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CHAPTER 11 



MARICULTURE AND 

 OCEAN RANCHING 



There is a need to develop a new alternative 

 in the fishing industry to provide an opportu- 

 nity for a gradual evolution to a system we 

 are defining here as the "Mariculture Lease 

 Concept." in which fishermen vv?// manage 

 and enhance, as well as harvest, salmon and 

 other marine resources. This represents a 

 significant change: a transition from the 

 hunting strategy and philosophy of the pres- 

 ent catch fisheries to a farming strategy and 

 philosophy. 



D.W. ELLIS' 



Throughout this Commission's hearings, many partici- 

 pants expressed a keen interest in mariculture and ocean 

 ranching opportunities. Certainly Canada's Pacific coast, 

 with its many sheltered inlets and bays and relatively pol- 

 lution free waters offers ideal conditions for such ven- 

 tures. Interest has been stimulated also by the search for 

 an alternative to the wasteful and inefficient patterns of 

 resource exploitation that characterize our present com- 

 mercial fisheries, and by recent developments in the tech- 

 nology offish culture. 



Mariculture is relatively undeveloped in the Pacific 

 region, and so this industry presents a refreshing contrast 

 to the intractable probleras of the established commercial 

 fisheries. Moreover, the prospects for mariculture and 

 ocean ranching appear promising. Unlike most of the 

 existing commercial fisheries, they offer considerable 

 scope for expanded, stable and less seasonal employ- 

 ment. Because of their physical requirements, they also 

 provide an opportunity for developing a more secure eco- 

 nomic base for coastal communities. Much of the tech- 

 nology required is alreadv proven, and is advancing rap- 

 idly." 



In the long run, fish culturing, farming and ranching 

 could well support prosperous food production industries 

 that would provide more opportunities for many Indian 

 and other communities than traditional fishing; and if 

 well organized, they would complement existing fisheries. 

 The challenge is to provide a framework of regulatory 



policy that will promote these opportunities. In this chap- 

 ter 1 review recent developments and emerging opportu- 

 nities in this field, and recommend policies for accommo- 

 dating new ventures without disrupting natural fish 

 stocks or those who depend on them. 



While developments in fish culture should be encour- 

 aged, I emphasize that governmental policies should be 

 designed to promote orderly, measured growth to avoid 

 the chaotic responses to new opportunities that have 

 recurred in so many other commercial fisheries. Maricul- 

 ture and ocean ranching are in their infancy: they present 

 new technical and organizational problems: and they call 

 for careful, ccwrdinated developmental planning. 



I use the word aquaculture to refer to the culturing of 

 plants and animals in any water environment, and mari- 

 culture to refer to culturing them specifically in marine 

 (or salt) water. Fish farming refers to the production of 

 fish entirely within enclosures in either fresh or salt 

 waters. Ocean ranching applies to ventures that involve 

 cultunng, releasing and recaptunng salmon. 



MARICULTURE 



Aquaculture has a long history in many other coun- 

 tries, especially in Asia and Europe. Recently, new indus- 

 tries based on fish farming have burgeoned in Japan, and 

 in Norway and other European countries.' On Canada's 

 Pacific coast, commercial fish culturing has been limited 

 mainlN to oyster production: but the rich physical envi- 

 ronment for mariculture in this region and the variety of 

 species that are amenable to artificial culture have 

 recently attracted a much broader interest. The following 

 paragraphs summarize some of the emerging opportuni- 

 ties. 



Shellfish Culture 



Interest in culturing shellfish extends to a considerable 

 variety of species, but so far experience is limited to 

 oysters, and pioneering projects and studies of others. 

 For most we know only that they can be cultured: the 

 economics of production and problems of marketing 

 remain uncertain. The most promising species are 

 oysters, abalone, clams, mussels and scallops. 



Oysters Oyster culturing is a small but well-estab- 

 lished industry, described in Chapter 10. Local markets 

 can probably absorb more than the current production, 

 and possibilities exist for expanded export sales as well. 

 The provincial oyster leases provide a generally satisfac- 

 tory administrative structure for this industry. The tech- 

 nology of production is al.so well established, and new 

 suspension culture methods may enable producers to 

 increase output substantially, to perhaps 50 times present 

 levels.^ So if markets are sufficient, oyster culture could 

 become a significant coastal industi^. 



