Consumption of farm-raised seafood surpasses wild catch
Daily News, June 2, 2015
For the first time in history, the consumption of farm-raised seafood has surpassed that of captured wild seafood.
And with demand for farmed seafood continuing to rise at approximately 10 per cent per year as commercial fisheries decline worldwide, it's vitally important that the international aquaculture industry is prepared to meet the challenges, according to Kathy Brewer-Dalton.
Brewer-Dalton, president of the Aquaculture Association of Canada, is one of the organizers of the 2015 Aquaculture Canada conference being held in Nanaimo this week. Approximately 350 delegates are attending from around the world.
The annual conference, which is held in a different Canadian city each year, brings together researchers, producers, suppliers, First Nations and government agencies to discuss the latest research, policies, economics and current issues facing the aquaculture industry. "The demand for farmed seafood is expected to increase significantly within the next 15 to 20 years, and I think we're doing the best we can to take advantage of the huge opportunities that are being presented to support a sustainable farmed seafood industry," Brewer-Dalton said between sessions at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre Monday.
"Of course there's some difference of opinion out there but, from my perspective, there's a ton of incredible science going on right now to support sustainable practices in the industry, and the companies are using the best management practices to address the many issues they face."
The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association has said the province's salmon farming industry currently contributes $800 million to the provincial economy and it could grow to $1.4 billion by 2020, resulting in 8,000 total jobs.
By 2035, it could reach $3.5 billion and 20,000 jobs, according to the association.
Brewer-Dalton said among the topics to be covered at the four-day conference, which ends Wednesday, are the latest findings in genomics research and their impacts on aquaculture, new developments in farmed-fish health and the ongoing research into land-based aquaculture operations.
"Huge strides are being made in making land-based fish farming more commercially sustainable, but we're not quite there yet because the costs of the finished product per pound are still too high," she said.
"There's more work to do yet to make land-based fish farming more affordable."
A new addition to the conference this year is a new program "Aquaculture in the classroom -a day of discovery" in which 42 local high school students have been chosen to participate.
Brewer-Dalton said the students' day on Tuesday will start at Vancouver Island University's aquaculture facilities and then they will meet many of the conference's delegates to discuss issues and career options.
