After years of being targeted by activists and sidelined by Ottawa, First Nations, aquaculture leaders, scientists, and politicians are rising in unison to reclaim salmon farming’s rightful place as a pillar of food security, economic renewal, and Indigenous reconciliation.
By Fabian Dawson and Samantha Mcleod
SeaWestNews
Canadian resilience powered by science and traditional First Nations knowledge took centre stage this week as British Columbia’s salmon farmers gathered with renewed purpose amidst shifting political winds.
For an industry long vilified by ideological activists and sidelined by political agendas, the 41st Annual General Meeting of the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) sent a clear message that the sector is rising again to reclaim its place as a pillar of sustainable food production, Indigenous reconciliation, and coastal prosperity.
“There is light,” said BCSFA Chair Jennifer Woodland. “We’re not villains… It’s time that we’re seen as the farmers we are of sustainable food.”
Her tone of defiance with determination was echoed throughout the day-long gathering in Campbell River, where Indigenous leaders, aquaculture professionals, scientists and politicians converged to lay out a future no longer dictated by activist misinformation or political expediency.
From breakout discussions to podium speeches, the message was unified: “the science is on our side, the communities are with us, and the politics are finally catching up.”
Under the Trudeau government, B.C.’s salmon farming sector, responsible for $1.17 billion in annual economic output and 4,560 full-time jobs, suffered a devastating 45% drop in production due to politically driven decisions that ignored peer-reviewed science and trampled on First Nations rights.
The previous regime also announced a proposed ban on open-net salmon farms in B.C. by 2029, despite conclusions from its own scientists that the marine operations posed less than a minimal risk to wild stocks.
Dallas Smith of the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship delivered the most visceral reminder of what’s at stake and what’s been earned.
“We’ve been a stroke of a pen away from inexistence, from just being completely obliterated three times in the last five years,” said Smith. “But we’ve been able to stand together… and we’re f***ing winning,” he said.
“We’ve all gone through the last five years of personal hell and drama because activists manipulated sea lice counts. It was just complete misinformation from the start. But reality is catching back up to us.”
Joining the AGM virtually from Ottawa, Senator Mary Robinson offered a clear signal that political attitudes in Ottawa are changing.
“With an election behind us, Parliament now in session… I do believe there is encouragement to be taken from the events of the last few weeks.”
Robinson urged the industry to make its case across party lines and across Senate committees.
“Speak to parliamentarians and their staff about the science and reiterate the commitment the federal government made to guarantee science and evidence-based decision making and policy development… Let’s use this climate of nation building to our advantage and harness the power of our blue economy.”
Newly elected North Island–Powell River MP Aaron Gunn told the AGM in a recorded message: “You now have a voice in Ottawa.”
“We’ll be standing up for you…for resource sector workers across this riding and across the country, including those in aquaculture…ensuring government decisions are based on science and objectivity, not on ideology, activist pressure, or the whims of a Vancouver billionaire,” he said, referring to wealthy ideologues, whose money bought influence in Ottawa, as was outlined in a recent report by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI).
That report – Swimming against the tide: The case for salmon fish farming in British Columbia – was authored by Dr. Ken Coates, director of Indigenous Affairs at MLI, who was the keynote speaker at the AGM.
“The decision to end salmon farming represents the triumph of activism over science, signaling the further erosion of economies of vulnerable coastal communities,” said Dr. Coates.
“Moving forward requires reversing the proposed 2029 ban and returning to evidence-based decision-making that relies on government scientists, Indigenous knowledge, and academic experts.”
If the Trudeau-era plan to ban open-net salmon farms proceeds, taxpayers could be on the hook for up to $9 billion in compensation to affected salmon farmers, suppliers, and First Nations, states an economic analysis.
By contrast, if Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration chooses to support BC.’s salmon farmers and their First Nation partners, the sector has outlined a plan to deliver $2.5 billion in economic output, add $930 million to GDP, and create 9,000 jobs generating $560 million in wages.
Joel Richardson, Chair of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), focused his remarks on the national implications of aquaculture, especially at a time when Canada faces trade threats, food insecurity, and economic strain.
“The Trudeau Liberal Government’s poor handling of aquaculture on the coast of BC has resulted in job insecurity, lost investment opportunity and major socio-economic impacts on hard working Canadians,” he said.
“Aquaculture is agriculture, and the time has come for the federal government to bring aquaculture growth and development under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to legitimize the sector’s rightful place as a major farming contributor to the nation’s food security.”
(Main image shows Dallas Smith (left) and Isaiah Robinson of the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship)