The 29th Cold Harvest Conference and Trade Show was hosted at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, allowing industry insiders and outsiders alike to learn about the latest in aquaculture.
The three-day event kicked off with a seaweed workshop hosted by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University, followed by an opening reception. Day two saw Cold Harvest 2024’s conference and trade show start in earnest, beginning with welcome speeches from the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) Executive Director Jamie Baker, NAIA Vice-President Jonathan Gagné, Miawpukek First Nation Chief Brad Benoit, St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen and N.L. Premier Andrew Furey.
In his opening remarks, Gagné spoke of the advancements made in the sector in recent years.
“Agriculture has been around for 4,000 to 5,000 years. It’s been in the human toolbox for a very long time, and it has progressed over the years, like any other industry,” said Gagné.
“The FAO, the Food and Agriculture organization of the U.N., has declared this year is the first time aquaculture surpassed fishing.”
Gagné then introduced Furey, who noted the economic benefits aquaculture has brought to Newfoundland and Labrador while also anticipating further growth for the sector and the province as a whole going forward. The Premier noted that as aquaculture faces regulatory challenges on the west coast of Canada, provinces in Atlantic Canada can pick up the slack from the west coast.
“Since I became Premier just over four years ago, our team has been putting in the work, together with our valuable stakeholders like all of you in this room, to build a brighter, more sustainable and prosperous Newfoundland and Labrador. For that modern Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s essential to have a modern aquaculture industry to support it, bringing our product, our proud product, to everyone around the world,” said Furey. “I want to say that we are here to support you. I know there’s a bit of angst with the changing aquaculture landscape across the country right now, but the changes that I see out west are opportunities for us here in the east. This is a huge opportunity for us to continue to play in that renewable protein space.”
Day two and three of Cold Harvest 2024 lasted well into the night, with a number of talks on topics such as climate change, innovation in aqua feeds, advancements in finfish aquaculture and marine occupational health and safety. Days two and three were capped off by networking events. The first, a soirée hosted at the Bella Vista, featured music from the Masterless Men and the Brewmasters, while the closing event was hosted at O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub.
