Noted Champion for Canadian Aquaculture Wins Third Annual Herb Dhaliwal Sustainable Aquaculture Award
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) Presents
Third Annual Herb Dhaliwal Sustainable Aquaculture Award to the
Commissioner for Aquaculture Development.
Ottawa, March 30, 2004 -- The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) is pleased to announce the presentation of the third annual Herb Dhaliwal Sustainable Aquaculture Award to Yves Bastien, Commissioner for Aquaculture Development.
In presenting the award at an industry gala on Tuesday March 30, David Rideout, Executive Director of CAIA noted, “Yves Bastien has made a strong and effective contribution toward the sustainable development of aquaculture in Canada. I know that fisheries ministers, past and present, truly appreciate the excellent work he has done over the last five years. Congratulations for this significant achievement – it is well deserved.”
Mr. Rideout noted that the Commissioner, who was appointed in 1998, and members of his staff have made a substantial contribution towards the sustainable development of aquaculture in Canada. "With the Commissioner’s leadership, we have achieved excellent progress in developing policies and programs that reflect the emergence of aquaculture as a significant player in the Canadian fish and seafood industry," said Mr. Rideout. "Yves has laid the foundation for all of us as we continue to work together to ensure the environmentally-sustainable development of the aquaculture industry."
CAIA’s President, John Taylor stated that the Canadian aquaculture industry owes a great deal to the Commissioner’s passionate advocacy work on the industry’s behalf, not just in Ottawa but also in many communities across this country. “His commitment to the future of this important industry, especially for Canada’s coastal and rural communities, is obvious to anyone who has listened to his impassioned speeches or has read his countless letters to concerned citizens from every corner of this country - from cities in British Columbia to villages in Bay d’Espoir, Newfoundland.” Mr. Taylor noted that it has been invaluable to the industry to have had such a strong voice speaking out on its behalf.”
While the aquaculture industry in Canada is still a relatively new one, its positive contribution to the agrifood sector continues to be significant. The most recent figures available from Statistics Canada confirm that the industry generated revenues of $732.3 million in 2002, compared with $697.8 million in 2001 – a 4.9% increase. Finfish, mostly salmon, accounted for 90% of total sales, while molluscs accounted for 8.0%. Though aquaculture industries are most commonly associated with regions of Canada’s coasts, all provinces and one territory contributed to that production.
Aquaculture production continues to grow in line with rising consumption of seafood products. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans reported earlier this month that Canada’s exports of fish and seafood products – including those produced in the aquaculture sector – reached an all-time high of $4.7 billion in 2002 an increase of over 10 per cent from 2001.
For more information:
David Rideout, Executive Director, CAIA
613-239-0612 (Office)
613-769-2957 (Cellular)
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Yves Bastien, Commissioner for Aquaculture Development
Yves Bastien was appointed Commissioner for Aquaculture Development on December 17, 1998 in response to the Liberal Party’s 1994 election platform document: Securing our Future Together which stated that improved support for the aquaculture industry from the federal government and its agencies would foster more rapid growth of the industry.
Mr. Bastien, who holds a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Montreal, has extensive experience in aquaculture, project management and wildlife and aquatic resource management. He worked at the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) as an aquaculture development officer, an extension services coordinator for Fisheries and Aquaculture, and a mariculture coordinator/specialist. Prior to his appointment as Commissioner, Mr. Bastien served as Executive Director of the Societé de développement de l’industrie maricole (SODIM) in the Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands, managing a one million dollar mariculture investment fund. He has sat on various boards of directors, including the Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC), the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), and the World Aquaculture Society (WAS). He served as President of the AAC in 1992-93 and 1998 and has participated in study missions on salmon farming in Scandinavia and scallop farming in Japan.
The Commissioner’s stated mandate was to bring together all appropriate federal government resources, lead required regulatory reforms, and work with the provinces to develop a vibrant, environmentally sustainable aquaculture industry. The Commissioner was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the 1995 Federal Aquaculture Development Strategy.
The comprehensive Legislative and Regulatory Review of Aquaculture in Canada, released by OCAD in March 2001, was a highlight of the Commissioner’s work in his first mandate. The review triggered the implementation of a detailed DFO action plan to establish an enabling legal and policy framework for aquaculture.
During the two-year extension of his mandate to March 31, 2004, the Commissioner and his staff focused on the development of a ten-year vision for aquaculture development in Canada with recommendations on all aspects of the federal role in achieving this vision.
These recommendations were developed for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans after consultations, held across the country in 2002, which contributed to a proposed federal vision for aquaculture in Canada. These recommendations will help the federal government better structure itself to provide a supportive climate for responsible aquaculture development.
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