Without data to justify its decision, the Trudeau Liberals are advancing a plan that could cost taxpayers $9 billion in compensation to salmon farmers, suppliers, and First Nations.
By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews
The Trudeau Liberals are pushing to phase out ocean-based fish farming in British Columbia without any evidence that shows the removal of these marine operations will lead to a rebound of wild salmon populations.
Instead, this politically motivated decision, designed to attract votes from anti-fish farming activists, will unleash widespread economic devastation, leaving taxpayers on the hook for an estimated $9 billion in compensation to existing salmon farmers, suppliers, and First Nations.
Without data to justify its decision, the Trudeau government risks not only decimating an essential industry but also undermining its commitments to evidence-based policymaking, said fisheries experts, the industry and salmon-farming First Nations.
In response to questions from SeaWestNews, a spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) acknowledged that the government does not have data from anywhere in the world to show that wild populations of salmon have rebounded after the closure of marine-based salmon farms.
The spokesperson said that DFO is now undertaking research to characterize any changes to the ecosystem following the removal of net pens in B.C.’s Discovery Islands in 2020.
“We do not have anything further to add,” she said.
The Trudeau government’s lack of data to justify its target of banning ocean salmon farming in B.C. by 2029 highlights a recurring tendency to disregard its own fisheries scientists’ advice in favour of political convenience.
Former Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, when making the original decision to remove salmon farms in the Discovery Islands, dismissed her department’s conclusion that “data collected by DFO’s BC Aquaculture Regulatory Program from 2011-2020 indicates that across all metrics, the Discovery Island farms are generally well performing, minimizing their impacts on fish and fish habitat.”
In addition, she rebuffed a DFO memo that showed B.C.’s fish farmers have met the threshold for continued operations in the Discovery Islands as stipulated by the Cohen Commission, which was set up to investigate the decline of sockeye salmon stocks.
Jordan’s successor, Joyce Murray, who is ideologically opposed to ocean-salmon farming, was warned by her senior staff that there is not enough evidence to substantiate her follow-up decision to shut down salmon farms in the Discovery Islands.
Both ministers ignored their own scientists, who found in 10 peer-reviewed government studies conducted by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) that the ocean farms had only a minimal impact on wild fish.
Current Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, who is overseeing the ongoing Transition Plan for the sector that is fixated on the proposed 2029 ban, has also reneged on the promise to make data-driven science-based decisions on the future of salmon farming in BC.
Globally recognised fisheries experts said the lack of data to support a ban on ocean salmon farms in B.C. is troubling given that peer-reviewed studies consistently show modern, well-regulated salmon farming has minimal impacts on wild fish populations while providing a sustainable source of protein.
“Wild salmon populations went up and down before salmon farming began, they went up and down in the presence of salmon farms, and I am confident that wild salmon populations will continue to go up and down if salmon farms are removed,” said Dr. Gary Marty, a veteran fish pathologist who, for the past two decades, worked with the Animal Health Centre of B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture.
“Because of the high variability of natural salmon returns, it will probably take more than a decade to provide convincing evidence about whether populations have increased because of salmon farm removal. No jurisdiction that I am aware of has removed salmon farms for more than a decade, so we don’t know the answer to your question (if a ban will lead to a rebound of wild salmon populations),” he said.
“However, we have good evidence that salmon populations have not declined in B.C. because of salmon farms.”
Dr. Marty emphasized that none of the nearly 500 fish health experts from the American Fisheries Society and the American Association of Fish Veterinarians consider salmon farming to be a significant factor in the decline of wild salmon populations.
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), which speaks for over 15,000 licensed veterinarians across the country, has also called on Ottawa 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.
“We recommend pausing the proposed ban and re-engaging with the scientific community, including veterinarians, who are experts in salmon population health,” stated Dr. Timothy Arthur, President of CVMA, adding “the ban will erode the science-based decision-making process in Canada and across other animal sectors.”
Dr. Jim Powell, the former CEO of the B.C. Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences said that there have only been a few instances government-forced salmon closures.
“From those that were closed for other reasons such as economics or poor siting, their closures have had no reportable or observed effect on wild salmon populations,” said Dr. Powell, whose career in fisheries and aquaculture spans four decades.
Years of continuous data collection near salmon farms made public by the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) also show no impact on wild salmon populations.
But anti-fish farming activists, especially in B.C., continue to perpetuate the myth that “when salmon farms are removed, wild salmon populations numbers rise.”
Recently, the activists used the world-wide abundance of Pink Salmon to push false narratives that the high returns – also recorded in British Columbia – are due to closures of some open-net aquaculture operations on Canada’s west coast.
“Wealthy, urban activist groups in Vancouver spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to bombard your social media with misleading information about salmon farming, stated the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship (FNFFS).
“Rather than spending that money on wild Pacific salmon revitalization projects or habitat restoration, they flood your phones with emotive images and oversimplified statements with the intent to sway government decision-makers and ultimately harm our communities and our rights as Indigenous peoples.
“Despite what activists say, the sector has come a long way in the past decade regarding technology, practices, transparency, community support, wild salmon enhancement, and Indigenous relationships,” the Coalition said in an open letter.
Farm-raised salmon generates over $1.142 billion for the B.C. economy, supporting thousands of jobs. Today 100 per cent of farmed salmon is raised in partnership with B.C. First Nations.
(L-to-R – image shows former Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, her successor Joyce Murray and current Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier)