Festival Celebrates Aquaculture Industry

Local music and farmed seafood will be featured at the 13th annual Aquaculture Harvest Festival in Yarmouth on Saturday, Oct. 2.

This year's event will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. behind Rudders Seafood Restaurant, 96 Water St.

"This festival provides an opportunity for people in Yarmouth and the surrounding communities to learn more about our aquaculture industry and to sample some of the products grown here in Nova Scotia," said Sterling Belliveau, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "Aquaculture is a $58-million industry that helps create good jobs and grow the economy in rural, coastal communities in the province."

The festival features live entertainment; an oyster shucking demonstration; an aquaculture touch tank with oysters, mussels, scallops, and clams; a finfish tank with locally farmed trout and Atlantic salmon; and face painting.

People attending can talk to aquaculture growers and sample local products such as salmon fish cakes, seaweed, trout and halibut. Admission and food samples are free.

Mr. Belliveau will present a bursary for $1,000 to Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School, which will be awarded to a graduating student pursuing a program that could lead to a career in aquaculture. On Thursday, Sept. 30, staff will discuss careers in aquaculture with grades 10-12 students.

Atlantic salmon, oysters, mussels, trout, seaweed, clams, Arctic char and Atlantic halibut are farmed in Nova Scotia. There are 315 aquaculture sites in the province.