The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland is dedicated to education, training, applied research and industrial support of fisheries and maritime sectors. The Institute currently has three schools: the School of Fisheries, the School of Maritime Studies and the School of Ocean Technology. Within these Schools are specialized Centres which provide training and research and development support to industrial clients. The School of Fisheries houses the Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development (CASD) and the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources (CSAR) and the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER). The mandate of CASD and CSAR is to promote the economic development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors through industrially relevant and applied research, whereas CFER’s mandate is to better understand fish stocks and marine ecosystem productivity through fisheries research.
The School of Fisheries has completed more than 2000 projects locally, nationally, and internationally in support of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Fisheries-based projects have been diverse and have included research on emerging fisheries, sustainable fisheries, gear technology, fisheries-based training, post-harvest processing, marine bioprocessing, education and training and community development. Projects have ranged from small-client centered research to large-scale, multi-year strategic initiatives. Collectively, these projects demonstrate extensive experience, a broad understanding of fisheries issues and insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Overall the School employs more than 80 full time scientists, faculty research and technical personnel engaged in education, training and research and it manages 10 academic programs at the diploma, degree and masters level. In the most recent fiscal year the school led approximately 100 applied research initiatives with industry and government agencies at a total research value of approximately $7.4 million CAN. It was also responsible for the delivery of industrial training programs to more than 1000 industry participants. The Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation is a not-for-profit corporation owned by Memorial University with a mandate to facilitate access by the aquaculture, harvesting, and processing sectors to the capabilities provided by the people and facilities of the University and other academic institutions. CCFI works with industry to understand its opportunities and needs, creates projects around them that draw on institutional capabilities, and provides assistance with financing and management of the projects. In doing so, CCFI also works closely with the Marine Institute and other organizations in doing both short-term problem-solving assignments and longer-term commercially-focused research and development.
