Canadian salmon farmer gets government help
The voices of environmental groups on the West coast of Canada that have for years predicted the demise of wild salmon due to the influence of sea lice and disease from salmon farms are currently being drowned out by the sound of jumping salmon- some 30 million of them- heading down the coast of British Columbia in search for a place to spawn. So many salmon are being caught by the commercial fishing fleet that freezers and cold storage facilities in Vancouver are being forced to turn fish away.
And while this situation should normally result in a reduction in the concern about the well-being of wild salmon stocks in B.C., a moratorium on new salmon farms on the province’s north coast still remains in effect. Make a switch to the country’s east coast, and you will see an overwhelming level of support for aquaculture development, as demonstrated by this article in the St. John’s, Newfoundland The Telegram;
Northern Harvest Sea Farms Ltd. on the province's west coast has received $ 8 million (~€ 6 million) from the provincial government to help the aquaculture company carry out a $ 23.5 million expansion of their operations in the province. In addition to expanding their marine cage farming operations in the Coast of Bays region, the expansion will include the construction of a salmon smolt hatchery in Stephenville.
Fisheries Minister Clyde Jackman made the announcement today ( August 27, 2010) at a news conference in Stephenville along with Larry Ingalls, owner of Northern Harvest Sea Farms Ltd., and Tony Cornect, MHA for port to the port. "This project will enable the province ' s aquaculture industry to achieve the critical mass necessary to attract further private sector investment in the province," said Jackman. "The new hatchery, in particular, is an important component of the province’s growing aquaculture industry to the next level." Completion of the hatchery will ensure security of smolt supply for the provincial industry, provide for greater biosecurity in the transport of smolt and provide the opportunity for our industry to take advantage of the full growing season. "It will reduce overall costs for smolt, provide greater flexibility in stocking fish and increase the competitiveness of the industry."
According to a news release, to assist the company with setting up operations in the province, the provincial government will provide 50 per cent of the cost of setting up the hatchery and 25 per cent of the cost of expanding the marine farming sites. This funding will be provided through the Aquaculture Capital Equity Investment Program and will be based on a matching investment from the company. In return, the provincial government will have an equity position in the company until the development is completed and the expanded provincial investment is repaid in seven years. "Our company is looking forward to expanding operations in this province," said Ingalls.
It is anticipated that by 2013, Northern Harvest Sea Farms Ltd. will create approximately 600 jobs in the province. It is expected that 150 of these jobs will be directly on aquaculture sites or at the hatchery. Approximately 450 of these jobs are expected to be created in processing and service sectors within the aquaculture industry. The company ' s major operations will be located at Harbour Breton and Pool ' s Cove. The hatchery will create a number of professional positions for highly skilled workers in the area and produce 4.5 million salmon smolt annually.
