Only a few days after Dame Moya Greene revealed the true extent of our financial plight and recommended government quit subsidizing the aquaculture industry, the province is giving a fish farm on the northeast coast close to a quarter of a million dollars.
Greene estimates that the government gave the industry about $22-million over the four-year period from 2014 to 2018.
The province is giving the money to Merasheen Oyster Farms, the only oyster farmer in the province.
The Provincial Government’s non-repayable $248,608 contribution will provide specialized equipment, such as the Floating Upweller System, and dedicated oyster growth cages.
The Notre Dame Bay operation says the money will result in a higher-quality product. Juan Roberts with Merasheen Oyster Farms says “Oysters are a higher value shellfish and we believe when things improve with restaurants and the economy and an eventual easing up on restrictions, we expect oyster sales to improve and increase. We would like to thank the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for their continued support to help us grow the oyster industry, which will create jobs for rural Newfoundland and Labrador. We believe that our cold clean water will give our oysters that increased flavour that will set us apart from rest of world!”
Provincial Government Helping to Advance Shellfish Aquaculture in Notre Dame Bay
One year after the official launch of the first commercially cultivated oyster in Newfoundland and Labrador, Merasheen Oyster Farms Inc. is set to grow and expand its operations.
The company, which had been producing oysters in Placentia Bay for the last few years, is adding production to Notre Dame Bay. Owner Juan Roberts, the only oyster farmer in the province, says the move is expected to result in a higher-quality product. The shallower, warmer waters of Notre Dame Bay are likely to speed up the usual five-year growing process – resulting in a better oyster product reaching markets more quickly.
The Provincial Government’s non-repayable $248,608 contribution will assist with oyster cultivation research in Notre Dame Bay using specialized equipment, such as the Floating Upweller System, and dedicated oyster growth cages. This support will help the company continue its growth and development in a very competitive marketplace.
Providing businesses such as Merasheen Oyster Farms with the tools they need to compete and succeed in global markets is important to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Increased export activity helps create jobs and economic benefits for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
