Fish and seafood are among Canada’s largest exports of food products today, valued more than $6B and driving economic development in coastal communities and all regions of our country. Our sector is the leading sector of the blue economy in Canada with an industry vision of becoming a top three best global quality and sustainable seafood producer by 2040. For Canada to meet its potential, we need to accelerate our response and adaptation to world changes in markets, competition, currency exchange, technology, requirement for sustainable harvesting and conservation methods, skill development, resource management, and labor force demographics.
The Canadian Fisheries Innovation Network (CFIN) will support Canada’s fisheries and aquaculture industries through unprecedented collaboration among participants across the country. The technology sector that supports the industry, academia, industry players, Indigenous groups, and research institutions will collectively accelerate the process of change in the industry. The overarching goal of (CFIN) will be for industry to adopt business models that increase output value while reaching full utilization of resource through advance processing, improving efficiency, and sustainability in operations through collaboration with industry players from across Canada.
Similar to transitioning in other industries, the potential for transformation lies in technology and information. Automation and robotic technology are key to developing a more competitive, sustainable and integrated business model. However, other technologies can help gain a better understanding of resources, create stronger linkages between consumers and producers, maximize value, re-organize value chains, and provide the information and knowledge transfer to improve decision-making.
Investments in ocean-based proteins connects with many of the priorities of the federal government including environmental, health, social and economic policies. Full utilization of our harvested resources further supports our rural, coastal, northern, and Indigenous communities in many regions of our country. The Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI) has a 30-year proven record of collaborative industry and academia applied research projects. The establishment of CFIN will leverage and build on CCFI’s industry experience, partnerships and linkages supported by already established operational infrastructure and platforms. The network will work with industry partners across Canada to increase value in the capture fishery and aquaculture industries supporting the sustainability and increased economic growth through innovation and efficiency in their value chains. We will support the network with a collaborative project call for different regions of the country that meet the needs of the region and industry while supporting a pan Canadian focus.
- Economic development and sustainability in our coastal and rural communities adjacent to Canada’s three oceans, while including inland fisheries.
- Dedicated applied research, project development and execution to meet and overcome challenges outlined.
- Support circular economy in the fish and seafood industry.
- Facilitate export development.
- The Canadian Fisheries Innovation Network through its work will support and facilitate Aboriginal Reconciliation.
- New Fisheries development opportunities in rural and coastal communities in response to resource distribution related to climate change.
- Supporting skill development related to STEM graduates and aligning with needs of the sector.
- Promote employment of post-secondary work term students in our project execution stage, proving valuable experience and exposure to science, engineering and technology development in the fishing and seafood sectors.
The governance of the CFIN will see representation from four regions of Canada (including Northern, Eastern, Western and central/inland Canadian regions). We would have a collaborative approach in each region to determine areas of priorities, followed by a general call for proposals based on these priorities. This format would see a CFIN board supported with regional representative sub-committees to oversee proposal calls, selection and evaluation of projects that support the objectives of CFIN in a region and pan Canadian objectives as well.
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