Global demand for aquaculture products is on the rise and Powell River is poised to move forward with plans for an aquaculture industry park.
Scott Randolph, manager of Powell River Regional Economic Development Society (PRREDS), said critical mass has been reached from potential business investment and academic institutions in terms of expressions of interest. It is enough to proceed to the next step in development, he said.
Over the past year, PRREDS has been generating support from potential industry partners on the West Coast to pursue the establishment of a closed containment aquaculture park centre of excellence, and a research and development facility onsite that will likely attract peripheral business. The plan is to house the facility on 40 hectares of waterfront land next to Catalyst Paper Corporation’s Powell River mill, owned by PRSC Partnership Ltd. The facility would be jointly owned by the City of Powell River and Tla’amin (Sliammon) First Nation.
Four businesses have expressed interest in providing private sector investment in the facility, said Randolph. “One of the big factors in the project was whether there was enough interest before we went ahead and spent the money. We feel we’re at the stage where we can do that. We’ve undertaken water quality and ocean current studies to prove that the required resources to support that industry are onsite. Making sure the infrastructure is in place so that things can proceed is key.”
Randolph pointed out that global demand for food has increased significantly. Markets are actively looking for sources of higher quality, consistent product. Closed containment aquaculture production is seen as serving that need. “Countries like China and India have an emerging culture of middle-income earners, and they are demanding a higher quality product that hasn’t been there in the past. We are in a position to provide for this need.”
Post secondary partners are interested in the facility for its academic qualities. “Having post secondary and academic elements in place was important right out of the gate,” said Randolph.
The last component to be put in place, he added, is the relationship with government. “There will be regulatory considerations, mostly federal, but likely some provincial considerations as well. We will be looking for support from government by way of subsidy, but a clear exit strategy will need to be developed at some point down the road, once the business is established and the infrastructure is in place.”
John Weston, MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding, is a strong supporter of the project. Also interested in the project is federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, who met with proponents in September. From that meeting, Randolph said it was important to show that there was industry support and that there would be use of the facility. “We’ve got that support so we will bring it back to the federal government to discuss what their part might be,” he said. “We envision that they would help with the building of the facility to get it up and running.” He sees the province playing a part too, so the next step will be to invite the appropriate ministries to a presentation.
Cost-efficient resources are available through the mill, such as thermal energy, industrial electricity, as well as fresh water intake, making the choice of location important. Any environmental impact processes that may need to be done will be the responsibility of companies that ultimately become part of the park, said Randolph.
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