Mussel Showcase Kicks off Aquaculture Week

According to the Norwester, the week of June 8 - 14 was proclaimed Aquaculture Week by Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Trevor Taylor on June 2. The events begin with the Blue Mussel Showcase in Springdale, Robert's Arm and Triton June 9 and 10. That will be joined by events in several communities of the Coast of Bays region, like St. Alban's, Belleoram and Harbour Breton from June 12 to 13.

Job Halfyard is the president of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) and he's proud of the mussel industry in Newfoundland. He owns Sunrise Fish Farms in Robert's Arm and a second farm being developed on the south coast. He said the showcase is an important event because it lets people see how important the industry has become.

"We want to show the people the importance for employment in the area because I have 10 - 12 people employed and some of them will be employed for over 40 weeks in the year," he said. "I put a new barge onstream last year, which was about $600,000 and she was built down in Glovertown. We have barges, boats, engines and all the rest of it so it's helping the local economy."