Pink Salmon boom has nothing to do with fish farm closures
World-wide abundance of Pink Salmon being used by activists to push false narratives about aquaculture in British Columbia By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Anti-fish farming activists are using the world-wide abundance of Pink Salmon to push false narratives that the high returns…
Seafood farmers see net gains with new Fisheries Minister
Canada’s seafood farmers hope Diane Lebouthillier will bring a much-needed coastal-community common sense to British Columbia’s aquaculture transition plan. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews British Columbia’s salmon farmers are hoping that Diane Lebouthillier, Canada’s newly minted Fisheries Minister, will bring a much…
Fisheries Minister quits amidst aquaculture challenges in BC
Joyce Murray’s short and controversial tenure as Fisheries Minister leaves behind a legacy of unfinished business in BC’s salmon farming industry. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, who has ignored her own scientists while pushing an activist-driven agenda to…
Aquaculture transition plan is an opportunity for BC’s salmon farmers
“My vision is for a future where local communities, First Nations, wild salmon and aquaculture are all thriving.” – Jennifer Woodland, Chair of the BC Salmon Farmers Association By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Growing up in the midst of Newfoundland’s cod crisis,…
Aquaculture: We are not being heard say First Nations
Speeches and vows made on National Indigenous Peoples Day ring hollow to salmon farming First Nations in BC. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Every June 21, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, Canada comes together to recognize the history, heritage and resilience of First…
BC not ready for large land-based salmon farms
“Moving all our salmon production from the marine environment to land-based operations is not going to happen here by 2025 as some people think it can.” By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Replicating the ocean environment to grow salmon on land in British…
Aquaculture in Canada needs strong, clear government support
“We need the strong and clear support of governments who recognize that aquaculture is the future of reliable, secure, sustainable and affordable supply of seafood” By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Shutting salmon farms in British Columbia against the wishes of First Nations…
Aquaculture: Minister accused of ignoring First Nations voices
“This minister does not seem to grasp what real reconciliation means when it comes to aquaculture and salmon farming.” By Fabian Dawson & Samantha McLeod There can be no true reconciliation with First Nations if Federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray…
Ruth Robinson, Elder – Kitasoo/Xai’xais
“What are my people going to do? How are they going to work, cause there are no other jobs here too.“Ruth Robinson, Elder – Kitasoo/Xai’xais Viewpoint By: Sam B McLeodSeawestnews Elders like Ruth Robinson are rightfully concerned for their people….
Fears mount over fallout from salmon farm closures
First Nations and coastal municipal governments fear their communities will face economic devastation if salmon farms are forced from British Columbia’s oceans Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Indigenous and coastal communities in British Columbia which rely on aquaculture, face dire economic consequences if the…
United Nations calls for global expansion of aquaculture
“Aquaculture has seen enormous progress in recent decades and is destined to produce the majority of the ever-growing demand for aquatic food.” – United Nations FAO. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews As Canada struggles with a divisive debate over the future of…
Canada’s aquaculture opportunity is unparalleled in the world
But the Liberal government is squandering the opportunity, all to get votes from anti-salmon farming activists, states the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance By Fabian Dawson and Samantha McLeodSeaWestNews Canada’s opportunity to be the world’s best salmon farming nation is being…
Minister can’t be “trusted” say salmon farming First Nations
First Nations’ leaders call for ouster of Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray following her controversial, unscientific and damaging decision to shut down salmon farms in BC By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A coalition of First Nations is calling for the removal of Federal…
Fishy aquaculture decision in British Columbia under fire
“After eight years, the Trudeau government continues to fail to provide transparency and accountability in its fisheries and oceans decisions.” By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The Trudeau government’s move to close down open net-pen salmon farms in the Discovery Islands of British…
Ottawa rejects science, betrays First Nations with aquaculture decision
Decision to shut down Discovery Islands salmon farms goes against First Nations Reconciliation, increases food costs and devastates local economies By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The Federal Government has ordered the shutdown of salmon farms in BC’s Discovery Islands, walking back on…
