Aquaculture Centre to Grow Industry

Aquaculture students and researchers at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College now have their own space for education and training with the opening of a new aquaculture centre today.

In the centre, students and researchers will study technologies and finfish and shellfish species that are important to continuing the growth of Nova Scotia's aquaculture industry. In 1999, this industry generated $33.9 million in revenues, a one- third increase over 1998.

"There is a great deal of similarity between aquaculture and livestock management in terms of the sciences of nutrition, physiology and the business end of animal production," said college principal Dr. Garth Coffin. "We are grateful to the governments of Canada and of Nova Scotia for providing these resources which will enable us to serve this sector in the agriculture and food industry."

The college's aquaculture program began in 1995 using borrowed facilities in the Animal Sciences Building. In 1996, the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification committed $2.3 million over five years to expand this building and to buy specialized educational materials and resources for the program. The Agreement is managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Nova Scotia Economic Development.

"By investing in the college's training facility, we're helping to supply Nova Scotia's aquaculture industry with the skilled, knowledgeable workforce it needs to grow," said Health Minister Jamie Muir on behalf of Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser. "This facility will produce more knowledge through research, and more professionals capable of managing aquaculture businesses, generating more exports, and growing the economy in rural Nova Scotia."

The new 1,150-square metre centre can accommodate 25 more students in the aquaculture program per year. The centre houses classrooms, laboratories, and a system of holding tanks for saltwater and freshwater fish. It also includes facilities to grow algae and zooplankton as food for the fish. Students using the centre have access to aquaculture resources in the college's MacRae Library.

"We are building on the strengths of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College to better meet the needs of a growing industry," said Senator Wilfred Moore, on behalf of George Baker, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "This investment is an excellent example of our commitment to supporting research, development and innovation."

Other government partners have helped to build and run the centre. The Nova Scotia departments of Transportation and Public Works and Agriculture and Marketing jointly contributed $1.5 million to the centre's construction. The provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture is providing the services of a fish veterinarian while the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is providing library resources and researchers to assist in graduate training.

The centre will host specialists and professors from other institutions to increase the college's research capability. The college has an agreement with St. Francis Xavier University's aquatics program to collaborate on research, education and student exchanges.

The Nova Scotia Agricultural College is home to Atlantic Canada's only undergraduate aquaculture degree program. Fifty-one students from throughout the Atlantic region have graduated from the program.

FOR BROADCAST ONLY:

The Nova Scotia Agricultural College has opened a new

aquaculture training centre.

The centre means more classroom and lab space for students

and researchers. There's also holding tanks for fish and

facilities to grow food for the fish.

The four-year degree program includes courses in aquaculture

and business to prepare graduates for running aquaculture

enterprises.

The centre will boost the number of graduates and help grow

aquaculture in Nova Scotia.

Last year, the industry generated 34-million dollars in

revenues.

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