Aquaculture regulation in Canada: a case for modernization, standardization and collaboration

Abstract

As the global population is set to reach 9 billion by 2050, food production needs to be far more efficient in utilizing productive natural resources (World Bank, 2013). Aquaculture can address some of the difficult challenges that accompany global population growth. Aquaculture regulation in Canada is shared between the provincial and federal governments. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is the lead regulatory authority that manages aquaculture in Canada. DFO manages aquaculture collaboratively with ten provincial governments and the Yukon Territory. There is significant potential for Canadian aquaculture to expand, with the Canadian government estimating that by 2020, domestic aquaculture production could exceed 308,000 tonnes with a processed value of USD 1.6 billion (FAO, 2018a). For future significant growth in Canada’s aquaculture industry to occur, centralized policies and regulations, with DFO remaining the lead regulator, must be implemented to continue to protect the environment, and ensure the economic viability of the sector in an increasingly competitive global market. Throughout this report, the discussion is centered around three themes: (1) the importance of aquaculture to the Canadian economy, (2) the need for aquaculture regulation and legislation to be standardized throughout the Canadian provinces and territories to promote the efficiency and growth of the industry, (3) recommendation of the standardization of aquaculture regulations be based on aspects of the British Columbian model –the largest aquaculture producing province in Canada (FAO, 2018a).