---
title: "Canada's Aquaculture Industry Alliance rebrands as Canadian Seafood Farmers"
summary: "The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) has unanimously voted to rename itself Canadian Seafood Farmers / Producteurs Aquacoles Canadiens, reflecting the sector's identity as a food-producing farming industry. The change was approved at the association's Annual General Meeting on 29 September 2026."
url: "https://feedsoft.ai/articles/canada-s-aquaculture-industry-alliance-rebrands-as-canadian-seafood-farmers-dc7c4a8f"
publisher: "The Feed Report"
section: "Aquafeed"
author: "The Feed Desk"
datePublished: "2026-10-02T19:15:18.813Z"
dateModified: "2026-10-02T19:15:18.813Z"
sources:
  - title: "Canada’s Aquaculture Alliance adopts new name"
    url: "https://www.aquafeed.com/newsroom/farming-news/canadas-aquaculture-alliance-adopts-new-name/"
---

# Canada's Aquaculture Industry Alliance rebrands as Canadian Seafood Farmers

*The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) has unanimously voted to rename itself Canadian Seafood Farmers / Producteurs Aquacoles Canadiens, reflecting the sector's identity as a food-producing farming industry. The change was approved at the association's Annual General Meeting on 29 September 2026.*

Canada's national aquaculture association has changed its name from the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) to **Canadian Seafood Farmers / Producteurs Aquacoles Canadiens**, following a unanimous vote by members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 29 September 2026.

The association said the new name reflects its alignment with all farming sectors across Canada and positions aquaculture explicitly as a form of food production agriculture. The rebranding comes, according to the organisation, as the Government of Canada makes economic resilience a central priority and as food producers navigate a challenging trade environment.

Timothy Kennedy, President and CEO, framed the change in the context of national food policy. "Aquaculture is agriculture, and our members are focused on responsibly growing, harvesting and processing Product of Canada seafood for grocery stores. As Prime Minister Carney implements the new National Food Security Strategy, our farmers can grow more here, process more here and put more Canadian seafood on Canadian plates," Kennedy said.

Joel Richardson, Chair of the Board and Vice President of Public Relations at family-owned Cooke Aquaculture Inc., based in New Brunswick, emphasised the sector's rural and economic significance. "Generations of Canadians have been farming seafood, and they want to grow more of it here at home, which provides huge social and economic benefits to rural and urban communities given our massive supply chain depth into towns and cities," Richardson said.

Richardson also pointed to aquaculture's potential role in wild fish stock management and workforce development. "Aquaculture science can be used for more wild salmon recovery projects, takes pressure off wild stocks and protects the ocean through regulations," he said, adding that "Seafood farming is also youthful, with the highest agricultural employee retention rate in one of the most technologically advanced farming sectors."

The association cited global context for the rebranding, stating that aquaculture farming is the fastest-growing and most environmentally sustainable animal food production sector globally, now accounting for 60% of the world's total seafood consumption. It argued Canada has an opportunity to attract ocean economy investment and create jobs given its coastline.

The organisation listed several policy priorities under its new identity: a science-based path for British Columbia salmon farming that protects jobs and supports First Nations and coastal communities; formal recognition of seafood farming as farming, with equivalent federal support to other food producers; and modernised management of the shellfish sector.

At the same AGM, Canadian Seafood Farmers elected its 2026–2027 Board of Directors. The board includes representatives from producers, service and equipment suppliers, Indigenous-owned and community-partnered enterprises, feed and animal-health suppliers, science researchers, and regional aquaculture associations from across Canada.

The association said it will roll out its new brand across communications channels over the coming weeks, including an Advocacy Day and Parliamentary Reception in Ottawa on 24 November.

## Sources

- [Canada’s Aquaculture Alliance adopts new name](https://www.aquafeed.com/newsroom/farming-news/canadas-aquaculture-alliance-adopts-new-name/)

*Cite as: The Feed Report, "Canada's Aquaculture Industry Alliance rebrands as Canadian Seafood Farmers", https://feedsoft.ai/articles/canada-s-aquaculture-industry-alliance-rebrands-as-canadian-seafood-farmers-dc7c4a8f (as of 2026-10-02).*