Possible termination of BC's open-net Salmon Farm sector in sight
Cortes Currents
English - February 25, 2022 14:55 - 5 minutes - 12.3 MBNews cortes island discovery islands quadra food security energy indigenous nations Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The licenses for all 19 salmon farms in the Discovery expire in June. There will be only 7 farms left in the Broughton Archipelago by 2023, at which point their tenure ends unless they can obtain First Nation approval and Department of Fisheries licences. That leaves an estimated 79 salmon farms throughout the province and all of their licenses come up for renewal on June 30, 2022.
A new ‘independent’ report, prepared for the BC Salmon Farmers Association by the consulting firm Rias Inc states, “The licence renewal process in BC will determine the fate of the remaining 4,700 workers and $1.2 billion in economic activity generated by our sector in BC, as well as the additional $200 million in economic activity and 900 jobs across the country.”
In a recent press release, Joyce Murray, Minister for Fisheries and Oceans, said, “We remain committed to responsibly transitioning from open-net pen salmon farming in all coastal British Columbia waters and introducing Canada’s first-ever Aquaculture Act, which will respect jurisdictions, and provide more transparency and certainty within the industry.”
Critics like independent biologist Alexandra Morton said the “handful of low paying corporate jobs” this industry provides as insignificant compared to the damage it causes to wild fishery stocks, communities dependent of fishing, and wilderness tourism.
The Wilderness Tourism Association calls the continued existence of salmon farms a threat to their industry, which is dependent on a healthy wild salmon economy.
The Rias’ report calls for:
-“Immediate engagement on 2022 site licence renewals, and the 2025 transition plan, by senior government officials with industry leaders and Indigenous partners, with a clear timetable to address these issues.”
- “Increased transparency in decision-making for the future — for example, obtaining a licence re-issuance is complex and closed. All three governments should consider a dashboard type platform that allows the public to see what information/data companies provide as part of the process.”