Joel Richardson is CAIA's new Board Chair. The Canadian national association speaking for seafood farmers said his leadership will be instrumental in advancing its mission.
Photo: Cooke.
"There has never been a more important point in time to champion, nurture and grow Canada's aquaculture industry." This is what the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) says in a statement released this week announcing the appointment of new officers to its Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
"Several new members, each bringing a wealth of expertise, are dedicated to supporting Canada's seafood farmers in being recognized and embraced as an important domestic source of sustainably-produced, affordable, secure food production for Canada," it also reads.
At a challenging time for marine aquaculture in Canada - especially following the Government's announcement to ban open net-pen salmon aquaculture in British Columbia by 2029 - CAIA has elected Joel Richardson, Vice President of Public Relations at Cooke Aquaculture Inc. as the new Board Chair.
Along with him, CAIA has also welcomed other new Board members such as Poseidon Ocean Systems CEO, Jamie Gaskill; Raspberry Point Oysters CEO, Lucas Linkletter; Senior Key Account Manager at Merck Canada, Jason McGrattan; Garware Technical Fibres Vice President, Gopakumar Menon; Mowi Canada East Managing Director, Gideon Pringle; General Manager at La Maison BeauSoleil, Amédée Savoie; and Country Director, Commercial Leader at Cargill Canada, Isaac Yun.
With a broad background in government and business and a deep commitment to sustainable seafood production and wild salmon conservation, the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance said Richardson's leadership will be instrumental in advancing its mission.
Commenting on his appointment, CAIA's new Board Chair recalled that over 50% of the world's seafood comes from ocean farms because marine aquaculture is one of the healthiest and most efficient ways to feed the population with minimal environmental impact and low carbon footprint.
The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance has repeatedly taken a position in favor of First Nations' self-determination over salmon farming and has also advocated that shutting down salmon farming in BC would lead to pocketbook pain for Canadian and U.S. households. Joel Richardson has spoken along the same lines.
"Canada's aquaculture sector generates nearly CAD 5 billion (EUR 3.34 billion / USD 3.58 billion) in economic activity, employs thousands of people, and is a vital social driver in coastal, rural and Indigenous communities," he said.
"The Federal Liberal Government's poor handling of aquaculture on the coast of BC has resulted in job insecurity, lost investment opportunity and major socio-economic impacts on hard working Canadians," Richardson continued.
"Aquaculture is agriculture, and the time has come for the federal government to bring aquaculture growth and development under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to legitimize the sector's rightful place as a major farming contributor to the nation's food security," he concluded.
Based in New Brunswick himself, and, as noted, Vice President of Public Relations for the family-owned Cooke Aquaculture, in the 2024-2025 Executive Committee of the CAIA Board, Richardson will be joined by professionals from all aquaculture industry sectors from both coasts of Canada.
The West Coast will be represented by Jennifer Woodland, Managing Director at Grieg Seafood BC and Chair of the BC Salmon Farmers Association, who assumes the position of Vice-Chair; Mia Parker, Director of Environmental Performance & Certification at Mowi Canada West, who will act as Secretary; and the Members-at-large, Linda Sams, Sustainable Development Director at Cermaq Canada, and Brian Yip, Fanny Bay Oysters General Manager; all of them from British Columbia.
Representing the East Coast, the new CAIA's Board Chair will be joined by Cyr Couturier, Aquaculture Scientist and Marine Biologist from Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, who will serve as Treasurer; and three other Members-at-Large. Two of these, Elizabeth Barlow, Regional Director at Grieg Seafood Newfoundland, and Trevor Stanley, Managing Director at Skretting North America, are also based in Newfoundland and Labrador. The third, Steve Langley, VP of Finance at Atlantic Aqua Farms, is from Prince Edward Island.
If you are interested in knowing the complete composition of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) Board of Directors, you can do it here.
