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North’s fish-farmers seek expansion
Government policy and guidelines are thwarting expansion of fish farming in Northern Ontario - a business that could help revive struggling rural and single-industry towns, aquaculture insiders say.
The Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association says there is “excellent potential” for slow, carefully planned expansion of the industry in Northern Ontario despite the closure of a fish farm near Atikokan last year.
Association program coordinator Karen Tracey said Monday the aquaculture industry has been requesting “clear and concise” government policy on cage culture over the past two decades.
Most operations started with private money due to a lack of government support, but “when it comes to agricultural funds for farming, aquaculture is not considered farming,” Tracey said. “(It’s) one of the many legislative mysteries that the industry has faced.”
An association-commissioned study last spring on the economic impacts of the cage culture industry in Ontario found it generates $51 million in annual sales and supports 229 full-time jobs in the Northern Ontario communities of Little Current, Espanola, Manitowaning, Kagawong, Gore Bay, Mindemoya, Evansville, Val Caron, Parry Sound, Sudbury and North Bay.
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