Land-based salmon farming is risky business in BC : study
New government study shows BC will need billions of dollars and about 10 years to replace open-net salmon farms with land-based aquaculture operations By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Growing salmon in tanks on land to replace ocean-based aquaculture operations in British…
Activist ‘doctored’ aquaculture workshop video says First Nation
Salmon farming battle heats up in British Columbia with activists targeting scientists and aquaculture-friendly First Nations By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Salmon farming activists in British Columbia have taken to social media to attack government scientists, aquaculture-dependent First Nations and individuals working…
Science not politics should drive sustainable aquaculture policies
The impact of recent political decisions relating to aquaculture in British Columbia and Washington equates to the direct loss of hundreds of full-time salmon farming jobs Guest CommentaryTimothy Kennedy The recent political announcement of steelhead trout farm closures in Washington…
“Can’t do” approach plagues aquaculture sector in Canada
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance calls for a shakeup at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to address the perceived conflict of interest at the agency By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The discussion around aquaculture, especially salmon farming in British Columbia, is…
Another day, another lie by anti-salmon farming activists
Fisheries and Oceans Canada denies claims by anti-aquaculture activists of increased farmed salmon production in British Columbia’s Clayoquot Sound By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The Government of Canada is being forced to once again deny claims by anti-fish farm activists that it…
Exhibition dives into history, Innovations and challenges of aquaculture
Aquaculture: Farming the Waters is a new exhibition at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The past, present and future of aquaculture in Canada is being featured in a new exhibition that explores the world of farming…
“Responsible aquaculture is needed” says Buy BC’s new Chef Ambassador
“If our growing population wants to keep eating fish (and I certainly want to) the future includes farming,” – Chef Ned Bell By Samantha McLeodSeaWestNews The only way we can continue to consume seafood with any sense of sustainability is…
Nova Scotia seeks public input on aquaculture expansion
Strong support continues for salmon farmers and the aquaculture industry as a whole in Atlantic Canada By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Nova Scotia, Canada’s top seafood exporting province, has launched a public consultation process to get feedback as it looks to expand…
Net gains from aquaculture growing around the world
Record aquaculture production makes critical contribution to global food security says UN By Samantha McLeodSeaWestNews Aquaculture has grown faster than capture fisheries in the last two years and is expected to expand further over the next decade across the world,…
‘Wild and farmed salmon can both exist in our waters’
First Nation, that is calling for an Aquaculture Zone in its traditional territories, signs historic agreement to determine how its land, water and natural resources will be managed. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A BC First Nation, that is calling for an…
False facts matter to BC’s anti-salmon farming activists
After losing two recent court cases, anti-salmon farming activists in BC have embarked on a concerted campaign to discredit aquaculture and fisheries scientists CommentaryBy Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews British Columbia’s anti-fish farming crowd, licking its wounds after two recent court rulings decimated…
Land-based salmon farming not for us: First Nations coalition
Aquaculture-dependent First Nations decry Ottawa’s lack of understanding on what transitioning open-net salmon farming to growing fish on land means to remote Indigenous coastal communities. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Moving to land-based salmon farming is not an option for aquaculture-dependent coastal…
Fisheries Minister provides “non-answers” for BC’s salmon farmers
“The decision will be made when it needs to be made,” – Fisheries Minister, Joyce Murray on the soon-to-expire aquaculture licences for BC’s salmon farmers. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The future of British Columbia’s open-net salmon farmers remains firmly in limbo…
Licences in limbo threaten thousands of aquaculture jobs
Vancouver Island communities will lose more than 4,700 aquaculture-related jobs if the Federal Government does not renew 79 salmon farming licences immediately By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews British Columbia’s indigenous and non-Indigenous coastal communities will lose more than 4,700 jobs and $1.2…
As Canada dithers, nations move to expand aquaculture
Unlike Canada, which keeps bowing to anti-aquaculture activists, countries around the world are taking strident steps to expand seafood farming in their waters with new legislative frameworks. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A trio of seafood experts are calling on nations around…