The Atlantic Veterinary College’s Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences received $2.5 million in research and development funding during recent Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) announcements in New Brunswick.

The announcement was made by the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of State (ACOA), on January 19, 2009. The funding will support the project known as Healthy Fish, Healthy Environment, Healthy Food.

This project will research and develop ways to reduce infection and disease in salmon aquaculture in the Atlantic Region, thereby improving fish health management practices and reducing fish losses across the industry. AVC’s Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences is regarded as a global leader in aquatic health sciences and epidemiology and where these two disciplines overlap.

The expertise of the Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences and its ability to investigate and manage fish health in innovative ways puts Atlantic Canada at the forefront of aquatic veterinary medicine. The centre has a strong presence in all of Atlantic Canada. With the development of AIF-funded Healthy Fish, Healthy Environment, Healthy Food project, the AVC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences will advance health management research within Canadian aquaculture and aquatic epidemiology globally. The project, with estimated total costs of $5.5 million, will receive the AIF funding and matching funds from each of the Atlantic provinces over a five-year period.

The AVC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences provides applied research to the aquaculture industry and veterinarians to enhance health and productivity. It enhances profitability in the aquaculture sector through field epidemiology and tank-based disease intervention studies and contributes to regional, national, and international policy decisions concerning aquatic animal health.