“We’re going to have ourselves a world-class event”

Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America 2022 conference spotlights industry growth and opportunity

Newfoundland and Labrador will have the opportunity to showcase itself to the rest of the world when it hosts the Aquaculture Canada and World Aquaculture Society (WAS) North America 2022 conference and trade show in August.

Newfoundland and Labrador boasts unique characteristics – like its proximity to pristine North Atlantic waters – that make it an aquaculture haven and the perfect location to host the event.

For the Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) executive director, Jamie Baker, the conference is an opportunity to celebrate the growth of an increasingly vital industry. But it is also a time to stress the importance of responsible and sustainable aquaculture development for the island’s economy and food security.

“In terms of what it brings to the table, one must keep in mind that Newfoundland is an island, and food security is becoming a more critical factor in society – regionally, nationally, and internationally,” he says. “If the ferries stopped coming tomorrow, there would be a very limited amount of available protein for people on the island.”

AN ECO-FRIENDLY INDUSTRY

The pandemic has shed much-needed light on the importance of food security not only in Newfoundland and Labrador but around the world. The need for sustainable farming practices – on land and in the water – has never been more important.

Protecting the environment is vital, and, according to Baker, everyone in aquaculture is acutely aware of the industry’s carbon footprint. As the lowest carbon footprint producer of any major protein producer, aquaculture is leading the way.

“That’s a great advantage that we have,” he says. “We don’t need anywhere near the carbon output to make this industry work. And this is also one of few industries that does these important things while providing strong economic activity in extremely rural areas where there wouldn’t otherwise be those opportunities.”

Those jobs are very technical and often require post-secondary training. People who have the training get snapped up quickly, says Baker.

“Hundreds of jobs have been created that simply did not exist previously,” he says.

“MANY GREAT ADVANTAGES”

The first aquaculture operation in Newfoundland and Labrador occurred in the late 1800s when the province’s first hatchery was built to support cod and lobster stocking. By the late 1990s to early 2000s, the industry started to ramp up significantly. Over the past decade, aquaculture has seen strong growth, which continued until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down some of the development.

Based on 2021 numbers, Baker says the industry is starting to get back on track, and his team is looking forward to seeing stable growth and reaching new milestones.

“Right now, we’re producing about 20,000 tonnes in the sector in total shellfish and finfish. With the provincial government’s Way Forward on Aquaculture, we have a shared goal of reaching an annual production rate of 50,000 tonnes of salmon and just under 11,000 tonnes of mussels in the years ahead,” he says.

Newfoundland is a region with some of the greatest potential for sustainable aquaculture growth in the world, with plenty of water available to be developed. Being located right next to the hungry American market is another boon to the field.

“Geographically speaking, we have many great advantages,” Baker says. “We’ve got perfect water in a lot of cases, and we’ve got a lot of industry know-how and technical expertise at our disposal. We also have several different research and university-level institutions that are directly engaged. In short, we’ve got nearly everything that an industry player would be looking for.”

Citing an example, he says the newly announced Bays West expansion on the south coast alone has the potential to produce anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes of salmon and create hundreds of new jobs. This means highly skilled young people will be able to choose to stay or return to coastal Newfoundland and raise their families, which is important to the future growth of the sector.

The one thing about Newfoundland and Labrador, he admits, is it is a challenging environment to farm. It is not for the faint of heart, so those coming in will need to have good training, a willingness to try new things, and the ability to adapt technologies to the sometimes harsh environment.

“We have lots of available water, lots of capability at all levels, and I think the future is pretty exciting in that respect.”

STRIKING A BALANCE

Although shellfish is a less discussed topic, Baker feels it offers great potential in Newfoundland and Labrador. In fact, Newfoundland-based NAIA member companies were the first to offer certified organic shellfish in North America; to this day, few other companies have that certification.

The oyster market also holds a great deal of potential in Newfoundland and Labrador, with some new brands expected to launch in the very near future. With the market growing, Baker anticipates even greater demand in the future.

Alternative species are also becoming increasingly important. Lumpfish, for example, is proving to be extremely successful in the control of sea lice. But they are also looking to wolffish, kelps, cod, and urchins for potential future development.

“They all matter and are important for different reasons,” Baker says. “It’s all about balance.”

BACK IN PERSON

Hosted through a partnership between NAIA, the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), and the Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC), this year’s Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America conference will be the largest seafood conference Canada has had in years.

More than 1,000 participants are expected to converge in St. John’s from Aug. 15 to18 to attend. The four-day in-person event will bring in people from all areas of the sector and from all over the world.

“We’re going to see everyone from every available sector coming together for those four days,” Baker says.

There will be a full trade show, which is already sold out, along with several days of side sessions where important topics related to the industry will be discussed. There will also be networking events and a number of keynote speakers, including Tavish Scott, the CEO of Salmon Scotland.

Although NAIA hosts its own conference each year, Baker says the association wanted to partner with other agencies to make it an international event.

“We’ve got a strong collection of the crème-dela-crème of aquaculture on planet earth coming to St. John’s this summer,” says Baker. “We’re going to have ourselves a world-class event.”

Industry players are excited about the prospects of the conference, not only for what can be learned from finally getting together face-to-face after several years apart but also for the huge economic impact the influx of visitors will have on St. John’s.

“We’ve been working together virtually for a couple of years, so it will be a great opportunity for people to get together, network, connect, and create opportunities,” says Baker.

It will also be an opportunity to get a first-hand look at some of the new technologies the industry will implement over the coming years. Baker says he looks forward to seeing how the old and the new can be combined to help the industry maintain sustainable growth going forward.

“I think, after this conference, people will come away with a full appreciation of all that we bring to the table here.”

To learn more about Aquaculture Canada and (WAS) North America 2022 and register to attend, visit was.org/meeting/code/wana2021. To learn more about NAIA and its mission to build up coastal communities and promote sustainable aquaculture practices, visit naia.ca.