An industry at risk

Federal government plans to reform the salmon industry in BC could simply kill it off, producers fear.

Despite the scenic splendour of its great mountain ranges, British Columbia is not the preferred destination for some of Norway’s leading salmon farming companies these days.

When they set up their fish farms in Canada’s most westerly province more than two decades ago, the move was viewed as a bold adventure that would one day help to feed the entire North American continent.

Not anymore. Canada’s Liberal-led federal government has pledged to end open pen fish farming over the next five years, but only in British Columbia where it wants companies to switch to RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems) production.

The east coast provinces will be free to carry on with open farming at least for the time being, raising the question: Is the BC ban just a move to placate certain organisations and native groups, as some believe?

The move has led to two of the big Norwegian players to question their presence in BC. No-one has yet said they plan to pull out but the implied threat is there.

Grieg has suspended all strategic investment in BC while Mowi has initiated a strategic review of its presence in the province.

Both companies directly and indirectly employ thousands of people, so their loss would be a huge economic blow.

Politically, the role of Canada’s indigenous peoples – the “First Nations” – is central, with some supporting the net pen ban on the grounds that it will help conserve wild salmon, and others seeing it as an intrusion by the federal government into their right to participate in a profitable industry.

Cermaq farm, Canada

In BC the big salmon companies are working closely with local First Nations communities. Mowi, for example, says: “We are concerned with reconciliation and we have agreements in place with each of the indigenous groups in the territories we operate in. These agreements are founded on recognising the indigenous people’s right to exercise jurisdiction over land, resources and waters within their territories.”

Cermaq, which is Norway-based but Japanese-owned, said it remains deeply concerned about the future of the sector in British Columbia.

But it is not just the Norwegian companies who are likely to suffer. The province is also home to a number of Canadian-owned aquaculture businesses which are going to be hit hard if the government sticks to its policy.

That said, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet are not for budging although pressure is continuing to mount.

He completely ignored a recent demonstration by fish farm workers at a party rally in the province last month.

Diane Lebouthillier

Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier is due to come up with a transition plan which will involve moving the open-net farms to closed containment facilities, in water and on land. This has not yet seen the light of day, however.

The industry insists that the five-year time limit is far too short and the cost of transitioning is likely to approach at least CA $3bn (£1.7bn). For some companies it might be a question of “do we stay or pull out and invest elsewhere?”

At the moment they are keeping their powder dry, merely hinting at a possible withdrawal. There are other investment opportunities, however, notably in Iceland, Chile (where the industry is also at odds with the government) and Scotland.

There is little doubt they are thinking seriously about their future in that part of Canada. In contrast there seems to be few problems on the eastern side of the country where Grieg has a relatively young Newfoundland salmon investment programme.

Brian Kingzett

Brian Kingzett, Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association, said recently: “The expectation to produce 70,000 tonnes of BC salmon in land-based or marine closed-containment systems by 2029 is unrealistic and irresponsible.”

Kingzett also believes the timeline for transition to closed containment has been made in the absence of any scientific assessment of the environmental impacts of this category of technology.

The important and often outspoken Canadian seafood website SeaWest News, which has campaigned against government policy, says criticism of Trudeau’s decision has increased to include indigenous groups like the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship. The Coalition views the policy as a return to the paternalism of Ottawa dictating resource management in their territories.

Other groups that have called for a rethink of the plan include the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), the BC Agriculture Council (BCAC), The United Steelworkers Union, The Washington-based Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA), the Canadian Aquaculture Suppliers Association and fisheries experts from around the world.

The decision, says SeaWest News, also flies in the face of calls by the United Nations, which is urging member nations to grow their aquaculture output by at least 35% by 2030.

The other problem is that the First Nation groups are split on the issue with those who depend on wild salmon supporting the government, while those involved in fish farming do not.

Many people in British Columbia, however, believe the federal government is bowing to eco-extremists and would like to see a reasonable compromise.

The anti-fish farm lobby certainly has a number of high-profile supporters, including Leonardo Di Caprio who waded into the debate by criticising the decision to extend the licences to five years.

The 93-year-old Star Trek actor William Shatner has also added his voice against open pen farming with a profanity-laden video.

BC currently has more than 70 fish farms providing the province with its largest food export commodity so it is clearly a major issue.

In fact BC’s original fish farmers date back to the mid-1970s when it was largely experimental and run by small family enterprises.

It only began to become organised a decade later when the established Norwegian farming companies began arriving with plenty of cash and know-how.

One of the major criticisms from the “anti” lobby has centred on the spread of salmon lice. A recent Norwegian report, however, which reviewed the Norwegian regulatory management of the salmon farming sector, also concluded that sea lice infections on farms are not associated with a measurable impact on wild salmon. The information was recently published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, Reviews in Aquaculture.

“This is an important finding, as it aligns with the research and data we are seeing on sea lice in Canada,” said Simon Jones, Emeritus Scientist of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), commenting on the study.

He added: “The highly variable relationship between lice levels on wild salmon and salmon aquaculture in BC indicates the need for a greater understanding of all factors affecting the survival of wild salmon.”

But whatever the evidence, the government appears unlikely to change its mind over the five-year time limit.

The salmon industry faces the bleak prospect of spending tens of millions of dollars on conversion or pulling out and investing in a country that is less hostile to fish farming.