Conservation Biology​​​ in the Boreal
HOW DOES NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR COMPARE??​
Economy
The Newfoundland Aquaculture ​
Industry Association (2011), report a steady ​
increase in the value of aquaculture in this ​
province since it first became abundant in
2003, ​with only a slight decline between 2006
and 2007. The species harvested in the
aquaculture industry in the province include;
blue mussels, ​steelhead trout, Atlantic salmon
and Atlantic​ cod. In 2003, the province sold
1300 metric tonnes of mussels and 2600 metric
tonnes of finfish, a value of $15.9 million. In 2010, these values had increased to 2461 metric tonnes and 12899 metric tonnes
respectively, having a total value of $116 million. Across
Canada, there are eight different species of finfish, six species of shellfish and 12 species of marine plants. The most common species include; salmon, oysters, mussels and trout.​
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Worldwide, the aquaculture industry is one of the most traded commodities, with Japan leading with 14.4 billion worth of imports in 2005. In 2010, Newfoundland and Labrador produced a total 15360 metric tonnes of aquaculture. In that same year, 78 879 653 metric tonnes of aquaculture was produced worldwide. Newfoundland and Labrador represented 0.02% of this total, making it a very small player in the global market (www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca).
Within Canada, the department of fisheries and oceans, reported British Columbia as the number one producer of Aquaculture, accounting for 52.3% of the country’s industry. New Brunswick was Canada’s second producer while Newfoundland fell into third place. The total production of Aquaculture in Canada accounts for 14% of the country’s total seafood production and 35% of the value.​