Aquaculture

Aquaculture is an incredibly diverse, vibrant and growing industry that takes place in all parts of the world. In Manitoba, the focus of the aquaculture industry is on farming coolwater fish species like rainbow trout, steelhead, arctic char and providing high quality fish products to the food market. Sustainable development of the industry has played to the strengths of the natural environment including access to an abundant supply of  high quality water resources in many areas of the province. 
 

"Being engaged in landbased aquaculture is rewarding to educate and see the consumer acceptance of sustainable aquaculture. This has resulted in loyal educated customers and this industry trend will continue." - Rudy Reimer, Owner - Watersong Farms, the largest producer of steelhead trout in Manitoba.

 

Manitoba Agriculture offers access to aquaculture industry information relevant to the Manitoba context.

 

Most commercial aquaculture in Manitoba takes place in landbased, indoor, contained rearing conditions using recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). It is important to consider biological, technological, financial and environmental factors when constructing an appropriate facility. The Manitoba - Canadian Model Aqua-Farm Initiative advanced the knowledge base of commercial aquaculture and laid the foundation for a 'turn-key' efficient production system.

Effective integration of the most current operational practices and standards in areas like daily operations, biosecurity and fish health, feeding, water quality monitoring, effluent management and harvesting is key to the successful aquaculture business. The Fish Farm Technical Training Manual (PDF 0.84 MB) is useful for training new operators, refining current management regimes and helping potential produces gain an understanding of the technical aspects of operating an aquaculture business.

 

Estimating the cost of production is an integral part of planning a succcessful aquaculture business. Guidelines for Estimating Aquaculture Production Costs (PDF 0.5 MB) provides financial planning information for continuous production of coolwater species in a well designed and operated system. The excel version of the guide allows users to input their own operating and fixed costs to get the most accurate budgets for their own situations.

 

Aquaculture in Manitoba is well positioned for growth towards reaching its potential. People who are involved with and close to the industry have met to discuss the opportunities and challenges. Reports are available from Spawning Aquaculture (PDF 0.56 MB) and Spawning Aquaculture 2.0 (PDF 4.9 MB) to learn more about what producers, processors and people working in related sectors think about aquaculture industry development.

To support sustainable industry development, knowledgeable people have studied key priority areas including production, market development and policy considerations. Reports are available to help interested parties focus their attention and resources on actions that have the best chance of being successful towards expansion of the industry in Manitoba.