Business Leaders urge Eby Govt. to fight plan to ban ocean salmon farms in B.C.

The Business Council of B.C. is calling on the Eby government to oppose Ottawa’s reckless mandate to shut down marine salmon farms, urging action to protect jobs and spur economic growth as outlined in the Throne Speech that opened B.C.’s 43rd parliament.

By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews

As British Columbia’s new government resumed work this week, business leaders from across the province are urging Premier David Eby to strongly oppose Ottawa’s directive to shut down ocean-based salmon farms on the West Coast.

The call by the Business Council of B.C. (BCBC), which represents over 200 leading companies, post-secondary institutions and industry associations, comes as the Eby government outlined its commitments to job creation and economic growth in the Throne Speech that opened B.C.’s 43rd parliament.

“Ottawa’s timeline for the transition to closed-containment systems by 2029 are unachievable and delays the investment needed for growth. B.C. should work to reverse the mandate while supporting alternative innovations to minimize interactions between farm-raised and wild salmon,” stated the Council.

“Dismantling this sector without robust alternatives risks unravelling B.C.’s coastal regions’ social and economic fabric,” it warned.

“The stakes are too high to ignore,” added Denise Mullen, BCBC’s director of environment, sustainability and Indigenous relation, in a commentary posted on the council’s website.

The Trudeau government’s plan to phase out marine salmon farming in British Columbia carries a staggering $9 billion price tag for taxpayers, according to an economic analysis that highlights the extensive economic, social, and environmental consequences of the decision.

Described as a ‘reckless’ move aimed at placating anti-fish farming activists, the ban threatens to wipe out B.C.’s top agri-food export, eliminate 4,560 jobs, and significantly impact more than 1,000 Indigenous workers who depend on the industry. Beyond the widespread fallout across Canada, over 1,400 B.C. businesses within the industry’s supply chain stand to lose $437 million—forcing some to shut down entirely.

Ottawa is now advancing a Transition Plan despite the government’s own scientific experts and a vast body of peer-reviewed research confirming that salmon farming in B.C. has minimal impact on wild stocks.

Underscoring a troubling disregard for evidence-based policy, the Trudeau government has bowed to pressure from anti-aquaculture activists to damage and weaken this sector over the past six years lowering production by about 45 percent, said the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).

The BCSFA and the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship (FNFFS) have urged Ottawa to adopt their no-cost-to-taxpayers alternative to the current transition plan—one that achieves the same goals without devastating impacts on the sector, First Nations’ rights, and B.C.’s coastal communities.

“This plan could generate $2.5 billion in output, $930 million in GDP, and 9,000 jobs paying $560 million in wages by 2030, and $4.2 billion in output by 2040, providing sustainable local protein while protecting wild salmon using innovative technologies and practices,” said BCSFA Executive Director, Brian Kingzett.

Mullen from the Business Council of B.C. said the decline of the sector – which operates under agreements with Rights Holder First Nations – has been nothing short of devastating for communities that depend on salmon farming.

“Critics of salmon farming often overlook its strides in environmental stewardship. B.C.’s salmon farms adhere to some of the highest global standards, with third-party certifications ensuring accountability,” said Mullen.

“The sector can boast about innovations in clean technology, high feed conversion efficiencies, low freshwater use and low greenhouse gas footprint, making the product one of the most sustainable protein sources.”

British Columbia is grappling with a severe fiscal crisis, running the largest operating deficit relative to GDP of any province. Adding to the pressure, looming U.S. trade sanctions threaten over $200 million in fresh and chilled fish that B.C. exports to California, noted Mullen.

B.C. urgently needs the economic boost proposed by the BCSFA and its First Nation partners, along with a renewed government focus on fostering growth and resilience in the province’s salmon farming sector, she added.

Among the highlights in this week’s Throne Speech, delivered by Lt. Gov. Wendy Cocchia, include:

• Standing strong for Canada: with a tough and thoughtful response to any attack on Canada’s economy and sovereignty, as part of a united Team Canada approach.
• Creating good jobs in a growing economy: by fast-tracking major private-sector resource projects and building on B.C.’s strengths in technology, life sciences and film.
• Diversifying where B.C. sells its products: with new trade missions to strengthen relationships around the world and by breaking down trade barriers within Canada.

Following the Throne Speech, B.C.’s salmon farmers and their First Nations partners reiterated their readiness to work with Premier Eby’s government to drive investment, sustainability, and prosperity in the province.

They have also released a ‘scientific textbook’ called Modern Salmon Farming in British Columbia: A Review, which is aimed at closing the knowledge gaps about the industry and counter the campaign of disinformation by anti-salmon farming opponents.

(Main image shows Lt. Gov. Wendy Cocchia delivering the Throne Speech that opened B.C.’s 43rd parliament this week.)