Fisheries and AquacultureSalmon Fisheries in B.C.

By: Amanda and Jennifer

Salmon Farming is known to be one Salmon Farming is known to be one of the newest and fastest growing of the newest and fastest growing types of aquaculture. Today, salmon types of aquaculture. Today, salmon farmers in British Columbia are farmers in British Columbia are now on the leading edge of the now on the leading edge of the international aquaculture and international aquaculture and salmon farming industry. The salmon farming industry. The farmed salmon in B.C is now the farmed salmon in B.C is now the largest agricultural export. largest agricultural export. Moreover, it is a flourishing and Moreover, it is a flourishing and advanced aquaculture industry that advanced aquaculture industry that provides direct jobs and provides direct jobs and opportunities for about 2 800 B.C. opportunities for about 2 800 B.C. residents and First Nations. residents and First Nations.

Introduction

What is Salmon Farming?

The industrial mass production of salmon is known as salmon farming. Typically, each farm will have 14 30mx30m open net-cages containing approximately 50 000 fish. In an area covering 12 000 square meter, 700 000 fish can be raised.

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Started in the 1970’s, salmon farming did not have a very good start and only had small locally owned establishments mostly on the Sunshine Coast. Many farms were out of business or were purchased by larger companies because there were poor environmental conditions, poor siting choices, disease outbreaks and a challenging market. A lot of investigation work on salmon farming was done in British Columbia but the very first commercial salmon farming industry was in Norway in which it began significant growth. In the early 1980’s, Norwegian were encouraged by the B.C. government to invest in the development of salmon farming in British Columbia. This laid the groundwork for salmon farming industry along B.C.’s west coast. The path leading towards the vibrant salmon farming industry today was really challenging because there were less refined equipments than is now available. The industry went through a period of significant consolidation and renewal to become a more flourishing industry. Before long, salmon farming in British Columbia has moved from its humble beginnings into a major producer of quality seafood for world markets. However, as the industry becomes more prosperous, First Nations, local communities, fishermen and environmentalists began to have concerns about the increasing number of fish farms and their effects on the ocean and local communities

History

British Columbia’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector

The four principle economic components of British Columbia’s fisheries and aquaculture.

After Norway, Chile, and the United Kingdom, British Columbia is the fourth largest producer of farmed salmon in the world. In the year of 2004, the B.C. salmon aquaculture sector produced more than 61 000 metric tons of Atlantic, Chinook and coho. The sale of harvest generated $212 million and at the wholesale lever, the value of the products shipped to market was $294 million. Salmon farming provides thousands of year-round jobs in coastal British Columbia. Approximately, 2 800 people are directly employed in the industry with an estimated number of 4200 jobs that are indirect and induced employment. This gives a total of 6000 people employed in this industry. It is also expected that salmon farming will support a total of more than 12 000 full-time jobs in BC.However, fishing communities near the coast of B.C. that used to thrive and prosper now face challenges. With the existence of farm salmon flooding the market, the price of wild salmon has dropped dramatically causing fishermen to earn less and local economies to suffer. The expansion of open net-cage salmon farming would jeopardize wild salmon stocks and the economic viability of businesses that rely on them. Those in favour of fish farms had argued that it gives an alternative to the forestry and fishing industries. In the meantime, this industry began changing into a more mechanized system therefore fewer jobs are available on the fishing farms. Although wild fisheries contribute $1 billion yearly to the B.C. economy, it is currently being threatened by the expansion of salmon farming.

Salmon Farming & the Economy

Salmon Farming and the Economy Continue….

