Photo by Alexandra Morton
In a victory for wild fish and First Nations, fish farms will be leaving British Columbia's waters. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau followed through on an election promise in a letter to the incoming Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, informing Minister Jordan that one of her "top priorities" should be:
Work with the province of British Columbia and Indigenous communities to create a responsible plan to transition from open net-pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025 and begin work to introduce Canada’s first-ever Aquaculture Act.
This policy, which was a plank in the party's campaign platform, is a result of years of pressure by First Nations groups concerned about harm from Salish Sea aquaculture on wild salmon and orcas, and by other environmental and business groups. British Columbia's provincial leaders announced a 4-year plan to transition fish farms out of the Broughton archipelago, with 5 farms already removed, 5 more with plans to be decommissioned by 2022, and 7 more that would be shuttered by 2024.
First Nations groups occupied some British Columbia net pens last year, amid lengthy legal battles to ensure the First Nations can exercise jurisdiction over their territories. The farm owners and First Nations reached an agreement to remove pens and ensure that First Nations' oversight of threats to wild salmon posed by aquaculture, including transmission of pathogens and diseases.
Canada's commitment to move aquaculture out of the water and into safer, shore-based systems is a tremendous win for the oceans and wild salmon, and a reminder to policymakers in Washington State that there are better alternatives to open water aquaculture.