Aquaculture   Glenn Cooke, CEO, Cooke Aquaculture The Charlotte Coastal Region is the heart of the salmon aquaculture industry on the east coast of North America. This industry is concentrated in the Charlotte Coastal Region, but salmon farming companies located here have, in recent years, expanded their grow-out operations into Maine, Nova Scotia, and most recently, Newfoundland. The clean pristine waters of the Bay of Fundy in the Charlotte Coastal Region are ideal for salmon aquaculture. Since the early 1980's salmon aquaculture in the Charlotte Coastal Region has grown to an annual estimated production of 35,000 tonnes with a farm gate value of $225 million. The industry annually contributes about $45 million in wages and benefits to the New brunswick economy with the great majority of those wages being earned in the Charlotte Coastal Region. From an employment perspective, the New Brunswick salmon aquaculture industry generates about 1600 direct, indirect and induced full time equivalent jobs, the great majority of which are located in the Charlotte Coastal Region with the balance spread throughout the rest of the province. The North American salmon farm industry primarily supplies fresh salmon to the U.S and Canadian markets. U.S. consumption of salmon per capita has more than doubled since 1993, and in 2007 was reported at 2.36 pounds, making it the third highest seafood consumed by Americans (National Marine Fisheries Service). Approximately 61% of the salmon produced in the Charlotte Coastal Region is exported to the United States, with the remaining 39% sold in eastern Canada (Ontario and east). In the past few years, there has been a trend toward value-added processing. Today 41% of the salmon production is processed beyond the traditional dressed-head-on whole fish to value-added products, primarily fresh salmon fillets. In the past 20 years, the salmon farming industry has economically revitalized many of the Charlotte Coastal Region communities, providing year-round jobs of varying skills to young families. The industry has also attracted a growing number of professionals and businesses to the region, including veterinarians, biologists and engineers, as well as business leaders with international experience. New species research is ongoing in the Charlotte Coastal Region at the St. Andrews Biological Research Station and the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, often in association with private sector partners. Pilot grow-out operations including cod, halibut, and sturgeon are ongoing and farmed commercialization of Arctic Char has emerged in the past few years, although in relatively small quantities. Multiple species grow-out on the same site as Atlantic Salmon is also being piloted. This includes growing of mussels and seaweed (kelp) in conjunction with farmed salmon. |
