Salmon Steward is the official publication of the Pacific Salmon Foundation in British Columbia, Canada
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1309417
6 Fall/Winter 2020 psf.ca RYAN MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY T he Pacific Salmon Foundation supports cutting-edge science to analyze the impact of open net-pen (ONP) salmon farming on Pacific salmon. Based on this science, PSF believes that open net-pen salmon aquaculture in B.C.'s marine waters poses biological risks to the abundance and diversity of already- depleted wild Pacific salmon that migrate past these farms. Significant developments have occurred in the public policy context since PSF called for the transition to closed- containment aquaculture in May 2018: n Effective June 2022, the Province of British Columbia announced it will grant Land Act tenures only to fish farm operators who have satisfied Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that their operations will not adversely impact wild salmon stocks, AND who have negotiated agreements with the First Nation(s) in whose territory they propose to operate. n The Province of B.C. was also instrumental in the Broughton Agreement, which creates an orderly transition of 17 farms from the Broughton area between 2019 and 2023. It also provides for a First Nations-led monitoring and inspection program to oversee those farms during the transition, which PSF is contributing to as a technical advisor. PSF is furthermore advising the First Nations on habitat planning as part of the agreement. n Federally, the mandate letter of the federal fisheries minister includes creation of a responsible plan to transition from open net-pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025 and begin work to introduce Canada's first-ever Aquaculture Act. PSF has made many contributions on the policy front, notably the leadership of Board member Paul Sprout and science advisor Dr. Brian Riddell on the B.C. Minister of Agriculture's Advisory Council on Finfish Aquaculture (MA ACFA) in 2017-18, which made several recommendations and informed the PSF position on ONP aquaculture. PSF staff scientists have also contributed to DFO "technical working groups" intended to improve aquaculture practices. Much has also transpired on the science front since PSF took a public The vital importance of phasing out open net-pen salmon farms AQUACULTURE IN B.C.: A SUSTAINABLE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE