The Power Beneath the Iceberg: Amanda Luxton’s Journey in Salmon Farming

“I would absolutely love for no one else to have to go through what we’re going through right now,” she says. “I would love for them to have job security. Have food security. Have the support from the government so that not only is this industry surviving but thriving.”

By Samantha McLeod
SeaWestNews

When SeaWestNews first spoke with Amanda Luxton in 2020, she was part of a new generation of young aquaculture voices helping explain what salmon farming means for B.C.’s coast, communities and food future.

At the time, she spoke about an industry that was constantly changing, improving and working to do better, and here six years later, Amanda’s own journey reflects that same momentum.

She has moved from assistant manager at Big Tree Creek Hatchery, to managing a hatchery at Ocean Falls, to maternity leave, and now to one of the most important and least understood parts of salmon farming: broodstock.

Today, Amanda works with Mowi Canada West as manager of a land-based broodstock site. She has also been recognised by Young Salmon Farmers of B.C. as a young professional of the year and is stepping into a new leadership role as the group’s Member Development Director.

There is one image she keeps returning to when describing her work.

“I keep saying it was like an iceberg,” Amanda says of moving into broodstock. “I thought I knew what the brood department did, but man, was I ever wrong.”

That iceberg has become a powerful way to understand not only Amanda’s work, but also the story of young salmon farmers in B.C.

Above the surface, people may see politics, headlines, online arguments and old assumptions.

Below the surface is something much deeper: science, care, data, teamwork, family, food security, young workers, mothers, mentors, and a generation trying to build better, build stronger.

“I have the moms and dads,” she says. “My site produces all of the eggs for the company. So there’s a lot of pressure, but it’s good.”

Broodstock is where the future begins. It is where the best fish are selected for the next generation. It involves tracking fish, collecting data, DNA sampling, performance evaluation and careful decision-making to support healthy, strong future generations of salmon.

“We do pit tagging, so we track all of our fish,” Amanda explains. “We know exactly what pen they’re at when they’re at a sea site. We know what tanks they’re at when they’re at the land-based facility. We do DNA sampling so that we know which females should be fertilised with which males.”

For Amanda, broodstock has opened up an entirely new understanding of the industry she already loved, revealing “a whole other level” of passion, projects, detail, mentorship and teamwork from people who care deeply about the fish. Even after three years in broodstock, Amanda still sees herself as “barely even in the water of the iceberg”  – a humility that may be part of what makes her leadership stand out.

Amanda has taken on new professional challenges, become a mother, stayed active with Young Salmon Farmers of B.C., joined the director’s board, and now represents the group with the Next Gen Seafood Alliance.

Although her plate is full, Amanda says what she is most proud of is remaining an effective manager and leader for her team while balancing motherhood and her work with Young Salmon Farmers of B.C.

Like many in B.C.’s salmon farming sector, Amanda has lived through years of uncertainty, changing government decisions and public criticism of the industry she knows from inside out, and top to bottom.

For Amanda and other young salmon farmers, the hardest parts has been having to defend their work, while being misunderstood by people who have never come to see it for themselves.

“We’re not monsters,” Amanda says. “If people truly wanted to know who we are and what we do, all they had to do was reach out. We’re very passionate about what we’re doing, and we’re very proud of it.”

After years of uncertainty and frustration, Amanda says the tide has finally turned because young salmon farmers are no longer just defending their work from the sidelines, they are using their voice at every opportunity.

“I feel like we’ve gained momentum,” she says. “Especially with the Young Salmon Farmers of B.C., I feel like we’ve truly become a powerhouse where people are taking us seriously and they actually want to engage and hear what we have to say.”

As Member Development Director, Amanda hopes to carry that momentum forward by supporting young salmon farmers and giving more members the confidence to use their voices. It is a natural extension of what she has learned as a manager. She believes strong leadership is built on trust, connection and making sure people feel heard.

At home, Amanda is also raising a young son, who has become something of an honorary member of the Young Salmon Farmers of B.C.

He has been in the background of calls, attended outings and joined community events. Amanda says he has been to beach cleanups and mat installations and is often around the people and places connected to her work.

“As I’m aging out, he’s coming in,” she says with a laugh.

Through her son, who asks about her fish at work and joins her on the river to fish, Amanda sees both the demands of balancing motherhood and career, and the deeper reason her work matters.

“I want him to be proud that mom has to go to work, but mom is also doing something that has a positive impact for the economy and the environment,” she says.

“Everyone always says it takes a village,” she says.

For Amanda, that village includes the people who have made space for her child, supported her leadership and helped her continue to grow while raising a family.

The legacy she wants to leave is an industry that is understood for the work it truly does, supported for its role in food security, and strong enough to give young workers, families and the next generation more certainty than salmon farmers have known in recent years.

“I would absolutely love for no one else to have to go through what we’re going through right now,” she says. “I would love for them to have job security. Have food security. Have the support from the government so that not only is this industry surviving but thriving.”

That is the power beneath Amanda’s iceberg. Along with broodstock, science, data, eggs, fish, farms and policy. There is a mother going to work so her son can one day be proud.

Amanda Luxton represents the strength of young farmers across B.C., on ocean and land alike. She is one of many leaders who is making room for the next generation to be seen, heard and believed in.

What they are building beneath the surface today has the power to feed families, support communities and strengthen the future of B.C.’s coast for generations to come.

Main Image: Amanda Luxton at work on the ocean.
All images provided by Amanda Luxton.