Fish Farming News in BC

Victoria - The Campbell government is lifting the moratorium on new salmon farm licences. B.C. Fisheries Minister John van Dongen says the government will start accepting applications for additional sites on April 30.
The moratorium was imposed by the previous NDP government in 1995. It had capped the number of licences at 121.

Van Dongen says there will be no limit on the number of new licences, and says he expects the government to licence another 10 to 15 salmon farms a year.

The minister says the government is proposing high operating standards to protect the environment while allowing salmon farming to expand.

B.C. Salmon Farmers Association spokesperson Anne MacMullin says the government move means half a billion dollars in new investment and 8,000 jobs over the next decade.

"It's a great day for the industry, great day for coastal communities and a great day for the economy of British Columbia," she says.

LINK: Salmon in the Strait
The future of Georgia Strait is being recast by a debate over the emergence of Atlantic farm salmon and their potentially devastating effect on Pacific wild stocks that are already threatened on many fronts.

LINK:The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) is a national industry association, headquartered in Ottawa, that represents the interests of Canadian aquaculture operators, feed companies and suppliers, as well as provincial finfish and shellfish aquaculture associations.

LINK:Farm Relocation Initiative Potential impacts to the marine environment can be reduced and the health of farmed fish protected by properly locating fish farms. Good water quality, physical protection for farm structures and distance from sensitive marine areas will help protect farmed salmon, wild fish and their habitat.
As part of the Salmon Aquaculture Policy Framework, (news release and backgrounder) the B.C. government has identified 11 salmon farms to be relocated to more socially, environmentally and economically suitable sites. A second round of 25 farms to move was identified in Fall 2001. These relocations will ensure compliance with new environmental standards and reduce impacts on wild fish, marine mammals, birds and other wildlife.

LINK: The Heart and Stroke Foundation tells us that salmon is one of the healthiest foods we can eat. There's no shortage of it. We're eating three times as much of it as we did just a few years ago.
That's because the majority of the salmon we consume isn't wild, it's raised in ocean net pens. So are there differences between the two products? And are there hidden costs associated with salmon farming?