and Michael Raine
Saskatoon newsroom
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Swimming into agriculture has been a good move for Alberta’s fish farms, says the man responsible for aquaculture in the province.
The provincial agriculture department took over the business from the environment department in 1997. It was a move supported by fish farmers, who felt it would get them the same research, educational programs and marketing assistance received by other agricultural ventures.
Duncan Lloyd, head of aquaculture for Alberta Agriculture, said that in the last three years, the department has set up several research projects, and is trying to develop a centre of excellence for the industry.
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“I think the aquaculture industry certainly has grown the last three to five years,” Lloyd said.
While Saskatchewan may lead the way in overall prairie production of farmed fish, it is mainly a result of a single, large trout farm, CanGro on Lake Diefenbaker.
Alberta has many small and medium sized producers and those numbers are growing, while Manitoba has a few small growers with limited growth.
Recognizing Alberta’s success in stirring fish farming’s economic waters, the Saskatchewan government is considering its own approach to aquaculture.
“We are working to reduce regulatory impediments to aquaculture,” said Gary Coghill of Saskatchewan Agriculture.
“Right now, it is a (Saskatchewan Environment) responsibility. We are looking to see if (the agriculture department) might be a better fit.”
Reducing regulations for farmed fish will require new policies.
Provincial officials say they are looking at issues that include identifying wild and tame fish, defining fish farms, keeping wild and tame stocks separate, preventing fish waste from polluting water, dealing with agricultural run off and determining the role government should play in encouraging aquaculture.
CanGro is the type of operation that the federal government would like to see on the Prairies.
Dan Stechey, an adviser to the federal commissioner for aquaculture development, said fish farming could be much larger than it is now.
“One of the big factors is the issue of regulation and the way it affects investor confidence,” he said.
Canadian Coast Guard permits are good for a maximum of five years. Many fish “culture” or production licences must be renewed annually.
“You can’t go to a bank and expect them to give you a seven-year equipment loan with only a guarantee of a one-year lease on the property or any guarantee of site tenure.”
He said as many as eight additional opportunities exist on Lake Diefenbaker for operations the size of CanGro.
Some other South Saskatchewan River system reservoirs in Alberta have similar potential.
In Manitoba, the conservation department enforces fisheries regulations. Provincial officials say that is unlikely to change because of the province’s large commercial fishery. However, officials say the province is watching the Alberta system with interest.
In Alberta, Lloyd said the agriculture department has developed a number of fish farm initiatives, including expanding the number of species farmers can raise. The latest is the American eel, produced by a farmer in the Fort Macleod area. The big mouth buffalo fish could be the next popular species.
Lloyd said his department is also setting up a risk assessment process to speed up approvals for the release of new farm production species. There are 16 species licensed for production in Alberta.
The department is also writing codes of practice for fish farms. One code will govern the management of water used to raise fish and another will regulate how fish are treated.
Lloyd said a research project is looking at a new strain of rainbow trout, the Eagle Lake, which is common in the United States and can survive in high alkaline water.
