New policies and procedures implemented by the Government of Atlantic Canada.
On Friday, SalmonBusiness reported that Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne said he was hoping for a productive meeting with Mowi CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog which took place last night. He said that it would not result in the company’s affected licences being reinstated since Mowi claimed unusually high water temperatures killed 2.6 million fish died at its Northern Harvest site.
Byrne is currently issuing a joint press conference in Fortune Bay-Cape with La Hune MHA Elvis Loveless.
Fisheries Min. Gerry Byrne and Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune MHA Elvis Loveless hold a press conference on aquaculture regulations in the province. #nlpoli pic.twitter.com/bYHZ49Q3sV
— David Maher 🏳️🌈 (@DavidMaherNL) November 8, 2019
In a press release from The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA), it said it welcomes the new policies and procedures implemented by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, that are “focused on enhanced public reporting while supporting the environmentally responsible growth of our industry”.
“Marine aquaculture is a highly innovative and technologically advanced food production industry. We embrace regulations, policies and procedures that are based on science and practicality which further enable transparency, continuous improvement and environmental protection,” said NAIA Executive Director Mark Lane.
Through The Way Forward – A vision for sustainability and growth in Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial government set a target to double salmon production to 50,000 metric tonnes (MT) and triple shellfish to 10,750 metric tonnes (MT) annually.
“On behalf of NAIA’s 130+ members and the thousands of people working directly and indirectly in seafood farming, I thank Premier Dwight Ball, Minister Gerry Byrne and their government for acknowledging the great economic and social importance of aquaculture to the province and for demonstrating leadership by recognizing the tremendous opportunity that aquaculture presents for people living in rural coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador,” expressed Lane.
“We are committed to continued collaboration with provincial, Indigenous and non-government partners to review and modernize legislation, regulations, policies and procedures to keep this province’s seafood farming business competitive, sustainable, innovative and growing. These actions are key to ensure we have the highest regulatory standard possible,” added Lane.
“Although we still require clarification on particular aspects of the newly implemented policies and procedures, upon initial review we are confident that we can work with these regulatory changes — our industry is well-positioned to seize the opportunity, create more new business opportunities and create more jobs,” explained Lane.