Salmon farming is considered a newcomer among B.C. resource-based industries but this sector has grown rapidly. It has become an important part of the economy of B.CThe Salmon raised in British Columbia is the largest agriculture export and returns more than $800 million to the provincial economy. For thousands of years people have been tending useful aquatic plants and animals. During the last several decades, aquaculture has expanded in scale and diversified into many new species and technologies. This increased the opportunity for fish farmers and aquaculture industries to provide: Fish, Shellfish and marine plants. However, the demand for healthy seafood is increasing and according to the United Nations food and agriculture organization, global demand for fish will reach 150 to 160 tonnes by 2030.Unfortunantly captured fisheries can only provide 80 to 100 million tonnes per year on a sustainable basis. With the presence of salmon farming, it is able to help meet the demands that are available throughout the year.

Environmental Impacts of Farming Salmon

British Columbia’s coastal waters act as a feedlot for farming salmon. The problem is that waste feed that can be associated with antibiotics or pesticides and fish feces which are equivalent to a city of hundreds of thousands people are thrown into the oceans every year by B.C. salmon farms as parasitic sea-lice breed in the crowded farm pens.

The industry’s open net-cages usually contain hundreds of thousands of non-native Atlantic salmon. This creates a wide range of environmental problems. Some of the problems include:

•The survival of wild salmon is being endangered because of the increase in sea lice.

•The disposal of wastes from millions of farmed salmon in B.C. is asphyxiating the ecosystem of the ocean bottom. The wastes then scatter over a wide area of coastline.

•The escaped farmed salmon out-competing wild Pacific salmon for habitat and food. Since 1987, an estimated number of 1 million farmed salmon have escaped into B.C. water.

•The appearance of antibiotics, pesticides and industrial chemicals into the marine environment. Continue…

The stocking of salmon farms creates the perfect breeding ground for sea lice outbreaks. Parasites can freely exit the open net-cages from the farmed salmon to the wild salmon migrating past salmon farms. Some of the tiny wild smolts would not be able to survive because of the increasing sea lice created by salmon farms. Wild pink and chum salmon are dying in areas like the Broughton Archipelago near salmon farms that breed millions of lice. In addition, salmon farms’ open net-cages allow contaminated waste (feed, feces with antibiotics and pesticides residues, and toxic net coating substances) to leak into the ocean floor untreated. Hence, these wastes will build up under the pens smothering the ocean bottom, contaminating the ecosystem causing a lack of oxygen for species. The contaminants from salmon farms are also known to be associated with the increase levels of mercury in rockfish which are an important source of food for the coastal communities.

With all of this happening, salmon farms developing on the BC coast has had a disastrous effect on the First Nations’ traditional ways of life.

Sea lice Salmon with sea lice

Antibiotics & Biocides

For the reason that there are frequent occurrences of disease and parasites on salmon farms, farmers used strong drugs such as antibiotics and biocides to control them. Farmers feed the salmon more antibiotics per pound than any other livestock in North America. However, the excessive use of antibiotics has already led to the development of antibiotic resistant— “super bug.”

According to research, between 74-100% of wild fish caught near the farms have antibiotics in their flesh.

Salmon Farming and Its Sustainability

With all of the problems occurring, research raises concerns about the sustainability of salmon farming. If the sea lice infestation continues, the viability of the wild salmon population can be threatened. Salmons weaken with the presence of sea lice and eventually hinder the salmon growth. Therefore, salmon farmers end up feeding fish that don’t grow and the unhealthy salmon stocks become worthless, unable to be sold for profit.With one research, more than 80% of the annual pink salmon that returns to B.C.’s Broughton Archipelago are being killed by the sea lice.

Farmed fish has increased over the years. Presently there are 20 farms with some holding 1.3 million fish. But with so many farms opening, it has become a habitat for more lice. As a result, researchers are suggesting to close down and reduce the number of salmon farms so to protect the wild salmon.

In addition, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform is encouraging people to stop buying farmed salmon until it is safe for humans and the ocean.

“Wild salmon are enormously important to the ecosystem, economies, and culture. Now it is clear they are disappearing in place of an industry. People need to know this and make a decision what they want: industry-produced salmon or wild salmon.”

-Researcher, Alexandra Morton