Strategic workshop to develop a Canadian Network for Sustainable Freshwater Aquaculture

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Canada's freshwater aquaculture sector consists of more than 700 operations that produce more than 10,000 metric tonnes of output annually with a farm-gate value of approximately $70 million.  Globally, Canada ranks a distant 13th in total freshwater trout and char output; however, given our natural resource base and other strategic advantages, this level of output is not commensurate with the opportunity, or potential, that exists.  Growth in the sector has been forestalled due largely to concerns regarding the environmental and social sustainability of aquaculture.  Therefore, any expansion in the Canadian freshwater aquaculture sector is dependent upon the development of knowledge, technologies and practices to address and resolve such challenges.In 2001, university, government and producers stakeholders launched the Inter-Provincial Collaborative R&D Initiative for Sustainable Freshwater Aquaculture to promote coordinated efforts in applied research, development and commercialization (RDC) to advance the sector.  The Initiative's first Industry Action Plan, in 2002, focused largely on nutrition.  In 2004, priorities were re-evaluated and a second Industry Action Plan was developed with a renewed focus on nutrition but with the addition of waste management, farm management and environmental carrying capacity.  More than $1.9 million in RDC projects were delivered through these first two Action Plans.In 2006, the Initiative became a registered not-for-profit organization - the Inter-Provincial Partnership for Sustainable Freshwater Aquaculture Development (IPSFAD). Recently, the IPSFAD coordinated five 1-day workshops across Canada to solicit input regarding RDC initiatives most pertinent to industry development and resulted in a Third Industry Action Plan that will serve as a coordinating instrument for sustainable freshwater aquaculture development. The proposed workshop looks to build on the identified industry priorities to evaluate the feasibility of estabishing a Strategic Research Network to address industry R&D needs.