Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for inviting us today to speak to the CESD report.
As you are aware, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was implicated in two of the commissioner's reports: the audit on salmon farming, and the audit on conserving biodiversity. At DFO, we welcome the CESD's reports and the conclusions on how to improve salmon aquaculture governance in Canada and how to advance our work in the conservation of Canada's biodiversity.
Firstly, I would like to speak to the audit on salmon farming. Aquaculture is an important economic sector in our country, generating close to $2 billion in total economic activity. In 2016, over 3,000 Canadians were directly employed in aquaculture, mainly in the rural coastal areas, including many indigenous communities. Aquaculture is not only a federal economic priority, but many provinces and territories have also identified the sector as an opportunity to grow.
DFO's role is to develop and enforce regulations that support the sustainable development of the sector. Provinces and industries are better placed to promote economic growth. DFO also provides science to support decision-making. We operate in the context of close relationships with provinces and territories to support the growth of aquaculture in Canada in a way that respects the environment.
The report tells us that we can still improve. As you know, the audit makes eight recommendations to DFO on managing the risks associated with salmon aquaculture in order to protect wild fish, one of which also implicates the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Overall, the report indicates that while DFO does carry out significant scientific study in salmon aquaculture and has management measures in place to mitigate the associated risks, there is still work to be done. We agree with the recommendations set out in the report and are advancing work to regulate one of the fastest-growing industries in the country.
We are committed to regulating, together with our provincial and territorial partners, a sustainable and responsible aquaculture sector. We are moving forward on meeting our Cohen Commission commitment of completing key disease risk assessments by September 2020. All of the risk assessment analyses are planned. We published the first one recently, and we expect to publish four more in the near future.
In collaboration with CFIA, we are also clarifying roles and responsibilities for managing emerging diseases by establishing more formal governance. We are working closely with our partners and stakeholders in aquaculture management to ensure our decisions relating to aquaculture are made transparently, based on the best available science, and clearly communicated to Canadians.
We have begun strengthening our science communications. You should be aware that at the beginning of February, Minister LeBlanc announced that Canada's chief science advisor, Dr. Mona Nemer, will be leading an independent expert panel to provide advice on the appropriate use and consideration of scientific evidence in decision making on aquaculture, and the communication of science and decisions to Canadians.
Further to this, we are participating in the interdepartmental science review to inform the development of a risk-based decision model on setting thresholds on drugs and pesticides.
We are advancing work to strengthen our aquaculture regulations and enforcement capacity by developing additional measures to increase our capacity to respond to aquaculture enforcement incidents. We are examining options to publicly report information collected under the aquaculture activity regulations. In addition, we are collaborating with our counterparts in the provinces, territories, and with international colleagues to explore options for national standards on aquaculture equipment, by means of a feasibility study. The recommendations set out by the commissioner will help ensure DFO continues to support sustainable aquaculture management.
With regard to the audit on conserving biodiversity, like the audit on salmon farming, we agree with all recommendations. As the commissioner pointed out, DFO will reach 10% of marine protected areas by 2020. We are now at 7.75%.
In addition, DFO understands the importance of public reporting and we will continue with the two key public reporting initiatives, the annual environmental sustainability indicator report and the report on the status of protected areas.