Prince Edward Island

:This article is about a Canadian province. For the South African sub-antarctic islands, see Prince Edward Islands

Economy

The provincial economy is dominated by the seasonal industries of agriculture, tourism, and the fishery. The province is extremely limited in terms of natural resources such as minerals, although there may be undetermined quantities of natural gas beneath the eastern end of the province.

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Agriculture remains the dominant industry in the provincial economy, as it has since colonial times, although potatoes have replaced mixed farming during the 20th century to become the leading cash crop - accounting for one-third of provincial farm income. The province currently accounts for a third of Canada's total potato production, producing approximately 1300 million kg annuallyhttp://www.peipotato.org/why_pei.asp; comparatively, the state of Idaho produces approximately 6200 million kg annuallyhttp://cahenews.wsu.edu/releases/99spuds.html. PEI is a major producer of seed potatoes, exporting to more than 20 countries around the worldhttp://www.peipotato.org/why_pei.asp.

Related Topics:
Potato - 20th century - Kg - Idaho

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Tourism eclipsed the fishery in the latter half of the 20th century with over a million visitors entering the province each year to use beaches, golf courses, and visit local attractions and events. The high season, as with most Canadian provinces, is during the summer months of July and August, although increased travel by American visitors during September and October for fall foliage tours of the Maritime provinces and neighbouring New England and Newfoundland is pushing the shoulder season farther into the winter months.

Related Topics:
20th century - July - August - September - October

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The province is less dependent on the ground fishery than the other Atlantic provinces, with fishing being dominated by shellfish harvesting - most notably lobster. There are two separate lobster seasons for different parts of the province, occurring between May-September outside of moulting times. As the province is surrounded by sea ice between December-April, the fishery is entirely seasonal. In recent decades, the provincial government has been encouraging diversification of the fishery by promoting the aquaculture industry, largely through cultivation of mussels.

Related Topics:
Lobster - Sea ice - December - April - Aquaculture - Mussel

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