Mr. Speaker, at the same time that Atlantic Canada's marine fishery continues to decline, world aquaculture production is expanding. In fact, it will account for 25 per cent of the total global fish harvest by the turn of the century.
I am proud to announce an important initiative in the Atlantic aquaculture industry. Recently at the Nova Scotia Agriculture College in Truro I had the pleasure of announcing a Bachelor of Science degree program in aquaculture. This program was made possible by more than $1 million in funding from Atlantic Canada Opportunities.
The aquaculture science degree program will provide our youth with the opportunity to train in a sector where there is tremendous potential for economic growth.
The University of British Columbia and now the Nova Scotia Agriculture College in Truro are the only two degree granting programs in aquaculture in Canada. With the huge coastline of the Atlantic provinces, this is a bold step forward in partnership to educate our youth for future jobs in fish farming.