Vancouver Island University breaks ground on $8.6m Deep Bay Field Station for shellfish aquaculture

Vancouver Island Universitys (VIU) Deep Bay Field Station site was the setting for a formal ground-breaking ceremony on May 21, 2009. The event marked the beginning of construction of a critical piece of rural infrastructure to support the continued growth and diversification of the BC shellfish aquaculture industry. We promised the federal and provincial governments that this project was shovel-ready and I am pleased to say that just six weeks after we received the final funding commitments, we have broken ground and can begin construction, said Don Tillapaugh, Director of VIUs Centre for Shellfish Research. Construction will take 14 months and employ 60 people. We intend to be operational by July 2010. Deep Bay Field Station Objectives: 1) to accommodate the simultaneous delivery of multiple shellfish-related programs in special purpose venues and; 2) to demonstrate sustainable (green) building technologies in a coastal area under enormous development pressures, through a publicly accessible platinum accredited LEED® green building. The Deep Bay Field Station will be a keystone facility to enhance the research and innovation system supporting the development of a sustainable shellfish aquaculture industry in BC.

Tagged as: $8.6m, aquaculture, Breaks, Deep, Field, Ground, Island, shellfish, Station, University, Vancouver