Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program

Service Standards at Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Program Overview (2008-2013)

Purpose and Results of AIMAP Projects

The overall goal of the Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program (AIMAP) was to catalyze aquaculture industry investment from the private sector, as well as other sectors, that would:

• Improve the competitiveness of the Canadian aquaculture industry by encouraging an aquaculture sector that continuously develops and adopts innovative technologies and management techniques to enhance its global competitiveness and environmental performance; and
  
  
• Position Canadian aquaculture products as having high value in the market place based on their environmental performance, traceability and other considerations.

These goals contributed to the DFO strategic outcomes of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and healthy and productive aquatic ecosystems.  Contribution funding under AIMAP was intended to enable recipients to plan, manage and complete projects that would achieve these strategic outcomes.

The AIMAP was a nationally competitive process with calls for proposals issued on an annual basis, and based on priorities established in consultation with provinces, territories and sector stakeholders.  The program focused on one year duration projects with demonstrable industry-wide benefits implemented by the end of the project. 

Under this program a maximum of $4.5 million in DFO contribution funds was available annually to support innovation initiatives, and a maximum of $0.2 million in DFO contribution funds was available annually to support market access initiatives.