![['Oysters, and lots of them, are celebrated at the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival.']](https://saltwire.imgix.net/oyster-festival-2919014.jpg?cs=srgb&fit=crop&h=568&w=847&dpr=1&auto=format%2Ccompress%2Cenhance)
Island shellfish farmers are getting a funding boost to help them explore new technology.
The provincial and federal governments announced Thursday that they are jointly chipping in $500,000 to help boost technological investment in the oyster aquaculture industry. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is contributing $300,000 of the funding while the provincial government is giving $200,000.
The funding will be managed by West Prince Ventures Ltd., which is a community-managed economic development company, through its Quality Oyster Aquaculture Program.
The program helps growers adopt technology to increase yields, improve handling and storage safety and increase efficiency.
“We are very pleased to be delivering the Quality Oyster Aquaculture program as it will be a great support for our oyster growers and operators looking to expand and modernize their operations to meet growing demand,” said Maxine Rennie, executive director of West prince Ventures Ltd.
@JournalPMacLean
