Canadian Fisheries Minister studies Norwegian fish farms
Canada’s Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, who is imposing sweeping changes on British Columbia’s aquaculture industry, has been on a tour of Norway and Iceland to study how these two Nordic countries are tackling their own fish farming issues.
During her visit, Minister Murray met with senior officials from the two governments, along with the CEOs of major Norwegian salmon farming companies, the Iceland Ocean Cluster, aquaculture technology companies, and environmental non-governmental organisations.
Murray used the trip to explore cutting-edge alternative aquaculture production technologies and climate solutions.
Throughout her visit, she stressed the importance of fisheries management and approaches for the efficient and sustainable use of aquatic food resources, adding there was a strong bond between Canada and Norway.
In Norway she looked over the “Marine Donut”, the world’s largest closed fish farm cage, developed by the Bluegreen group. She added that salmon was an “important industry” for the west coast of Canada, and the industry was in transition away from open-net farming.
Before leaving for Iceland, she also visited a large land-based trout farm being built for Hima Seafoods.
She said: “Canada is a global leader in sustainable aquaculture and ocean innovation, but we can always learn more from our international partners in this area.
“By working together and sharing best practices, we can make sure that we are managing the oceans in the most environmentally and climate-conscious way possible.”
Joyce Murray
