Commercial Seaweed Production

Commercial Seaweed Production This is a notice of proposed procurement.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is responsible for safeguarding Canadian waters and managing Canada’s fisheries and oceans resources. DFO also supports economic growth in marine and fisheries sectors, and innovation in areas such as aquaculture and biotechnology. Economic analysis supports evidence-based decision making throughout DFO, including regulatory decisions such as those for Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS), and other policy and management decisions related to fisheries and aquaculture. MPAs contribute the Canada achieving international commitments. In August 2019 Canada surpassed its Aichi Target 11 commitment by conserving more than 10 per cent of its coastal and marine areas. Moving forward the new target is to conserve 25 per cent of coastal and marine areas by 2025, and 30 per cent by 2030. As a MPA process moves from identification to designation, and then evaluation, alternative economic products are required. For example, with the initial identification of a possible MPA (i.e. Area of Interest; AOI), a general socio-economic overview of the broader area, including the AOI, is used to support consultation. As the process moves toward designation and identification of alternative management restrictions, the general information may be refined and can support a cost-benefit analysis for use in the regulatory process of MPA designation under the Oceans Act. Information on economic activities within AOIs, such as seaweed harvest and aquaculture production of seaweed, can support the economic analyses.

Furthermore, AIS and pathogens can be detrimental to aquaculture operations, however little is known about the economic impact of either AIS or pathogens on seaweed aquaculture production. To limit the adverse impacts caused by AIS, species can be listed under the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations of the Fisheries Act; the decision to list a species requires an economic analysis. Information on the costs associated with AIS control and mitigation measures is essential for analyzing the economic impacts on aquaculture producers' profits. Comparing the incremental costs of implementing AIS management measures to the incremental benefits of protecting ecosystem services produced by farmed seaweed harvesters from an AIS invasion can assist decision-makers in choosing policy options that yield the highest net benefits. A complete understanding of the impacts of an AIS invasion is not possible without information on AIS management costs.

Economic analysis to support management and regulatory decisions must consider both the costs and benefits that result from the proposed change, as well as the distribution of those impacts. While estimating changes in the value of ecosystem services (ES) can support this work, doing so requires quantitative estimates of the ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are the outcomes of ecosystem structures and functions that provide value to people. These services can be broadly categorized as provisioning, cultural, regulating and supporting services. The economic value of ES can be estimated using various techniques, and the values can subsequently be used in cost-benefit analyses. Algae/seaweeds can provide provisioning, regulatory (e.g. nutrient bio-mitigation) and cultural (e.g. diving) ES; this project focuses on provisioning services. Provisioning ES from algae/seaweed include food (e.g. dulse), materials used in food production (e.g. seaweed for carrageenan), fibers and energy production. These ES may be the result of commercial and non-commercial wild harvest and aquaculture production. This study focuses on commercial wild harvest and aquaculture production. While wild harvest and aquaculture production are regulated, the data available on production is scattered (e.g. DFO, provinces, industry). In addition, the scale of the industry is such that information on economic characteristics may not be available. For example, Statistics Canada collects data on aquaculture production and value from the provinces, but aquatic plant production is not reported separately. Understanding the geographic distribution of businesses that harvest and produce seaweed will improve the understanding of economic impacts of management and policy changes, as well as the distribution of those impacts.

Duration of Contract: from contract award to September 30, 2024 inclusive Timeframe of Delivery: from contract award to September 30, 2024 inclusive