Government of Canada announces over $5M in clean tech funding for British Columbia Fisheries and Aquaculture Projects

VANCOUVER, BC, April 7, 2021 /CNW/ - Improving the environmental sustainability of our seafood sectors while ensuring they remain competitive in the marketplace is a shared goal of British Columbians. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting that goal through targeted investments in new technology. These are solutions that will help the sector become cleaner, greener and more sustainable.

Today, the Member of Parliament for Burnaby North—Seymour and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Terry Beech, on behalf of the Minister, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, announced funding of over $5.4 million from the Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program to support 36 projects that are contributing to clean economic growth in British Columbia. The Province of British Columbia also announced a contribution of more than $785,000 in funding towards these projects.

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption program is a $20-million program (2017-21) that provides funding to help businesses incorporate clean technologies into their day-to-day operations. It is intended to accelerate the use of more sustainable and efficient tools, practices and techniques.

By supporting our commercial fisheries and aquaculture sectors' investment in clean technologies, the Government of Canada is ensuring the continued growth of a healthy and sustainable blue economy. These sectors contribute approximately $4.5 billion annually in gross domestic product and provide thousands of jobs across our country — many in Indigenous, rural and coastal communities. During the pandemic, these investments have helped strengthen Canadians' access to fish and shellfish food resources by supporting the small and medium sized-businesses that are the bedrock of the fish and seafood industry.

The 36 projects for which funding is announced today are helping fisheries and aquaculture businesses adopt greener practices that will upgrade waste/wastewater treatment facilities, increase energy efficiency, create more reliance on green energy such as solar, upgrade sonar, decrease reliance on Styrofoam and reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

Quotes

"As we work to strengthen Canada's blue economy, sustainability must underpin all our investments and actions. Through the Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program, we're helping our partners in British Columbia implement more sustainable practices, and therefore become more competitive in their markets. These are good, long-term investments that will help Canada's seafood sector employ more people and generate more revenue for decades to come."

The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard

"British Columbia's fisheries and aquaculture sectors provide thousands of good middle-class jobs, many of which are in our coastal, rural, and Indigenous communities. With investments through the Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program, our government is working with industry to ensure their business is as sustainable and productive. That's how we will ensure that our fisheries and aquaculture sectors will continue to grow and generate good jobs and world-class seafood for the long-term."

Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Member of Parliament for Burnaby North—Seymour

"The Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program helps B.C. family-owned businesses reduce their environmental footprint while promoting a clean coastal economy. The projects announced today will help wild fisheries and aquaculture operations in our province adopt greener practices that will improve energy efficiency while reducing their environmental impact."

Fin Donnelly, Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Province of British Columbia

Quick facts:

• The Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program was part of a commitment in Budget 2016 of over $1 billion to support clean technology in Canada's natural resource sectors.
• Today's announcement of funding for 36 projects in British Columbia brings the total number of projects supported to date to 80 nationally.
• The Government of Canada is developing a Blue Economy Strategy to grow its ocean sectors through job creation, inclusion and conservation. Canadians are invited to share their views in an online engagement portal, which will collect diverse perspectives from coast to coast to coast, helping shape a strategy that will contribute to sustainable oceans, drive investment in ocean industries, and create jobs in coastal communities as Canada charts its economic recovery from COVID-19. Online engagement is open until June 15, 2021.

Associated Links:

• Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program

Backgrounder

FACTAP funding for projects in British Columbia

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technologies Adoption Program is a federal initiative encouraging the adoption of green technologies in the fishing and aquaculture industry. The program provides $20 million over four years to help businesses adopt new, clean technologies into their operations.

This latest funding of over $5.4 million represents a significant investment from the federal government, along with additional funding from the Province of British Columbia, in creating a greener, more ecologically friendly fisheries and aquaculture industry in British Columbia.

The projects receiving funding from FACTAP are:

