Schools Join Aquatic, Aquaculture Programs

The Nova Scotia Agricultural College and St. Francis Xavier University are preparing to work together in a venture that could reap many benefits for students of aquaculture and aquatic resources.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed to establish a co-operative initiative between the agricultural college's aquaculture program and St. FX's new interdisciplinary studies in aquatic resources program. The plan will foster student exchanges and educational and research collaborations between faculties.

"This arrangement is a natural -- combining the specific production and management focus of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College's program with the broader resource-issues orientation of the St. FX program," said Derek Anderson, head of the animal science department at the agricultural college in Truro. "Students and faculty of both institutions will benefit from the opportunity for exchange in an effort to address the emerging needs of Atlantic Canada's coastal communities."

"The spirit of what I think is important here is how this reflects the substantial inter-university co-operation and partnership within the Nova Scotia post-secondary system," said Anthony Davis, co-ordinator of the aquatic resources program at the Antigonish university. "This initiative provides both institutions' students and faculty with access to greatly enhanced learning and collaborative opportunities."

St. FX became the first university in Canada in September 1997 to offer a comprehensive interdisciplinary aquatic resources program. The program is for those pursuing careers associated with aquatic resources, such as ecotourism, fisheries management and policy, sport and recreation, and aquatic environmental uses. The four-year limited-enrolment program leads to a bachelor of arts, bachelor of science or a bachelor of business administration degree with a double major in aquatic resources and one of six disciplines -- biology, economics, geology, political science, sociology or anthropology.

The interdisciplinary aquatic resources program also provides work placements and service learning opportunities to students as a means of broadening their educational experience and preparing them for life after university.

The aquaculture program at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College is a production-oriented applied program of study launched in 1995 and is the only comprehensive professional program in Atlantic Canada focusing on aquaculture. The program involves 10 courses specific to aquaculture. These, combined with courses in business and economics and other sciences, provide the unique blend of husbandry and management training considered necessary for professionals involved in the production and processing of food from aquatic species. The program also provides training in water-quality evaluation.

Students have the opportunity to work with and study both saltwater and freshwater organisms, and critical small-scale experiments with aquaculture species are conducted with either fresh or salt water. The four-year limited-enrolment program, which boasts a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility currently under construction, leads to a bachelor of science (agriculture) in aquaculture. To date, 18 students have graduated from the program.

The common focus of these programs on aquatic resource settings and the commitments of both institutions to provide high-quality and personalized undergraduate education promise to broaden the experiences of students while fostering positive research relationships of benefit to the region.