Fisheries and Oceans Canada's National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratories Reach Milestone

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 15, 2016) - The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, issued the following statement today:

"I congratulate Fisheries and Oceans Canada's (DFO) staff at the National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratories for achieving accreditation to the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 17025.

ISO 17025 is the single most important standard for testing laboratories around the world. This accreditation demonstrates DFO's commitment to scientific excellence and quality. Its laboratories' qualified and skilled employees are able to produce precise and accurate test results in identifying and confirming the presence of disease agents in testing wild and aquaculture fish, mollusks and crustaceans. Canadians and our trading partners can be confident that Canada has a solid regulatory diagnostic foundation for the care and protection of our national fish and seafood industries and aquatic resources.

After years of diligent work to develop and implement formal quality management systems for its diagnostic testing laboratories, ISO accreditation has been achieved by all three National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratories. Last month, the Gulf Fisheries Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick was accredited. It was preceded by the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, British Columbia, accredited in February 2016, and the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, Manitoba in September 2014.

Successes like these are significant as the Government of Canada continues to invest in aquatic sciences to ensure that our oceans and fisheries are healthy and sustainable for future generations. This is why we have committed an additional $197.1 million in oceans and freshwater science over the next five years."

Associated Link:

Video: Achieving Excellence in Regulatory Science - ISO 17025 Laboratory Accreditation

Internet: www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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