Ellerslie, PE – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency – In 1930, a laboratory was established on the Bideford River in Ellerslie to help restore the oyster fishery in Prince Edward Island. The timing was fortuitous, because a few years later, an epidemic swept across the Maritimes and the spat stored at the facility by biologist Dr. Alfred Needler was used to re-stock the region’s decimated oyster beds. After years of decline and eventually closure, the facility, now known as the Bideford Marine Centre, was acquired by Lennox Island First Nation and it is now getting a new lease on life as PEI’s only shellfish hatchery.
Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), together with Prince Edward Island’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Alan McIsaac, today announced government funding for the Lennox Island Development Corporation to create a new shellfish hatchery at the Bideford Marine Centre to ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the oyster fishery.
Once the hatchery has established the oyster seed production process, it will diversify into new species of shellfish seed production, including bay scallops, sea-scallops, quahogs and soft-shell clams, positioning it to provide aquaculture operators with seed stocks for their farms. With access to new species of shellfish, growers will have the opportunity to diversify into new, high-value products and increase exports.
Quick Facts
- Through its Innovative Communities Fund, ACOA will provide a $161,843 contribution for renovations to the existing building and the purchase of specialized equipment.
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The Government of Canada is providing additional funding of $92,000 through two programs.
- Funding of $50,000 was provided through Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada’s Aboriginal Business and Entrepreneurship Development (ABED) program, which provides support to Aboriginal entrepreneurs for business development. This funding is being delivered through the Ulnooweg Development Group;
- The Aboriginal Aquaculture in Canada Initiative (AACI) provided $42,000 to implement the project and supplied aquaculture business development support services to help develop the project through the Ulnooweg Development Group. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is the lead department for delivery of the AACI, which is funded through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative and designed to help coordinate efforts and investments in support of Indigenous participation in economic opportunities.
- The Government of Prince Edward Island will provide shellfish hatchery equipment with a replacement value in excess of $78,000 as in-kind support to the project through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. The Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning will contribute funding to assist the training of a recent graduate in the operation of the hatchery facility.
Source: Government of Canada