Aquaculture: “If the Feds are gonna blow it up then they need to pay for it”
North Vancouver Island provincial election candidates say thousands in their ridings fear for their jobs as Ottawa moves to curtail salmon farming in B.C.
By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews
Incumbent North Vancouver Island MLA, Michele Bachuck, who is a candidate in the upcoming provincial elections, is calling on the Federal Government to pay for its decision to ban salmon farming in BC’s oceans.
“If the Feds are gonna blow it up then they need to pay for it,” said Babchuk at an all-candidates’ debate in Campbell River, when responding to a question about the sector
which directly and indirectly employs some 6,000 people.
“Once again, we are dealing with a federal transition (plan), and they are dragging their feet, so the uncertainty of this industry is absolutely high, and it’s making people extremely anxious,” said Babchuk.
“It doesn’t matter which side of the farmed salmon (debate) you are on; you have to agree that it is a large economy for the north end of Vancouver Island,” she said.
Green Party candidate Nic Dedeluk said while she believes that farming salmon in the ocean is no longer sustainable, many people in the riding are concerned about losing their jobs.
She said the push to transition the salmon farms to land-based rearing facilities is “not a solution that is going to work in our riding.”
Conservative Party of BC candidate Dr. Anna Kindy did not attend the debate, posting on social media that “my focus is on engaging with voters directly at their doors.”
Her party has included support for BC’s aquaculture in its platform, stating it “provides an important source of food and economic development in rural BC.”
In Campbell River alone, which prides itself as the “Salmon Capital of the World” about 700 businesses and vendors service Vancouver Island’s aquaculture industry.
The Campbell River Business Recovery Taskforce, comprised of community and business leaders, estimated the annual spending by fish farmers on supplies and services via local businesses and vendors at $132.65 million.
North Vancouver Island has been a provincial NDP stronghold since the 1970s, with the exception of the election win by the B.C. Liberals in 2001. In the last election, Babchuk won decisively, capturing 51 percent of the vote, while the B.C. Liberals obtained 24 percent, and the Greens earned 19 percent.
The Federal Liberal government disregarding advice from its own scientists—who have determined that the salmon farms present minimal risk to wild stocks—announced the controversial ban on open-net salmon farming in June.
This move has been widely denounced as a politically motivated endeavor to garner favor with urban-Liberal constituencies and activists opposed to fish farming, at the expense of the economic stability of aquaculture-reliant indigenous and non-indigenous rural communities.
Last month, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans released a blueprint to transition BC’s salmon farming sector before the proposed ban takes effect in 2029.
Loaded with aspirational assertions and largely devoid of actionable items, a significant part of the transition plan’s execution hinges on upcoming consultations and feedback from affected communities, First Nations and the industry.
The salmon farming sector in BC has said 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.
“We continue to stress that the timeline for the transition to closed containment by 2029 is unrealistic and unachievable and risks significant negative impacts on our sector and the communities that depend on it,” stated the BC Salmon Farming Association (BCSFA)
Since 2020, the Federal Liberal government, responding to pressure from activists, has shut down 40% of salmon farms in British Columbia. These closures have led to increased carbon emissions and the loss of jobs that are crucial to rural, coastal, and Indigenous communities.
Before these closures, salmon farming was British Columbia’s largest agri-food export sector. It provided jobs for around 6,500 people, generated nearly 500 million salmon meals annually, engaged over 1,000 suppliers, and contributed approximately $2 billion to the economy.
The sector also directly and indirectly employs over 700 Indigenous people and provides $120 million in total annual economic benefits to First Nations, with $42 million going directly to Indigenous communities. Today, 100 percent of BC’s farmed salmon is raised in agreement with Rights Holder First Nations.
Last week, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) called on the Federal Government to hit pause on its proposed ban on net-pen salmon farming in B.C., saying the decision does not align with the scientific findings of animal health experts.
Several national agricultural and food associations have also called on the government to support salmon farming in B.C. and not be swayed by the fearmongering of activists.
Image L to R – Nic Dedeluk (BC Greens), Michele Babchuk (BC NDP) and
Dr. Anna Kindy (Conservative Party of BC)