Alongside provincial representatives, Minister of Rural Economic Development Bernadette Jordan announced a total contribution of more than $1 million under the Atlantic Fisheries Fund, investing in 14 businesses with projects focused on the adoption of new technology and partnership that will improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the fish and seafood sectors.
‘Many Nova Scotians rely on the sea as a way of life and as a source of income. These projects funded by the Atlantic Fisheries Fund will help maximise returns for fish and seafood products and, in turn, will strengthen the economy and Nova Scotia’s rural communities,’ commented Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Member of Parliament for South Shore—St. Margarets.
Among the approved projects are for the Herring Science Council to conduct an extensive tagging study of major spawning populations of herring in the Bay of Fundy, which will help to support efforts to rebuild the stock.
Other ventures include supporting North Nova Seafoods Limited to acquire equipment and training to enhance seafood testing methods to ensure high-quality, safe products for export, and JK Marine Services Limited and Victoria Co-operative Fisheries Limited to each upgrade their current in-house paper data entry system into one integrated entry system that would facilitate enhanced traceability and ensure supply chain transparency.
‘Our fish and seafood sector provides quality jobs for Nova Scotians and economic opportunities in our coastal communities. With our partners in the Atlantic Fisheries Fund we are helping the sector to develop a culture of innovation that will lead to increased productivity, competitiveness, quality and sustainability,’ said Keith Colwell, Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
The contribution derives from the $400 million Atlantic Fisheries Fund, jointly funded by the Government of Canada and provincial governments. The Fund focuses on increasing opportunities and market value for sustainably sourced, high-quality fish and seafood products from Atlantic Canada.
The Atlantic Fisheries Fund will continue to invest in projects over the current seven-year life of the program. The commercial fisheries and aquaculture industry, Indigenous groups, universities and academia and industry associations and organisations, including research institutions, may apply.
Eligible projects must focus on –
• Innovation – to support research and development of new innovations that contribute to sustainability of the fish and seafood sector, and to create partnerships and networks that aim to promote and encourage innovations in the sector;
• Infrastructure – to adopt or adapt new technologies, processes, or equipment to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the fish and seafood sector;
• Science Partnerships – fisheries and aquaculture industry based partnerships with academia and institutions to enhance knowledge and understanding of the impacts of changing oceanographic conditions and sustainable harvesting technology.
‘The adoption of new technology in the Atlantic Canada fish and seafood sector is becoming increasingly important to ensure the sustainability of our enterprises and to maintain our products’ strong position in the global marketplace, while also creating opportunities for partnership and research, commented Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
‘This funding will support the overall competitiveness of this sector that is so important to Canadians in small coastal and Indigenous communities.’
