B.C. government announces new policies for open-pen salmon farms

The provincial government announced new rules and regulations around salmon farm renewals on Wednesday, establishing key criteria for any renewals of tenures past 2022.

“The challenges facing our wild salmon have been ignored for far too long,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture.

“That’s why we are putting in place a new approach to provide clarity and outline our expectations moving forward for a sustainable industry that protects wild salmon, embraces reconciliation, and provides good jobs.”

Effective June 2022, fish farm operators will only be granted tenures if they satisfy two conditions with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO): that their operations will not adversely impact wild salmon stocks, and that they have negotiated agreements with any First Nations in whose territory they propose to operate.

In 2009, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over fishery regulation, including fish farms.

Popham said the province will look to DFO for guidance in determining the conditions in which open-pen fish farms can operate without threatening wild salmon and other species.

The year 2022 aligns with the current renewal date of a majority of DFO-issued fish licenses. Licenses that expire before June 2022 may operate on month-to-month tenures.

Wednesday’s salmon announcement met with praise, criticism

On Monday, June 18, demonstrators gathered in downtown Victoria in protest of the provincial government’s approach to open-pen salmon farms.

The protest was co-sponsored by the Council of Canadians Victoria chapter, and took place  two days before tenures expired on Wednesday for 20 of 22 fish farms operating in the Broughton Archipelago.

Indigenous groups, including the Namgis First Nation in Alert Bay, B.C., say the land and waters were never ceded, according to CBC.

There are also concerns around how the local salmon populations have been affected by fish farming.

The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs on Wednesday said they applauded the government for recognizing “the significant role wild salmon play in the cultures, lives, and economies of First Nations peoples throughout the province.”

Chief Bob Chamberlin, Vice-President of the UBCIC, said the new requirements “are years overdue.”

“If wild salmon are to survive, this industry needs to move to on-land closed containment facilities,” he added.

Adam Olsen, B.C. Green Party MLA and spokesperson for wild salmon, released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying the province’s new policies should have been put into affect “long ago.”

“Frankly, I am embarrassed for our province that the measures that will be implemented in four years are not already happening,” Olsen said. “This should have been the standard all along.”

“The government of B.C. has just sold out wild salmon and are using First Nations as cover,” he added. “Allowing fish farming to continue as is for four more years is a failure of leadership in Victoria.”