustments, such as creating cold storage, and critical personal protective equipment for employees.
“Together, our industry continues to work to provide safe, healthy and sustainable farm-raised and wildsourced food products,” said Timothy Kennedy, President & CEO, CAIA. “This support will help to ensure our industry remains operational to support Canadians at this critical time and as we begin to recover from this crisis.”
As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, we look forward to continuing to engage with our governments, industry authorities and the public to ensure the Canadian fish and seafood industry continues to provide its essential service of feeding Canadians.
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The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) is the voice of Canada’s wild capture fish and seafood industry, promoting a healthy resource and prosperous industry playing a vital role in the Canadian economy. Our members include small, medium and larger-sized companies along with Indigenous enterprises that harvest and process fish from Canada's three oceans.
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) is the national association that speaks for Canada’s seafood farmers, representing their interests in Ottawa and internationally. CAIA members generate over $6 billion in economic activity, $2.45 billion in GDP, and employ over 25,000 Canadians delivering a healthy, growing and sustainable seafood farming sector in Canada.
For more information or to set up an interview please contact:
Kelly McCarthy, Manager, Communications , FCC, kmccarthy@fisheriescouncil.org, 613-727-7450 ext. 2722
Sheri Beaulieu, Communications & Marketing Manager, CAIA, Sheri.beaulieu@aquaculture.ca, 613 239-0612 ext. 224