Farmed fish are here to stay as wild fish stocks have come under increasing pressure worldwide, says Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell.

Colwell responded Thursday to a federal audit tabled before parliament that warned the Department of Fisheries and Oceans had not yet crafted a plan to restore 12 of 15 wild fish stocks deemed to be in critical condition.

“The real issue is we don’t have enough wild fish stocks. We’re probably fishing worldwide to the maximum it can be,” Colwell told the Chronicle Herald Thursday.

Wild fish stocks have plummeted over the last 20 or so years and aquaculture now accounts for 55 per cent of all fish harvested worldwide, according to Colwell.

He cited a United Nations report warning that a rising global population and expanding middle class — the bulk of whom will reside in Asia — will drive an increased demand for protein.

“It’s important that we develop those new food sources,” he said.

But he promised that any development of aquaculture in Nova Scotia would adhere to strict environmental standards.

Source: The Chronicle Herald // Original Article