Coalition releases ‘textbook’ on fish farm science as Ottawa mulls extending licences

B.C.’s fish farming industry and a coalition of First Nations supporting the sector are launching what they call a “textbook” aimed at dispelling concerns raised by opponents of the practice.

The 500-page Modern Salmon Farming in British Columbia: A Review was produced by the BC Salmon Farmers’ Association, the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship and the B.C. Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences.

Brian Kingzett, executive director of the industry association, said the guide was intended to bring together the most up-to-date, peer-reviewed science on salmon farming in a single document.

0:42 Hollywood actor wades into B.C. fish farm debate

“One of the issues about trying to start a whole new agricultural sector in Canada is that it has led to a lot of debate and accusations that the salmon farming sector is bad for wild salmon,” he said.

“While we believe the science says that is not true, we have a responsibility to demonstrate that, so as a sector, we are trying to be more open and transparent and start doing things that garner that public trust as we try to provide climate-friendly food for North America.”

The move comes as the federal government mulls extending fish farm licences on the B.C. coast for two to six years. Those extensions would come in apparent opposition to  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2019 pledge craft a plan to transition away from open net-pen salmon farming on the B.C. coast by 2025.

With that deadline looming, the industry and First Nations that support it are hoping the document can help reassure the public and opposing First Nations who have raised environmental concerns.

Environmentalists and Indigenous groups like the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance have long criticized the sector, alleging the farms are linked to the transfer of disease and sea lice to wild salmon.

2:06 Vancouver Island fish farming vessels put up for sale due to lack of industry certainty

The debate recently heated up with celebrity involvement, as Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio took to social media to criticize the federal government for “break(ing) their promise to phase out” the farms.

“Social media has made the challenge a lot tougher,” Dallas Smith, spokesperson for the First Nations for Finfish Stewardship and a member of the Tlowittsis Nation told Global News.

“Now that we’ve got some common denominators identified with government, we’re going to continue to work on social outreach and win that social licence back. Because I think a lot of the activists’ information is misinformed or outdated at best.”

Smith conceded that there is a strong difference of opinion among First Nations on the fish farm issue, but said there is unity on the importance of wild salmon to Indigenous culture.

The aquaculture industry, he said, has shown significant willingness to improve its practices and make changes reflecting First Nations concerns, which he argued are reflected in the science collated in the “textbook.”

There are currently 57 salmon farms operating in B.C., which the industry says generate a billion dollars in economic activity.

Last year, the federal government closed 15 open-net Atlantic salmon farms in B.C.’s Discovery Islands.