Net-Pen Salmon Farming in British Columbia
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced plans in mid-December 2020 to begin phasing out net-pen salmon farming in the Discovery Islands, British Columbia.
The news comes shortly after the Minister of the DFO Bernadette Jordan received a letter written by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The letter mandated her to collaborate with the province of B.C. and Indigenous communities to create a sustainable plan for transitioning from open-net salmon farming in coastal B.C. waters by 2025, as indicated by the Liberal Party’s platform.
Soon after the announcement was released by the DFO, the B.C Salmon Farmers Association (BCFSA) issued a statement highlighting the significant impacts the decision will have on salmon farming at both a provincial and federal level, during a pandemic. According to the association, farmed salmon is B.C.’s top seafood and agri-food export with an annual economic output of $1.6-billion. The association also pointed to the fact that the industry supports nearly 6’500 full-time jobs in the region.
Salmon farmers and the communities in the Discovery Islands say they were blindfolded by the decision and are begging for an extension to prepare for the shift and avoid the euthanization of 10.7-million salmon across local farms. According to a report released by the BCFSA days following the announcement, the current 5-year timeline will result directly in the culling of fish currently in the egg and smolt stages that were already destined for farms in the area. The report also states that the euthanization will cost salmon companies $105.8 million in opportunity cost, with total losses set at $170 million.
18-Month Extension Needed to Avoid Culling of Salmon
For more information about the report, check out SeafoodSource.ca:
“‘Unless an extension to the 18-month deadline is granted, 10.7 million fish will have to be euthanized, and this process will begin taking place in mid-February 2021,’ the report states.
That euthanization, the report states, will cost salmon companies CAD 105.8 million (USD 83.8 million, EUR 69.4 million) in lost profits, with total losses overall sitting at CAD 170 million (USD 134.8 million, EUR 111 million). In addition, shortly after the decision, salmon-farming firms operating in the region put capital investment plans on hold, and commercial agreements in the Discovery Islands were terminated.
It is not just the salmon farmers directly that will lose money, according to the report. Knock-on impacts of the closures of the farms will impact the entire region, with thousands of jobs lost. Overall, the closure is estimated to reduce the economic output of the entire province by CAD 390 million (USD 309 million, EUR 255 million), ‘mainly in remote coastal communities of B.C. where there are very few alternative employment opportunities or income sources for families.’
The impact could be greater if other companies that rely partially on salmon-farming companies are affected enough to also be unable to function. The report mentioned that some processing, equipment supply, and fish-net supply businesses have ‘expressed concern that the impact of this decision is significant enough it could make them economically unviable,’ according to the report.”
Source: BC Salmon Farmers Ask for More Time as Farm Closures Estimated to Cost CAD 390 Million - SeafoodSource
Photo Source: WIX - www.wix.com
Written by AQUAMERGE
March 2, 2021