Fish farm fight set for Canada's Pacific coast
Date: 04-Feb-02
Country: CANADA
Author: Paul Willcocks
Provincial Fisheries Minister John van Dongen said British Columbia has decided the risks from pollution and the escape of non-native species of Atlantic salmon used by the floating farms can be managed without major environmental damage.
The end of the seven-year moratorium could lead to a doubling in size of the industry over the next six or seven years, with 90 new salmon farms established, van Dongen predicted. The industry is currently worth C$309 million ($194 million) a year.
The decision to end the moratorium drew quick criticism from the David Suzuki Foundation, an environmental lobby group, whose spokeswoman predicted it would mean the end of the West Coast's wild salmon fishery.
"This will be devastating for our coast," said Lynn Hunter. "My grandchildren will not be eating wild salmon."
Environmentalists have complained about waste from the mesh salmon pens, which are anchored in ocean inlets, polluting coastal waters. They also warn that escaped Atlantic salmon will compete with wild Pacific salmon species for food and spawning grounds.
Hunter said Alaska Governor Tony Knowles' office had already expressed concern. "The salmon fishermen in Alaska are going to be as outraged as the salmon fishermen here in British Columbia," she said.
But van Dongen said a C$1 million technical review showed the farms could be operated safely and that new regulations would protect the environment.
Supporters of lifting the moratorium say new farms could generate hundreds of jobs in coastal communities that have been hit by the collapse of wild salmon stocks and layoffs in British Columbia's forest industry.
"It's been over six years since we've seen any real growth in aquaculture, and with the economic beating communities are taking in the forestry downturn, it's the only industry that can provide new economic growth." said Russ Hellberg of the Council of Resource Committees.
Last year, almost 30,000 farmed salmon escaped from the pens, and although scientists have found evidence that some are breeding in coastal streams the industry contends there is no evidence that the non-native fish can survive in the long run.
"It's to be expected that there's going to be times when there might be a human error and there's going to be an escape," van Dongen said.
The salmon farming industry now has about 90 sites in the province operated by a dozen companies.
The provincial government will unveil detailed regulations and begin accepting applications for new sites on on April 30. Approvals are expected to take about a year to complete.
There is no ceiling on the number of new farms.