BC Shellfish update and PacificKiss launch on A Channel

The BCSGA would like to congratulate Elizabeth Harris as the recipient of the 2009 BC Shellfish Industry Award in the amount of $700.

Elizabeth is currently enrolled in Vancouver Island University’s Fisheries and Aquaculture program.

Scholarships and bursaries assist many students in pursuing their career goals. It is estimated that 40% of VIU’s students require financial assistance and many could not complete their education with the help of scholarships and bursaries.

The BCSGA is proud to support the development of the shellfish industry by ensuring that the next generation is offered all the opportunities possible to pursue a career in aquaculture.

The Centre for Shellfish Research is getting lots of questions about construction progress at the Deep Bay Field Station.  To keep the interested up to date, they have created an informal blog located here –

http://viudeepbay.com/

They’re trying to put up weekly construction photos, other updates and CSR related items of interest. If you are interested to follow along, they’ll be trying to update it at a minimum of once a week, so subscribe with your RSS reader or check back.   There is a really cool animated walk-through of the building on this site that you don’t want to miss.

What is the Deep Bay Field Station?  Is it:

a) The first dedicated marine agricultural field station for shellfish aquaculture on the west coast of North America?

b) VIU’s newest marine science laboratories?

c)  What will be one of the “greenest” buildings in Canada?

d) A public centre for marine science,  coastal ecology and sustainable coastal development?

e) An off-campus culinary arts centre for the Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island?

f) A seminar and public events facility in a stunning architectural setting and waterfront location?

g) A micro-campus of VIU with classroom abilities and opportunities for undergraduate learning?

h) all of the above?

If you chose all of the above – you’re right!  Contact VIU’s Deep Bay Field Station  if you would like to get more information or come up and get a tour.

They’ll be finishing construction late next summer.   If you can think of opportunities to create partnerships with your programs or if you are looking to organize retreats, seminars or small conferences after next summer and would like to discuss having them at Deep Bay please contact either  me or  Brian Kingzett, Deep Bay Field Station Manager, at 250 740-6399 ; Brian.Kingzett@viu.ca .

Our friends at Manatee Holdings Ltd. have recently released their newest newsletter. In this issue they discuss the Development License for the Manson Passage Tenure which has recently been issued. Click on the image below to get the newsletter.

The new issue of Tidelines is ready and it’s full of hot topics and informative information. In this issue we review our 60th AGM gala, offer the results of the 2009 Pendrell Sound Oyster Spatfall monitoring results, introduce our new marketing campaign – The Pacific Kiss – and interpret the results of our industry survey. Enjoy! Just click on the image below to read all about it.

The BCSGA will have a booth at next week’s Mid-Island Science, Technology and Innovation Council (MISTIC) Trade-Show (see details below).  Our industry is gaining momentum in terms of innovation, partially based on new technologies that are becoming available, and new funding opportunities for growers to tap into for assistance.

One great example – Stellar Bay Shellfish – is a company that has recently imported high-technology Oyster grading equipment from Australia.  ATV recently did a news-story on the company (see video below).

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The MISTIC Innovation Showcase Tradeshow on November 6, 2009 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre will showcase to over 300 invited industry leaders, government, municipalities, First Nation communities and post-secondary institutions the diverse and innovative products and services available within the region.

MISTIC has lined up an exciting group of speakers that will not only present information that will benefit your business, but will also meet with you personally to offer advice and assistance on how they can help you improve your bottom line.

Click Here for the Speaker Agenda
Click Here for the Speaker Bios and Photos
Click Here for the Exhibitor Booth List
Click Here for the Tradeshow Exhibitor Booth Descriptors

On October 19th 2009, the BCSGA hosted our 4th Annual Research & Development Workshop & Gala Dinner.  The workshop was very well attended by over 80 individuals… over half of whom are directly employed in the private sector shellfish farming industry.  During the workshop, the most cutting edge and currently relevant issues were presented, debated, and discussed – with the intentions of creating awareness across the sector for people, business, and the BCSGA to focus our attention to.

Tom Broadley (BCSGA Board President) and Roberta Stevenson (BCSGA Executive Director) provided opening comments and set the positive tone for the productive meeting.  David McCallum (R&D Coordinator) introduced a BCSGA industry survey (click to check it out) which is intended to assist the BCSGA in our funding proposals and projects, and the research funding agencies to determine priorities for investment.

Sean Irvine (Senior Officer for Aquaculture Industry Development – DFO Pacific Region) opened the speakers list by providing an outline of the AIMAP program and innovation opportunities for the BC shellfish farming sector.  Click here to view Sean Irvine’s presentation (PDF FIle).

Keith Reid is president of Odyssey Shellfish and has made many innovative advancements in production and processing of Pacific oysters… particularly his branded Kusshi Oyster.

Eric Gant is president of Manatee Holdings, and has been working towards the creation of Geoduck aquaculture opportunities in BC for many years, and is recently making good progress.  Eric presented a proposal to the BCSGA membership to form a joint venture to invest in a new Geoduck tenure.  Click here to view Eric Gant’s presentation (PDF File).  For more information,

Eric Gant – Geoduck Aquaculture proposal to BCSGA from David McCallum on Vimeo.

