December 20th, 2016 — Canada: The world needs more fish and Canadian aquaculture could have the answer. Around the world, fish stocks are dropping. Government quotas are down.
Meanwhile, the world’s population continues to grow steadily. According to the United Nations, by 2030, an additional 27 million tonnes of fish would be needed to maintain per capita consumption at its current level.
On top of that, hundreds of Canadian communities rely on fishing for their livelihoods and traditions. As a proud Newfoundlander and Labradorian, I’ve seen this up close my whole life.
Unless we adapt now, we’re looking at a crisis that will only go from bad to worse.
But aquaculture — the cultivation and harvesting of aquatic organisms — presents a unique opportunity to fill this growing gap between the supply of fish and worldwide demand.
Aquaculture is already responsible for roughly 50 per cent of the fish and seafood consumed worldwide.
But despite Canada having the world’s longest marine coastline and the largest number of freshwater lakes, we lag behind the rest of the world in this booming industry — only 20 per cent of Canada’s fish and seafood is currently produced through aquaculture.