Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia (AANS)
The Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia represents and is the advocate for people involved in the aquaculture industry in this province. It includes farmers of shellfish and finfish, fish processors, fish hatchery & nursery owner-operators, land-based recirculation operators involved in alternate species, and a range of industry suppliers.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Professional association
- Industry Type:
- Aquaculture
- Market Focus:
- Locally (one state or province)
About Us
The Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia was formed in 1977 to support the fledgling fish and shellfish farming industry. In its early days the Association (operated by volunteers) lobbied governments for improved programs for aquaculture, organized meetings and workshops, and served as the focal point for technology transfer.
In 1994, the Association and its government supporters decided that the time for professional staff had arrived and hired its first Executive Director and officially registered as a not-for-profit business. Over the years as the Association grew so did the staff. Currently the AANS employs three staff members: an Executive Director, a Research & Development Coordinator, and a Public Engagement Coordinator.
Governed by a board of directors, the AANS represents the mutual interest of aquaculture businesses; comprising shellfish & finfish farmers, fish processors, hatchery & nursery owner-operators, land-based recirculation operators involved in alternate species, and a range of industry suppliers.
The AANS supports its members in developing viable businesses by defending their interests with government, pursing access to funding, providing appropriate services and by promoting aquaculturalists as farmers of a diversity of high quality products.
Mission
To support the production of quality food in the cool, clear waters of Nova Scotia, creating wealth based on a renewable resource.
Our Global Challenge
The Cousteau name is no stranger to the ocean science world, and this month that relationship will be front-and-centre here in Halifax. Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the well-known Jacques Cousteau, will headline a discussion being held at the Rebecca Cohn on January 25 at 2 pm.
“Our Global Challenge: Feeding a growing World while Protecting our Oceans” will see Cousteau coupled with Dr Rohana Subasinghe, Senior Aquaculture Officer of the United Nation’s Fisheries and Agriculture Organization, to talk about the world’s growing population, the current state of our oceans, and finding the balance between saving our oceans and sustainably using them to feed the world.
This special event will focus on the broader issues of the health of our oceans and the growing food shortages in the world for an audience largely of students, and open to the general public. Tickets are $25 +hst each, with $5 from the sale of each ticket benefitting Fish For Hope. Tickets are available for free to students at participating universities through a Science department representative.
Key Points:
- Fabien Cousteau was only four years old when he first dived, and he has been diving and working to educate others about the global ocean ever since. Fabien is the executive director and founder of Plant A Fish, a not-for-profit dedicated to the restoration of the world's water bodies through active community engagement and education.
- Fabien's vast experience, coupled with a degree in environmental economics from Boston University, have been the backbone of his strong belief that environmental discipline can be the basis for innovative solutions that strike a balance between regional and global environmental problems and the realities of market economies.
- Fabien Cousteau follows in his grandfathers’ philosophy that we have no choice but to become farmers of sea life rather than hunter-gatherers.
- The aquaculture industry is one of the fastest growing means of food production in the world, with opportunities to reach new international markets. More than 50 per cent of the seafood consumed by humans is now farm-raised.
- Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Fish for Hope, a local organization that uses the same strategies as local sea farmers to educate underdeveloped regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These strategies are used to help maintain a sustainable food source in poverty stricken areas.
- Fish for Hope was founded by Peter Corey, a sea farmer trained at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, who is currently working for Scotian Halibut Ltd in Woods Harbour, NS.