Quebec aquaculture sector to receive funding

Entrepreneurs involved in Quebec's aquaculture sector are receiving additional federal funding to help them innovate their operations, boost their productivity and improve their economic performance.

The minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea announced that three Quebec businesses will receive a total of US$66,000 in federal funding to help them strengthen their businesses. This investment is in addition to the US$141,000 announced last year for two other Quebec aquaculture projects.

The federal funding is being provided through the Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program (AIMAP), which is investing US$23.5 million over five years for the funding of innovative aquaculture projects that will contribute to the economic development of rural, coastal and First Nations communities.

The three projects selected have been submitted by the Societe de developpement de l'industrie maricole (SODIM):

• Iles-de-la-Madeleine: US$22,000 for management of commercial-scale softshell clam grow-out operations,
   
• Iles-de-la-Madeleine: US$8,000 for improving clam productivity through mechanization and automation of spat-sorting operations,
   
• Gaspe: US$36,000 for technical-economic optimization of cooked mussel meat production processes.

The SODIM is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to creating and developing profitable, competitive sea farming businesses in Quebec. SODIM and its regional partners will invest nearly US$70,000 in these three projects.