Bill Dewey is the Public Affairs Manager for Taylor Shellfish, located in Shelton Washington.  Bill is perhaps the most knowledgeable person in the Pacific NW with regards to all issues surrounding politics, sustainability, regulation, and productivity of the shellfish farming industry.  Click here to view Bill Dewey’s presentation (PDF File).

Ruth Salmon is the Executive Director of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA).  Her talk focused on international marketing, CSSP updates, and regulatory reform associated with the Hinkson decision.  Click here to view Ruth Salmon’s powerpoint presentation (PDF File).

Andrea Osborn is a shellfish Veterinary Specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and her talk focused on international market opportunities and challenges for BC shellfish.  Click here to view Andrea Osborn’s presentation (PDF File)

Dr Alan Trimble is a professor at the University of Washington and has focused his career on monitoring the wild oyster spatfall in Willapa Bay in Washington State, and Pendrell Sound in British Columbia.

David Cassis is an Oceanographer at UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences and is working with the BCSGA on developing an industry-driven Harmful Algae Monitoring Program.

At the BCSGA, we are often asked for various bits of information about our industry.  Also, we often write about our industry in press releases, funding proposals, or letters to policy makers – and the information we use is based mainly on anecdotal knowledge with the odd bit of quantified economic data mixed in.  To better quantify our industry – and to use this information effectively for the above-mentioned purposes (and more), we have developed a survey to harness some of the insight of BC shellfish growers (mainly) and other industry stakeholders.

The survey is available both online (click to link to it) using a site called SurveyMonkey.com and in print – however, it is both easier and quicker for all involved if respondents fill it out online.  We are asking for (1) some socio-economic information about WHO WE ARE in this industry, (2) WHERE WE’RE AT with impediments and opportunities, and (3) what our Vision is for this industry’s future – WHERE WE’RE GOING.

This is not an academic exercise – we are expecting the sampling method to snowball and anyone may fill it out (not just one employee per company, for instance).  The more responses we get, the more powerful the information will be – you are all encouraged!  A DRAW PRIZE is being offered to those who complete the survey… one GALA DINNER TICKET to the 2010 Comox Valley Shellfish Festival ($100 value) – but you have to complete the survey to be entered!  Thanks in advance!

Click Here to take survey

This is the third round of the Aquaculture Innovation & Access Market Program (AIMAP) competition for projects that would start on or shortly after April 1, 2010. We are now accepting new proposals for fiscal year 2010-11. The final day for submissions is December 4, 2009.  Click here for MS Word Doc (editable) Application Guide.  Click here for PDF file Application Guide – updated, including DFO innovation priorities for the coming year (Appendix 3). For more information on the program, please consult the AIMAP website.

The overall goal of the Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program (AIMAP) is to catalyze aquaculture industry investment from the private sector, as well as other sectors, that will:

• Improve the competitiveness of the Canadian aquaculture industry by encouraging an aquaculture sector that continuously develops and adopts innovative technologies and management techniques to enhance its global competitiveness and environmental performance; and
• Position Canadian aquaculture products as having high value in the market place based on their environmental performance, traceability and other considerations.

These goals contribute to the DFO strategic outcomes of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and healthy and productive aquatic ecosystems.  Contribution funding under AIMAP is intended to enable recipients to plan, manage and complete projects that will achieve these strategic outcomes.

The AIMAP is a nationally competitive process with calls for proposals issued on an annual basis, and based on priorities established in consultation with provinces, territories and sector stakeholders.  The program will focus on short duration projects (1 year ideal; 3 years maximum) with demonstrable industry-wide benefits implemented by the end of the project.

For any BC questions pertaining to individual proposals, please direct them to me.

Thank you for your attention.

Sean Irvine

Senior Officer – Industry Development (Innovation)
Fisheries and Aquaculture Management/Direction des pêches et de l’aquaculture
Department of Fisheries and Oceans/Pêches et Océans Canada
#200 – 401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6C 3S4
Phone/téléphone: 604-666-3340
Fax/télécopieur: 604-666-1076

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture

October 1st, 2009 – DRAFT Standards for Sustainable Bivalve Aquaculture have recently been completed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as part of the Bivalve Aquaculture Dialogue.  These are proposed to be global in scope, performance based, and designed to minimize the key environmental and social impacts associated with aquaculture.

The BCSGA has played an arms-length role in the development of these standards (by participating in a North-American Regional Steering Committee).  These standards are recognized as both well-thought out and generalist (global in scope), but potentially flawed in their ability to influence a new level of certification that will be adopted by both consumers and industry – particularly in BC where regulations concerning food safety, farm practices, societal impacts, and environmental standards are already well established and strong.

Various shellfish industry stakeholders (primarily in the US) have already been fairly critical of these draft standards, and public comment is open between October 1st and November 30th, 2009.  Click here to review – Environmental and Social Standards for Bivalve Aquaculture.

Below is the text from the WWF Press Release:

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