More than 70 companies warn that Ottawa’s policy uncertainty is pushing Vancouver Island communities toward an economic breaking point, urging Premier David Eby to support a stable, Indigenous-led path forward for aquaculture.
By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews
More than 70 companies which keep British Columbia’s salmon farming sector running are urging the provincial government to defend coastal jobs, warning that uncertainty in federal aquaculture policy is pushing Vancouver Island communities toward an economic breaking point.
In a letter sent to North Vancouver Island MLA Dr. Anna Kindy, suppliers ranging from Port Hardy to Ahousaht to Campbell River said declining production, stalled investment and layoffs are deepening across the coast as the federal transition plan for ocean salmon farming remains unclear.
The companies include marine service firms, trucking outfits, feed producers, fabricators, welders, technology developers, electricians, shipyards, net-makers, processors, logistics companies and trades contractors. Most are small, family-run operations whose employees live in the same coastal towns where salmon farm paycheques circulate.
They are urging Premier David Eby’s government to publicly advocate for a stable, innovation-driven path forward for the sector that supports 4,560 full-time jobs, including more than 500 Indigenous positions in remote coastal regions where other industries have declined.
The uncertainty surrounding the federal framework and the proposed 2029 ban on marine salmon farms on the west coast has already led to a 45% decline in BC salmon production over the past six years, resulting in more than $437 million in annual lost vendor spending.
“In many of our communities, this has meant layoffs, stalled innovation projects, and shuttered operations. This is not just a sectoral issue — it is an issue of economic security, community vitality, and regional equity,” the letter stated.
“Our sector underpins coastal and rural economies from Port Hardy to Ahousaht to Campbell River. We are locally owned, family-run businesses — fabricators, logistics companies, technology developers, feed manufacturers, tradespeople — that employ British Columbians and reinvest every dollar we earn back into our communities.
“Yet, without a clear signal of certainty or advocacy from the province, our businesses are struggling to maintain or secure consistent contracts required to remain operational.”
The supply-chain companies also referenced Premier Eby’s recent remarks about the urgency of defending forestry jobs, saying the same level of coordinated action is needed now to prevent further collapse in salmon farming communities.
“In his recent remarks on October 14 regarding BC’s forestry sector, Premier Eby rightly stated that when auto and steel jobs are threatened, the response is treated as a national emergency — and that our forest sector deserves the same respect, concern, and sense of urgency.
We could not agree more. The same principle applies to the thousands of British Columbians employed directly and indirectly through our province’s salmon aquaculture sector, who contribute $1.17 billion annually to our economy, and are now facing an equally existential threat.
“When Premier Eby called on Ottawa to “stand with us” to defend BC’s Forest sector, he perfectly captured what our salmon aquaculture community needs today. We urge your party to take that same stand — to publicly affirm support for BC’s salmon aquaculture supply chain and advocate for a responsible, Indigenous-led, innovation-driven pathway that protects both jobs and the environment.”
In a post on social media acknowledging the letter, Dr Kindy said she plans to continue pressing in the Legislature for stability in the sector.
“I believe fish farms and these supporting businesses provide good jobs, contribute to food security, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of our coastal economies,” she said.
“These businesses are the backbone of our rural coastal economy…They support thousands of good-paying jobs and are leaders in sustainable seafood innovation. Without clear and coordinated support from both the federal and provincial governments, the fish farm sector is facing serious challenges.”
Recent economic research reinforces the scale of the economic risk triggered by the activist-induced federal policies, even as peer-reviewed science keeps proving that both wild and farmed salmon can thrive in BC waters.
According to an analysis by RIAS Inc., Port Hardy and neighbouring Port McNeill are projected to lose $54.5 million and 214 jobs if the federal phase-out proceeds. In Campbell River, where 1,251 aquaculture-related jobs are on the line, the potential loss reaches $321.3 million. On the Island’s west coast, communities like Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet face a combined hit of $134.7 million and more than 500 jobs.
BC’s salmon farmers and their First Nation partners say that if Ottawa repeals the proposed 2029 phase-out and replaces it with a science-backed, Indigenous-led framework that provides regulatory certainty, the sector could generate $2.5 billion in economic output and support 9,000 jobs by 2030.
The policy stalemate in Ottawa over salmon farming was also raised at the recent
Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit in Nanaimo. Delegates heard that the region’s coastal economy is already in a fragile transition, and the uncertainty around aquaculture is adding to that strain.
MNP economist Susan Mowbray said salmon farming companies simply cannot plan the long-term investments needed to upgrade sites and processing operations without clear direction from the federal government.
“Nobody’s willing to make investments because of all that uncertainty,” she said.
(Main image shows Premier David Eby addressing coastal First Nations in Vancouver)