The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources promotes the development of the Province’s fishing and aquaculture industries. The Provincial Government works with industry and other partners to ensure the fishery is economically viable, internationally competitive, and ecologically sustainable over the long term.
The objective is to optimize the value of the fishery for all participants and for the province, ensuring the long-term security of resources for the benefit of future generations of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The entire Newfoundland and Labrador seafood industry is valued at approximately $1.2 billion and employs over 17,500 people in its various sectors.
The mandate of the Aquaculture Branch of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture is to provide orderly development of the province’s aquaculture sector.
The Aquaculture Branch consists of two divisions: Aquaculture Development Division and the Licensing and Inspection Division.
The Fisheries branch was created to separate enforcement from the development and implementation of fish licensing policy and to bring the department’s enforcement activities up the standards of a law enforcement function.