Sustainable Aquaculture Program

The Canadian aquaculture industry operates responsibly within rigorous environmental standards, the strongest in the world. These standards, based on the best available scientific research, are in place to safeguard the environment and wild fish stocks.

The Government of Canada announced a $70 million investment over five years in Budget 2008. This funding will create the conditions for a successful and sustainable aquaculture industry across Canada.

This investment will streamline the regulatory process, strengthen science to create performance-based environmental standards, spur innovation to enhance the sector’s competitiveness and productivity, and develop a certification scheme to meet rigorous quality standards in international markets.

This webpage is designed to showcase key milestones and significant events of the new Aquaculture program. Information will be added frequently under the four program pillars listed below as it becomes available.

Program Overview

Mission and Guiding Principles

• Regulatory Reform
  Improved regulatory certainty through better coordination among federal, provincial and territorial governments
  
  
• Scientific Research
  Improved regulatory science to establish performance-based environmental standards for all aquaculture operations
  
  
• Innovation and Market Access Program
  
  
• Certification and Market Access
  Assist the aquaculture industry to develop approaches to ensure that fish produced in Canada meet rigorous international market requirements