| FRESHWATER CAGE CULTURE ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM II Sudbury, Ontario June 9-10, 2009 |
The rainbow trout cage culture industry was established in Lake Huron in the early 1980s and
experienced modest growth until the late 1990s. Since then there has been no further
expansion of the industry, due in large part to the uncertainties of the effects of cage farms on
the host environment. These uncertainties, combined with concerns raised about farms in
marine settings, led to public opposition and a concomitant scepticism within the regulatory
community about the environmental sustainability of cage aquaculture facilities.
Science in support of policy and regulation of freshwater cage aquaculture has lagged behind the
better developed marine experience. Efforts to address the shortfalls in scientific knowledge
accelerated in the early 2000s and continue to the present.
To begin to address some of the concerns of the public and regulatory community, the first
Freshwater Cage Culture Environmental Forum was held in Sudbury in March 2006.
Representatives from the research community, concerned public, First Nations, industry, and the
regulatory agencies were brought together for two days to listen and to discuss research reslts
and emerging regulatory approaches to the industry. The first Forum succeeded in clearing some
misconceptions about the industry and built some trust among all parties.
Three years after the first Forum, the body of scientific research has progressed and regulatory
approaches are evolving. The objectives of Forum II, then, were:
1) To bring together researchers, regulators, industry personnel and public stakeholders to
openly disseminate and discuss up-to-date research results, concerns regarding the
environmental sustainability of cage aquaculture in freshwater, and modernization of policy and
regulatory approaches to the industry.
and
2) To inform participants on how scientific research has influenced policy and regulatory
modernization in other fields and jurisdictions, and what issues or factors are taken into
consideration in Ontario.
experienced modest growth until the late 1990s. Since then there has been no further
expansion of the industry, due in large part to the uncertainties of the effects of cage farms on
the host environment. These uncertainties, combined with concerns raised about farms in
marine settings, led to public opposition and a concomitant scepticism within the regulatory
community about the environmental sustainability of cage aquaculture facilities.
Science in support of policy and regulation of freshwater cage aquaculture has lagged behind the
better developed marine experience. Efforts to address the shortfalls in scientific knowledge
accelerated in the early 2000s and continue to the present.
To begin to address some of the concerns of the public and regulatory community, the first
Freshwater Cage Culture Environmental Forum was held in Sudbury in March 2006.
Representatives from the research community, concerned public, First Nations, industry, and the
regulatory agencies were brought together for two days to listen and to discuss research reslts
and emerging regulatory approaches to the industry. The first Forum succeeded in clearing some
misconceptions about the industry and built some trust among all parties.
Three years after the first Forum, the body of scientific research has progressed and regulatory
approaches are evolving. The objectives of Forum II, then, were:
1) To bring together researchers, regulators, industry personnel and public stakeholders to
openly disseminate and discuss up-to-date research results, concerns regarding the
environmental sustainability of cage aquaculture in freshwater, and modernization of policy and
regulatory approaches to the industry.
and
2) To inform participants on how scientific research has influenced policy and regulatory
modernization in other fields and jurisdictions, and what issues or factors are taken into
consideration in Ontario.
| Sponsors & Contributors |
| Steering Committee |
| Doug Geiling Fisheries & Oceans Canada Dr. Cheryl Podemski Fisheries & Oceans Canada Professor Richard Moccia University of Guelph Steve Naylor Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Karen Tracey Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association |
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