Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada study the socio-economic impacts of a possible transition to closed containment technologies, including the resulting impacts on employment in rural and coastal communities.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada continue to work with rural, coastal and First Nations communities to encourage economic growth through the development of aquaculture operations, including the use of closed containment technologies.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recognizes the important contributions made by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and recommends that the Government of Canada work with SDTC to ensure that its application and reporting requirements facilitate the funding of research and development of sustainable closed containment technologies.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recognizes that any commercial adoption of closed containment aquaculture or other innovative aquaculture technologies will require public and private financial support to complete research and ultimately to allow promising new and viable technologies to advance from demonstration to commercialization. Therefore, the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada, in conjunction with industry, review the financing options to ensure that resources are available to close the commercialization gaps. The Committee further recommends that the government-industry review considers a dedicated fund for closed containment demonstration projects.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada develop a national policy and regulatory framework for aquaculture including an aquaculture act.

Recommendation 6

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada, supported by industry, establish a canadian centre of excellence for salmon aquaculture development at a university to study all aspects of salmon aquaculture development, including its impact on surrounding communities.