Join us at the 4th BioMarine™ Business Convention, September 9 – 12, 2013 in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax welcomes the 4th BioMarine™ Business Convention from September 9 – 12, 2013. Co-organized with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the convention brings together international business leaders, government representatives, scientists, academics and civil society communities to discover and share innovative solutions for advancing economic development of bio-marine business sectors. The developing program proposes business-to-business (B2B) meetings, several networking sessions, a trade show and two full days of presentations. The convention’s format is designed to encourage discussions and the sharing of information about sustainable business opportunities in marine biotechnologies, aquaculture and aquafeed, and marine natural products.

An innovation advantage for Canadian companies

New to the convention this year, BioMarine™ welcomes the participation of EUREKA! The European-based network of 40-plus member countries supports market-driven R&D and innovation projects across all technological sectors in Europe and beyond. Through NRC, Canada’s national office for EUREKA, Canadian technology-intensive small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) can access technology, expertise and markets in EUREKA member countries by participating in these projects. NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) can provide direct support for eligible Canadian SMEs.

For more information or to register for the 4th BioMarine™ Business Convention, click on 4th BioMarine™ Business Convention or email the organizers at Biomarine2013@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

View the agenda online here

We are pleased to be partnering with the Conference Board of Canada for the second annual Canadian Food Summit.

As part of our partnership, we’re able to offer our contacts a promotional registration rate. For more information, please see below.

There is a growing urgency for a national food strategy in Canada.  A strategy that will safeguard and sustain the health and profitability of the producers, manufacturers, shippers, traders, distributors and retailers in Canada’s food system – all who are pivotal to ensuring the quality and healthiness and safety of the food supply to Canadians.

The 2nd Canadian Food Summit 2013: From Challenges to Solutions will be the most interactive event we’ve ever delivered! It will engage and consult with delegates throughout the entire 2-day conference, to gather perspectives and maximum input on the draft Canadian Food Strategy, using the latest in hand-held voting technology combined with in-depth discussions and dialogue. The feedback will help refine the draft Canadian Food Strategy, set for release in November 2013.

Building on the success of the 1st Summit, held in February 2012, this year’s Summit will once again be international in scope, attracting expert presenters and participants from across Canada and around the world. International speakers will share best practices to help overcome Canadian food challenges, and key lessons learned from launching and implementing their own national food strategies.

Delegates will be invited to join one of the concurrent consultation sessions where you will be able to provide your feedback on the draft Canadian Food strategy action plans, through a highly interactive roundtable format and ‘instant voting’.

Dialogue and consultations will focus on these key themes:

• Industry Prosperity – Increasing the output of Canada’s food industry to contribute to national economic growth and our global competitiveness.
• Healthy Food – Improving the health of food products and the diets of Canadians as obesity and chronic diseases become an increasing concern.
• Food Safety – Ensuring that food safety is maintained across the supply chain as globalization grows.
• Consumer Security – Improving food security to ensure that all Canadians have access to safe, affordable and nutritious food.
• Environmental Sustainability – Sustaining the environment while increasing agricultural output as countries seek to feed their rapidly growing populations.

The Summit is bringing together over 400 participants including key players in the food industry such as producers, processors, retailers, regulators, governments, associations, consumers, and independent experts.

Contacts of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance can save on registration for this event!  Non-registered delegates may please contact Tracie Jones at jones@conferenceboard.ca and quote code CAIA and pay a special lower rate to register.

To find out more about the Summit including a list of featured topics, please visit the website.

Top 5 Canadian-grown Seafood Products

Fresh and local are hot, hot trends in food and reflect the way many Canadians shop and cook.

To help in your discovery of seafood produced by local growers, here’s a list of the top 5 seafood products farmed in Canada based on volume.

Available fresh, year-round, pick one for your next meal and feel good knowing it was produced in pristine Canadian waters, to high standards and by passionate Canadian farmers.

No. 5 – Clams

Eat them steamed, baked, deep fried or in a chowder. The Manila clam is the primary clam species farmed in Canada. Others include: softshell clams, hard clams or quahaugs, savory or varnish clams and geoducks. Most are grown in British Columbia but Nova Scotians can also find them local.

