Canada responds to industry pressure, now bans open net-pen salmon aquaculture in British Columbia by 2029 instead of 2024
Canada responds to industry pressure, now plans
to ban all open net-pen salmon aquaculture in the province of British Columbia
by 30 June 2029 instead of the original government promise to end open net-pen
farming by mid 2024. The move serves as both an extension of a
30 June 2024 deadline on salmon-farming licenses in the province and a time
limit for companies farming salmon in the region.
The five-year renewal period will come with stricter conditions, ostensibly designed to protect wild salmon in the region through better management of sea lice and reporting requirements, according to the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
The DFO also said that the new plan was finalized through extensive consultations with relevant groups, including salmon farmers and First Nations groups.
However, the decision was immediately
criticized as neither realistic nor achievable by salmon-farming companies and
other companies supporting the industry in B.C.