SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick – New Brunswick has granted operation approvals to 93 salmon aquaculture cage operation sites in the West Isles area of the Bay of Fundy.

That’s despite the fact that farmed salmon prices in the province are in the tank.

The approvals are a requirement under the Clean Environment Act’s water quality regulations and outline the terms and conditions that relate specifically to environmental management of the operations.

Lower salmon prices reduced New Brunswick farmers’ sales revenue by nearly 10 percent to $279.1 million in 2001. That was down from almost $282 million in 2000, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.

Significantly lower prices for farmed salmon had a serious impact on revenue.

New Brunswick aquaculture produced 33,900 tons of salmon in 2001, a 16.5 percent increase over 2000 when 29,100 tons were produced.

“When we began the process of developing the program, the price of salmon was still fairly healthy,” said Darrell Welles, the aquaculture approvals officer in the Environment Department’s stewardship branch.

“We weren’t worrying too much about the industry.”

Welles said his department is not responsible for aquaculture’s fiscal fitness.

“The financial health of any industry is the responsibility of the development agency, in this case Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture,” he said.

According to the province, New Brunswick is the largest producer of farmed salmon in Atlantic Canada with an estimated annual production of 29,100 tons worth $223 million.

The industry contributes more than $47 million in wages and benefits to the New Brunswick economy on an annual basis.