WFN Fish Farm

Proud partners

Indigenous businesses and their contributions to the Canadian economy are growing rapidly. However, there’s still a sizable disparity of income between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. This income gap is influenced by a variety of factors, many of which are historic and systemic barriers to Indigenous prosperity in Canada. For Indigenous-owned businesses and communities, this may include barriers to accessing traditional forms of financing. And although many companies, particularly those in the food sector, faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts for Indigenous firms in Atlantic Canada were even more pronounced during that time. One Mi’kmaq enterprise, however, not only survived but thrived during this unprecedented period, in part due to the strong, strategic partnerships formed pre-pandemic.

WFN Fish Farm Limited Partnership (WFN), owned by the We’koqma’q Band (pronounced: Way-go-ho-maw), is a steel head trout farm located in the estuary of Bras d’Or Lake on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The aquaculture farm was founded four years before the Community of We’koqma’q, a Mi’kmaw nation, took over its operation in 2015 forming a legal partnership. At the time, it employed eight people. Today, WFN includes a hatchery, a grow-out site and a processing plant over multiple Cape Breton locations and employs 77 people — 70 of whom are from We’koqma’q.

“Aquaculture has become an important economic driver for First Nation communities generating more revenues for First Nations through their direct participation in all facets of the aquaculture value chain from hatchery to table,” Reg Hurst, CEO of the We’koqma’q Band, says. “They are also involved indirectly through the provision of support services such as environmental services, construction, diving and boat repair.”

It’s hard to separate WFN from the Community of We’koqma’q, they are so interconnected. WFN, a key employer for this picturesque rural community, reinvests all of its profits into its business, or into community social programs, housing and infrastructure.

“We’koqma’q Proud” is the Community’s catchphrase and they have many reasons to be proud. We’koqma’q, which means “near the water”, has experienced tremendous growth. Government records show they’ve increased their population from 620 in 2006, to 1051 as of February 2022. According to the Community’s website, We’koqma’q boasts a staggering 90% retention rate of its community members.

“We'koqma'q First Nation operates within the aquaculture industry with long-term objectives of achieving financial stability for our community, sustaining employment for our band members and developing a vertically-integrated fishery that will continue for generations,” Chief Annie Bernard-Daisley, the Band’s Chief since 2020, says.“All aquaculture and fish processing operations are owned by the Partnership, which is wholly owned by the Band.”

The Community Chief and Council are confident aquaculture will continue to provide significant employment opportunities for its members, as well as provide the funding needed for the betterment of the community. They are right. Although a traditionally risky industry, aquaculture is part of the ocean economy. The “blue economy”, as it’s often called, is a $36 billion a year industry in Canada, responsible for 350,000 jobs. By 2030, this sector is forecasted to double its value to $3 trillion globally. That’s nearly 20 percent higher than the growth of the broader global economy. And thanks in part to WFN; the Community has recorded a 132 percent increase in its revenue since taking over the farm in 2015.

One way the Community has achieved its goals is by building strong partnerships — which in some instances, go back hundreds of years, such as the alliance formed with the Acadian settlers who arrived in the area in the early 1600s. So when We’koqma’q fishers and harvesters were given quotas for shellfish and ground fish in the late ‘90s, they turned to the Acadians to navigate this new industry. The We’koqma’q sought a partnership with Premium Seafoods, an Acadian-owned fish business in Arichat, Nova Scotia. Premium had been running a successful fish plant since 1984 and generously mentored We’koqma’q.

WFN also forged a partnership with Cooke Aquaculture Inc. (CAI). The New Brunswick-based company is the largest independent seafood company worldwide. CAI agreed to sell WFN’s fish under CAI’s brand — one that is recognized globally as providing quality products. This increased WFN’s growth and allowed it to not only add almost two dozen new jobs, but also convert its nearly three dozen seasonal positions to full time, year-round jobs. In addition to helping WFN, aquaculture-related businesses in the region, such as feed and supply companies, benefited as well.

WFN’s fish was being sold both locally and globally and the company had built a reputation for quality products.By the end of 2019, WFN had processed more than a million pounds of seafood generating nearly $6 million for the Community, with projections to double sales over the next two years — exponential growth from its early beginnings when it produced approximately 70,000 trout per year for $680,000 in sales.

It was time to invest in that growth — and themselves — again. Plus, it was important for WFN to scale its business, diversify its products and market opportunities, to fortify itself against possible impact from the pandemic.

This time WFN partnered with the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). ACOA’s role was that of pathfinder, working with the rural, Mi’kmaq community to identify programs and support to build on the momentum the We’koqma’q people and WFN had already created pre-pandemic.

WFN was looking to upgrade its harvesting barge and aging cages to increase the number of fish that could be harvested. It was also looking to acquire a state-of-the-art automated feeding system that would cut operational costs and increase profitability. In addition, WFN sought to purchase a flash freezer and packing equipment which would enable it to expand its product line and sell retail-friendly individually-frozen fish products (instead of fresh). This would provide access to new markets as one of Atlantic Canada’s largest producers of steelhead trout.

WFN also wanted to obtain its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification. BAP, which is in more than three dozen countries, is a voluntary accreditation funded by the Global Seafood Alliance, an international non-profit trade association. It certifies each step of the production and supply chain from hatchery to table by prioritizing four key areas: environmental responsibility; animal health and welfare; social accountability; and, food safety to ensure safe, responsible and ethically farm-raised seafood. As more fish and seafood sellers look to buy from companies that have these standards in place, the demand for BAP-certified products opens new markets for WFN.

Through a series of investments between October 2020 and July 2021, the Government of Canada invested in WFN. With further contributions from the Government of Nova Scotia and additional funding bodies, WFN implemented its plan and was well-positioned to meet the growing market demands for sustainably sourced, high-quality fish products both locally and globally.

WFN’s strategy also included hiring a Director of Sales and Marketing to develop a sales and marketing approach to expand the company’s reach and maximize its profits. This was especially important as the Community had decided to sell its products under its own brand, directly to customers. This was part of a long-term objective to achieve financial stability for the Community, sustainable employment for its members through a successful fishery that will continue for generations.

“The overall strategy is to grow the Band’s self-generating revenue to sustain the programs over time,” Chief Executive Officer - Commercial Operations, Donald Davis says. “If you look at rural communities, the opportunity to generate revenue and employment opportunities are a challenge. In the past, the Community had to bus our members to local crab plants in order to create employment. And now the actual fish farm is directly in the community.

“Aquaculture on the Bras d’Or Lake was a perfect fit. The opportunity meshed with our overall objective of creating jobs and revenue for the Community. In fact, our goal to create meaningful employment opportunities within our community has been one of the greatest spin-offs of our economic successes.”

The Community of We’koqma’q has experienced tremendous success in a short period of time. By investing in strategic partnerships, including their key partnership with WFN, they’ve worked hard to transition from chronic under-employment, to creating a self-sustaining economy — all while staying true to the Mi’kmaw culture. They have many reasons to be “We’koqma’q Proud”. Which perhaps highlights the Community’s strongest and most enduring partnership — its people.

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2023-06-20

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WFN Fish Farm

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