• $28,195 for 607237 BC Ltd. of Quathiaski Cove, BC to invest in a new sonar system for bottom mapping, resulting in fuel savings and bycatch reduction.
• $416,000 for Aero Trading Ltd. of Vancouver, BC to introduce a new and innovative slurry ice production and distribution system to promote energy efficiency in their fish processing plant.
• $40,154 for B&S Fishing Ltd. of Quathiaski Cove, BC to support the purchase and installation of a new sonar system for improved operating efficiency resulting in less fuel consumption and bycatch of species of concern.
• $1,139,891 for the BC Shellfish Growers Association of Comox, BC to replace at least 235 rafts that currently use polystyrene (Styrofoam) flotation on shellfish farms with air-filled plastic billets (or continuous pipe flotation) to reduce pollution caused by the breaking down of polystyrene in the marine environment.
• $48,871 for Below Sea Level Oyster Co. of Manson's Landing, BC to replace 15-20 rafts using older polystyrene (Styrofoam) floatation at the proponent's shellfish farm with a fully enclosed rigid air filled polyethylene shell to reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment.
• $296,310 for Berezan Shrimp Co. Ltd. of Langley, BC to invest in a new water treatment and filtration system to reduce total suspended solids and nitrogen in the water thus reducing the amount of water exchanges required to maintain water quality standards within a Recirculating Aquaculture System.
• $6,655 for D. Ritchie Holdings of Campbell River, BC to replace 1600 exposed Styrofoam floats from 800 floating oyster baskets with new air-filled plastic floats to reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment.
• $384,000 for EWOS Canada of Surrey, BC to invest in a new waste water treatment and recycling system at their aquaculture facility that will reduce waste discharge and water consumption at their facility.
• $111,176 for F.A.S Seafood Producer Ltd. of Victoria, BC to install a system to their commercial fishing vessel that will reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
• $38,072 for Gladiator Enterprises Ltd of Madeira Park, BC to support the installation of a new sonar system for clear and efficient bottom mapping, resulting in fuel savings and bycatch reduction.
• $74,713 for Hub City Fisheries Ltd. of Nanaimo, BC to purchase energy efficient water pumps for their aquaculture facility.
• $321,262 for Independent Seafood Canada Corp. of Victoria, BC to support the purchase and installation of a new sonar system to a trawl vessel, enabling it to reduce bycatch and fuel consumption.
• $318,640 for Island Sea Farms Inc. of Courtenay, BC to invest in new phytoplankton production technologies, replacing lights with more technologically advanced and energy efficient photobioreactors.
• $305,169 for Mowi Canada West of Campbell River, BC to support the installation of an emissions-free solar power system at the Dalrymple Salmon Hatchery.
• $75,155 for My Lady Jane Holdings Inc. of North Vancouver, BC to invest in monitoring sensors to maximize fuel savings and reduce carbon reduction emissions for their commercial trawling vessel.
• $69,227 for Northern Divine Aquafarms Ltd. of Sechelt, BC to support the installation of a solar-powered composting system to process fish waste, eliminating groundwater pollution, reducing waste and the need to transport waste offsite.
• $95,000 to Nova Harvest Ltd. of Bamfield, BC to invest in new phytoplankton production technologies reducing energy reliance for the production of marine algae at their shellfish hatchery.
• $13,123 to the Pacific Prawn Fishermen's Association of Nanaimo, BC to purchase rockfish descenders, improving survival rate of rockfish encountered as bycatch in the commercial prawn fishery.
• $57,749 for Piscine Energetics Inc. of Vernon, BC to support the purchase and installation of new and improved high efficiency trawl nets for catching and removing invasive mysis shrimp from Okanagan Lake, BC.
• $44,527 to RK Fishing Inc. of Madeira Park, BC to support the installation of a new, less carbon intensive holding system for live spot prawns. A solar panel array will also be installed to offset power consumption of the holding tank.
• $51,855 to Sustainable Seas Fishing Inc. of Madeira Park, BC to support the installation of a new sonar sounder that will assist in identifying sensitive areas on the sea floor, and areas that may cause gear loss for the crab and prawn traps.
• $13,594 to Valdes Fishing Corp. of Vancouver, BC to support the installation of a sea bed mapping system to identify areas prone to gear loss. It will also reduce time and distance traveled, fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
• $52,470 to Vancouver Island University of Nanaimo, BC to support the purchase of an algae photobioreactor, reducing the amount of electricity used to grow algae and reduce amount of plastic waste associated with the current system.
• $48,000 to Viking Storm Holdings Inc. of North Vancouver, BC to support the purchase new trawl doors to increase efficiency, allowing the catch target to be achieved in less towing time and reducing power needed to tow.
• $56,060 to Leader Fishing of New Westminster, BC to install an advanced net sensor technology to reduce towing time and fuel consumption.
• $40,889 to 690386 BC Ltd. of Prince Rupert, BC for the installation of an efficient engine in an offshore fishing vessel which will reduce emissions.
• $13,186 to Highline Fishing of Campbell River, BC for the purchase of a sonar mapping system which will reduce fuel consumption and identify structures on the ocean bottom thus reducing gear loss and facilitate improved catch of target species.
• $68,580 to Miracle Springs Inc. of North Vancouver, BC to purchase a composting system to process fish waste, reducing waste and the need to transport waste offsite.
• $81,405 to B & S Fishing Ltd. of Quathiaski Cove to replace their existing freezer system with a more efficient system that also reduces refrigerant loss.
• $64,193 to Robert Hughess of Lax Kqw'Alaams, BC to purchase and install a commercial grade diesel marine engine to replace a 30 year old engine.
• $752,247 to Cermaq Canada Ltd of Campbell River, BC for a semi-closed containment aquaculture system installed in Clayoquot Sound.
• $11,333 to VX Tree Island Shellfish Ltd. of Comox, BC to replace and properly dispose of two rafts using polystyrene floatation. The rafts will be replaced with air-filled polyethylene floatation which are more environmentally-friendly than polystyrene.
• $91,781 to Russel Lloyd Fishing of Qualicum Beach, BC to install a shrimp detection system that will reduce the number of tows required while also allowing the captain to better distinguish catch between shrimp and other fish species, thereby reducing accidental by-catch.
• $51,000 to McEachern Murray & Co. Ltd. of Maple Ridge, BC to replace the engines on two of their fishing vessels with new more environmentally-friendly engines.
• $63,495 to Seed Science of Nanaimo, BC to purchase and install algae bioreactors which will reduce energy use, while increasing efficiency of phytoplankton production on site.
• $68,598 to Dark Horse Fishing of Gibsons, BC to increase freezing capacity and reduce refrigerant leaks which are harmful to the environment. The increased capacity will reduce the number of fishing trips for the operator while improving the quality of the product sold to market.

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SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region