“Mussel farmers in this province were the first in North America to achieve the Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard, which tells consumers their mussels are organic, produced in a sustainable, environmentally-sound manner, and are fully traceable,” said Minister Dalley.
“This information is important to discerning consumers throughout the world, and so the Provincial Government was pleased to provide $55,320 to help Ocean Fresh Mussels Limited promote its certified product around the world.”
The company plans to enhance its international profile by attending various seafood tradeshows and producing new promotional materials. These materials will include a new logo, new brochures, and online advertising.
“Our organic certification provides a great opportunity to differentiate ourselves in the global marketplace,” said Wayne Fudge, Ocean Fresh Mussels Limited. “I appreciate the Provincial Government’s help with promoting our products, and look forward to building on the province’s reputation as one of the best sources of seafood in the world.”
The Provincial Government has invested almost $1 million in the mussel industry since 2006. This investment helped the provincial mussel industry achieve its highest production in 2012, and assisted the process of certifying mussels produced in Newfoundland and Labrador to the Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard.
Budget 2013: A Sound Plan, A Secure Future included a $2.2 million investment in the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Program, which has promoted innovation in the province’s billion dollar fishing and aquaculture industry by assisting more than 200 research and development projects since 2008.
