Revitalizing Coastal Communities: The Impact of Aquaculture Engineering on Rural Economies
- maria7338
- Jan 23, 2024
- 2 min read
At least 95% of the Aqua Production community are rural or small-town folk. Most often our job sites are located on a beautiful coastline (usually in an area with little-to-no cell reception and with internet service that was ok in the 20th century!).
For 30 years, between 1985 and 2015, the trend was to move out of fishing communities in Atlantic Canada, Maine, Quebec, and other areas. Between out-migration and an aging population, many small towns struggled greatly. This trend paused to a degree during the pandemic - but had changed to the positive before the pandemic in 2016 and has remained there. Did the seafood industry contribute to this change? One could certainly argue that there is a correlating dramatic increase in the value of seafood exports during this time!
At APS, our goal is hearing from a customer that after using our technology they are now selling their lobster (or oysters/mussels/clams/fish) further afield globally, and for a higher margin than ever before. APS has been making this happen since 2013 and still expect to achieve this result with every major retrofit or build project that we do.
Higher margins translate into more money coming into these communities and APS customers realizing their dreams. Dreams, such as a younger generation being proud to stay or return to their home community, are coming true for many! Or, dreams of the previous generation having their life's work amount to something that can be passed on to their children.
Now, one of the most common struggles we hear from customers in small communities is the difficulty finding workers to fill vacant jobs! APS has been addressing this issue by delivering automation and other solutions that reduce labor needs for many years now.
Being born and raised in a Nova Scotian fishing community boasting a population of 90 souls, I take great pride in serving these communities in such an impactful way. This is why we are based in a small town in Nova Scotia creating employment here.
To discuss how we can help you achieve higher margins and reduce labor requirements, visit our website www.AquaProduction.ca or call 902-396-2829.
