Land based multi-trophic aquaculture research at the wave energy research centre

• Published in: 2014 Oceans - St. John's
• Main Authors: Fiander, Leon, Graham, Mike, Murray, Harry, Boileau, Renee
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: aquaculture; wave energy integrated multi-trophic aquaculture; IMTA; Imta; atlantic cod; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1109/OCEANS.2014.7003181; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/accepted/?id=543d494b-95b1-4c30-ab48-7463b14e29ab; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=543d494b-95b1-4c30-ab48-7463b14e29ab; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=543d494b-95b1-4c30-ab48-7463b14e29ab

The collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery in the 1990s devastated the economies of many coastal Newfoundland communities. While many have survived through a combination of a much reduced fishery, government funding, and off shore or out of province employment, none of these are sustainable longterm solutions. Sea-based aquaculture (“fish farming” in pens) has provided stable employment in some areas, but only where there are suitable sites with protected, deep inlets with significant tidal or river current flushing. These geographic characteristics are not usually compatible with prosecuting the inshore fishery. Sites that were close to the open fishing grounds with minimal near shore currents were prized by the small boat fishers, but wind and wave protection were a secondary concern. Thus there are many towns and villages that are significant distances from ideal sea-based aquaculture sites. Peer reviewed: Yes NRC publication: Yes