No. 4 – Oysters

Shucks! Canada produced nearly 11 tonnes of oysters in 2010. Experiment with different varieties – Pacific, Eastern and Malpeque oysters are the primary sorts farmed in Canada. Find them local in British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

No. 3 – Trout

Canadian farmed trout has a mild, nut-like flavour, delicate taste and silky texture. Even better – it’s naturally low in sodium and calories and is an excellent source of complete protein and omega-3 fatty acids. While 60% of Canadian trout is produced in Ontario, it’s also farmed in the freshwaters of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and British Columbia.

No. 2 – Mussels

Flex your mussels Canada! These versatile morsels are the most produced shellfish in Canada. We produced over 24,000 tonnes in 2010 – and can credit Prince Edward Island farmers for most of that – 77 per cent of Canadian mussels are grown there. Cultured mussels, besides being an excellent source of protein, have more iron and Vitamin B12 than beef. In addition to PEI, look for them local in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and in British Columbia.

No. 1 – Salmon

The heavy-hitter and the number one farmed seafood product in Canada…Salmon. In fact, Canada is the fourth largest salmon producing country in the world. This seafood superstar is rich, flavourful and healthy. You can find salmon farmers on both Canadian coasts where 70 percent is produced in British Columbia and the rest is produced in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Canadian farmed salmon can be harvested, processed and shipped within 24 to 48 hours – so it’s always fresh when it arrives at the seafood counter.

You don’t have to stop with this shopping list. With more than a dozen varieties of seafood farmed in every province and in Yukon Territory there’s no limit to the variety of fresh and local seafood to explore.

An excerpt from the CAIA 2010-2011 Annual Report

Submitted by John Rose, President, Icy Waters Ltd.

As I enter my tenth year in this industry – a sliver of the experience of many of my colleagues – I am continually astounded as to how Canadian aquaculture continues to be a strong engine of innovation, employment and growth, despite the numerous challenges it faces.

The uncertain economy, unpredictable weather and daunting regulatory environment would crush the soul of many normal business folk. Nonetheless, our farmers – shepherds of sorts – continue to wake up and tend their ‘flocks’ of fins and shells. Notwithstanding attending bankers meetings, discussing qualitative trait loci with PhD’s, and welding things, they do about a thousand tasks, all the while providing the world’s best products every single day.

The industry’s strength shouldn’t be astounding, given their unrelenting passion to succeed, but I am always pleasantly surprised.

This past year has had some great achievements. Ask anyone in the industry about their program and what they are working on. They will tell you about the people that work for or with them, their families, their farms, new products, methods and technology. The success will be palpable. It might not always directly equate to ROI, or some other Bay Street metric, but if you listen closely the achievements will be profound.

Despite these achievements, it would be easy to focus on the negative. Our lack of a legitimate national
Aquaculture Act, providing surety to all stakeholders, is a significant impediment to long-term, sustainable growth. Investment is global, and dollars will flow to the areas where there is less risk. Despite our access to the best water, best markets, and best food safety regulations, we languish behind global competitors because we have no assurances that the rules are clear and won’t change overnight. The industry isn’t asking for direct contribution; we can find the money. But money won’t come here if it has no assurances of stability. Not unlike the animals we tend, we too will grow despite the challenges, but imagine how we could grow and how efficient we could be if we had a stable regulatory environment?

CAIA continues to fight hard for all its members, ranging from those with a single tank on the side of a stream to those with multiple sites stretching across hundreds of miles of rugged coastline. From working to ensure industry stakeholders have regulatory surety, to fighting the plethora of misinformation and misguided sentiment, Ruth Salmon and her team continue to make sure people listen. The need for a strong national association such as CAIA has never been greater. As the business case for an Aquaculture Act hits the desks of government, members need to be united and strong in their resolve to demand changes. Your continual support, both in terms of membership dues and governance, will make change happen.

Regardless of these challenges and the need to get up each day and either tend to the fish, or tend to the stakeholders, the industry will triumph. Over the next ten years a lot will change, some faces, some names, but the passion to succeed will be constant.