This seminar on Fish Habitat Awareness is dedicated to a broad spectrum of industries in Nova Scotia. I am happy on behalf of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to host this event in conjunction with Acadia University. The seminar is funded by the Economic Regional Development Agency (ERDA). During the next two days, you will hear a wide variety of presentations concerning fish habitats in both freshwater and marine environments. These range from Mr. W. Rowat, Assistant Deputy Minister, with a theme presentation outlining government policy and its historical background, to Dr. Alex Colville, world renowned artist, Chancellor of Acadia University and member of the Order of Canada, in an address in which he recommends all participants to continue in their efforts to conserve "the Habitat Legacy for future generations."

The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is responsible for the management of the commercial and recreational fisheries of Canada which represents a multi-billion dollar industry and an important traditional occupation for thousands of Canadians. This renewable fish resource depends on a finite, albeit vast, realm of aquatic and marine habitats which must also be managed. Recent concern for the gradual erosion of the habitat resource of Eastern Canada, in spite of our conservation efforts, led DFO to review its traditional habitat protection and conservation meth-ods. This resulted in the Honourable Tom Siddon, Minister of Fisheries, endorsing and formally releas-ing DFO's Fish Habitat Management Policy. Concur-rently, a new National Habitat program was elabo-rated to implement all aspects and prescriptions of this policy.

The policy identifies and delineates the tasks to be performed in order not only to stem the erosion proc-ess but to regain lost ground through restoration of damaged habitats and development opportunities. It prescribes that DFO habitat managers actively seek and rely on support from the Canadian industry and indeed the public to accomplish the desired objectives. But in order to enlist your support we felt that first it was incumbent upon us to review with you and for you, the ideological, technical, ecological and legal aspects of freshwater and saltwater fish habitat management. We also wish to outline and discuss with you the issues related to the unavoidable conflict between development imperatives and preservation of fish habitat.

Much thought was given to the planning of this seminar by the organization team composed of Acadia University and DFO staff. We are proud to have achieved a fair balance of technical presentations by university, private sector and government scientists who have strived to outline for you the present knowl-edge of what constitutes fish habitat and how it is vulnerable to human activities of all types. Whatever the program may have omitted we 'hope will be com-pensated by the open discussion planned for the last session of the seminar relating to the responsibilities of government and industry.

I do wish to express our appreciation on behalf of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to Acadia University for their tremendous cooperation. I espe-cially wish to thank Dr. Graham Daborn who has done a terrific amount of work and without whose experi-ence it would have been difficult to plan, organize and deliver this seminar.

May I remind you that this seminar is but the first of a series and that we have learned a lot by it just as we hope you will. We propose to expand this activity to the province of New Brunswick and to other sectors in a near future.