NB 823
June 3, 2008
FREDERICTON (CNB) - A blueprint to secure the future of New Brunswick's fishing and seafood processing industry and to create new opportunities was released today by Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet. The Fisheries Renewal Framework outlines a new vision for ensuring that the fish-and-seafood-processing sector will be sustainable, economically viable, and self-sufficient.
"This framework puts our fishery on course towards a secure, sustainable and economically prosperous future," Doucet said. "It spells out the transformation that our industry must undergo to maximize our ocean resources and remain a recognized leader in the harvesting and processing of seafood."
The Fisheries Renewal Framework establishes five specific goals, and outlines actions in the areas of marketing, harvesting and processing to be considered by both industry and government.
Doucet also reaffirmed an additional budget allocation of $1 million to support initiatives identified in the framework and outlined in the 2008-09 action plan. The plan, released today with the framework, establishes spending priorities that will be pursued during the first year of implementation of the framework.
"Achieving the objectives identified in the Fisheries Renewal Framework will not be done overnight or in one budget," Doucet said. "Working with the minister's round table on fisheries, we intend to present government with additional priorities and spending requirements each fiscal year."
In addition to identifying specific goals to be achieved in the first year, the action plan includes measurements to determine if the efforts are having the desired impact of solidifying the future of the New Brunswick fishery.
The framework and action plan are end products of a comprehensive review of the province's fishery, carried out over the past 16 months. Extensive consultations were conducted with many industry representatives, including stakeholder action groups and the minister's round table on fisheries. These were created by Doucet at the conclusion of the first New Brunswick Fisheries Summit hosted by the department in February 2007.
The framework focuses primarily on market-driven solutions, and identifies the roles the two levels of government, along with industry stakeholders, must play in order to achieve the vision.
Copies of the Fisheries Renewal Framework and action plan are available at regional offices of the Department of Fisheries in Bouctouche, Caraquet and St. George. The documents are also available online at www.gnb.ca/fisheries.
08/06/03
EDITOR'S NOTE: Following is a backgrounder outling the goals of the Fisheries Renewal Framework. MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Harpelle, communications, Department of Fisheries, 506-457-3549, e-mail: paul.harpelle@gnb.ca.
Backgrounder - A Fisheries Renewal Framework for New Brunswick
The Fisheries Renewal Framework is based on a clear, achievable vision for the future of the New Brunswick fishing and seafood processing industry. This vision will be realized if the following five goals are met.
Goal 1: A reputation for New Brunswick for high quality and practices that guarantee sustainability of our fishery resources.
The newly defined New Brunswick fishery will be based on our primary strength: meeting the demands of the market through providing a quality product. Along with this will be a focus on sustainability, in response to growing pressure from consumers and retailers in new and existing markets for proof that the seafood being sold originates from a fishery that is managed sustainably. Policies and practices that will provide this proof will be developed, and as more and more of our harvesters and processors adopt these practices and meet quality and certification standards, these initiatives will be rewarded in our global competitiveness.
Goal 2: Market-driven and diverse seafood enterprises.
Market demand must be at the centre of all decisions regarding commercial activity, beginning with a product development stage that places a priority on creating the value-added seafood products for which a demand has been identified. Our focus on existing markets must continue, but we will also use market research and market intelligence to develop new markets and to ensure that all product offerings meet the demands of both established and new customers.
Goal 3: Efficient and globally competitive enterprises that participate actively in innovation and the adoption of new technologies.
Investment in innovation and research and development will help us in three specific ways:
Goal 4: Contribution to the New Brunswick economy overall, and to the sustainability of our coastal communities.
The fishery is a valuable and vital common property resource to be managed for the benefit of all New Brunswickers. Conservation and sustainable use of resources and habitat must be the comprehensive, fundamental objective for fisheries management in New Brunswick, and can only be achieved through the application of improved science. This objective will ensure sustainability of a fishery that is profitable and capable of contributing to the ongoing economic and social bases of coastal communities and the province.
Goal 5: Working together to manage the fishery as an all-inclusive, sustainable industry for the benefit of future generations.
An understanding and acceptance that we are all in this together, and dependent on one another to make our fishery viable well into the future, is fundamental to our success. Specifically, mechanisms that ensure all stakeholders work together and contribute specialized knowledge and experience will lead to effective decision-making. Industry representatives must be active in forums to discuss how to move forward in the best interests of the industry as a whole. By sharing in the decision-making process, participants take responsibility not only for the interests they represent, but also for the overall conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources.
08/06/03