In our previous post, we talked
about the mussel farming industry in Newfoundland and how it compared to a more
productive industry such as the one in Prince Edward Island. We showed how PEI has created initiative
to ensure that aquaculture is sustainable and environmentally friendly and how
Newfoundland has more work to do before it can become a leader in the
industry. A similar scenario
surrounds the farming of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) here in our province. So, in this post, we will look at, at compare, the cod
farming industry in Newfoundland, Canada and Norway, who is by far the world
leader in cod farming. Through
this we will see how Newfoundland is doing and what needs to be done to fulfill
our potential.
Atlantic Cod has long been
considered one of the most important commercial species within North American
and European waters. While the
farming of cod has been around since the early 1980’s, with experimentation
occurring even before that, it has become increasingly more significant since
the collapse of stocks worldwide – catches have declined from upwards up
3.1million tonnes in 1970 to 900,000 tonnes in 2002 (Rosenlund and Skretting
2005).
Within Canada, cod is farmed in
only two provinces, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, and it is still only on a
developmental basis. In
Newfoundland, the industry first started in 2003, but due to our abundance of
space and our ideal water conditions, the future looks very bright (NAIA 2011). Although it is only a new industry, we
are already considered leaders throughout the world for some of our research as
the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, DFO, has been very actively working
with places like Northern Cod Ventures as well as Memorial University’s Ocean
Sciences Centre looking at building cod aquaculture in the province (DFO 2006;
NAIA 2011).
Figure 1 shows the total production
of cod from Norway compared to that of Canada and the United States. In 2009, Norway produced around 18,000
tonnes of cod compared to only 1000 tonnes combined within Canada and the
United States. Even here in
Newfoundland, where we are considered to have a very promising cod industry,
only 230 tonnes of cod was grown in aquaculture farms in the mid 2000’s (DFO
2006).
Figure 1: Total Production of cod in Norway compared to
Canada and the United States in 2009 (Data from FAO 2012).
Figure 2 shows the process of raising cod within an
aquaculture farm. The first part
of growing cod would be obtaining seeds.
In our last post, we mentioned the difficulties of obtaining seeds for
mussel farming. In cod farming,
these problems do not exist. There
are many places around that world that keep their own broodstock to produce
eggs. However, in countries like
Canada and Norway, there is plenty of research around breeding programs that
have started and they supply eggs that have genetic material leading to
increased growth (FAO 2012). Once
the seeds are obtained, they are raised to juveniles, where they are then
transported to be grown in cages or circular pens until they are ready to be
harvested.
Figure 2: Production Cycle for the farming of Atlantic
Cod (FAO 2012).
While
cod aquaculture has a bright future in our province, and will likely grow to
become a very valuable industry, it is not necessarily an environmentally
friendly type of aquaculture.
There are some main issues surrounding this time of farming, in
particular: The use of antibiotics
in cod farming is much higher than in similar types of farming such as salmon,
due to the cod’s higher susceptibility to diseases. Also, in cod aquaculture there tends to be a very high rate
of escapees, which is not good for wild fish stocks. One final concern is that cod mature early compared to other
fish, and they tend to mature before they are fully-grown. This is a problem since cod could
become sexually active within farms and release eggs into surrounding waters
that are genetically different than eggs from wild populations (FAO 2012)
In
looking at strategies to deal with some of these problems, one needs to look no
further than Norway, by far the world leader in cod aquaculture. In particular, Norway has implemented
two initiatives. The first is the
Norwegian Aquaculture Act. This
act states its purpose as a way “to promote the profitability and competitiveness
of the aquaculture industry within the framework of a sustainable development
and contribute to the creation of value on the coast.” (Norwegian Ministry of
Fisheries and Coastal Affairs 2006). The second initiative that this country
has created is the Strategy for an Environmentally Stable Norwegian Aquaculture
Industry. This strategy looks at
many aspects of the industry, stating new goals and laws that must be followed
(Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs 2009). Some highlights of the strategy state
that:
- Aquaculture
cannot permanently change the genetic characterization of wild fish
stocks. The establishment of the
Aquaculture Escapees Committee combined with the better management of tools has
declined the number of escapees in recent years.
- Aquaculture
sites cannot release more organic material than the water can tolerate. Norway has implemented strict permits
that prohibit the release of materials into the water and each potential
aquaculture site undergoes a thorough scientific examination before being
certified as a farm.
- Diseases
cannot have a regulatory effect on stocks of wild fish and as many fish as
possible should live to be harvested.
Due to the high susceptibility of cod to diseases, as well as the high
frequency of bacterial infections, all cod are vaccinated. After vaccination, the continued use of
medicines is dramatically reduced.
While these are only a few
highlights of the strategy, the plant also looks at aspects such as fish health
and welfare, area utilization, feed resources and medicinal products.
The
industry in Newfoundland still has a long way to go if it wants to be
considered in the same class as industries like the ones in Norway. Currently, Newfoundland does have an
aquaculture act, however it does not have any strategy or plan dealing with the
conservation issues surrounding the industry.
However,
the future is very bright for the industry here in our province, as well as our
country. Many experts believe that
even as soon as the year 2020, Canada could become a leader in cod farming,
producing upwards of 130,000 tonnes of cod per year (Canadian Aquaculture
Industry Alliance 2012). So, while
there is plenty of room for our industry to grow, and the potential is there,
Newfoundland needs to learn from countries like Norway in creating a
sustainable and an environmentally friendly form of cod aquaculture.
References:
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (2012). Canadian
Farmed Atlantic Cod. Retrieved from: http://www.aquaculture.ca/files/species-atlantic-cod.php
DFO (2006). Atlantic Cod. Retrieved from: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/finfish-poissons/atl-cod-morue-eng.htm
FAO (2012). Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme: Gadus
morhua. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Gadus_morhua/en#tcNA00EA
NAIA (2011). Atlantic Cod. Retrieved from: http://naia.ca/nl-aquaculture/atlantic-cod/
Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs (2006).
The Aquaculture Act. L-0525 E
Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs (2009).
Strategy for an Environmentally Friendly Nowegian Aquaculture Industry.
Retrieved From http://www.fisheries.no/aquaculture/Sustainability/An_Environmentally_Sustainable_Aquaculture_Industry/
Rosenlund G; M Skretting (2005). Worldwide status and
perspective on gadoid culture. Ices Journal of Marine Science. 63(2):194-197
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