Supporting Aquaculture

Newfoundland’s fish, shellfish and aquatic plant farming industry has been growing steadily since 2003 and was worth more than $100 million in 2010. The industry’s market value rose by more than 240 percent from 2005 to 2010, giving a vital economic boost to a number of small towns affected by the North Atlantic cod moratorium of the early 1990s. The Ocean Sciences Centre at Memorial University of Newfoundland is the sole provider of young Atlantic cod for the province’s aquaculture industry, which directly employs about 700 people. Not only does the centre produce young fish for the industry to grow and harvest, but it also offers research support on questions related to nutrition requirements, improved breeding practices, and interactions with native fisheries.