CAAR’s Government Relations team works to foster a change in policy at the Federal and Provincial levels and for the development and adoption of a transition strategy to move to full closed containment for salmon aquaculture.

At present, Canada’s Federal government and the BC Provincial government both support, promote and favor the expansion of the open net-cage salmon aquaculture industry.

The Federal Government

Canada’s government is failing wild salmon.

The primary mandate of the Federal Department Oceans and Fisheries (known as DFO) is the conservation, health and sustainable use of ocean resources and wild fish populations. It is DFO’s responsibility to ensure aquaculture does not negatively impact wild fish populations.

At the same time, the Department is also the leading federal advocate for the aquaculture industry, devoting significant taxpayer dollars to both the promotion of fish and shellfish farming, and science undertaken in the interests of the industry (e.g.: growth and feed conversion rates, treatment of disease and parasites on farmed fish).

While governments in Europe (with long experience in salmon farming) openly and frankly acknowledge that sea lice breed in open net-cage salmon farms and the lice infect and kill passing wild fish, our government fights to deny, refute and debate the growing global weight of scientific evidence.

While questioning peer-reviewed and published studies by academics and independent scientists, DFO generally does not release their own studies to interested citizens, refuses to subject them to external peer-review and seldom publishes, in reputable scientific journals, any information on the issue.

Those few studies that have been published by DFO researchers on the question of sea lice claim to prove there are no impacts. The study design, however, is too often not relevant to the issue in question. For example, DFO studied lice on adult salmon when the acknowledged threat is to tiny juvenile wild salmon.

CAAR advocates for a shift to closed containment aquaculture systems. We work with Federal government scientists and officials, and whenever possible, meet with elected officials to advocate for fundamental change in Canada’s policies on open net-cage salmon farming.

In 2007, CAAR supported a $2.4 million dollar grant by Sustainable Technology Development Canada to the AgriMarine floating closed tank farm on Vancouver Island. We will continue to advocate for further federal funding (in addition to provincial and private contributions), tax shifting and incentives to assist in a complete transition to closed contained salmon farming on the BC coast.

The Provincial Government

Since the first Salmon Aquaculture Review in 1989, CAAR member organizations have worked through Provincial processes, dialogue and engagement to pursue fundamental changes in salmon aquaculture management in BC.

CAAR Member groups have participated in:

• the first industry review
• the second Salmon Aquaculture Review in 1995,
• the BC Aquaculture Research and Development Council (BCARDC),
• the Special Legislative Committee Hearings on Sustainable Aquaculture in 2007
• The Pacific Salmon Forum

Recently, the Province has proposed another dialogue process involving industry, First Nations, the government and CAAR.

Throughout, CAAR and member organizations have offered both rigorous scientific analysis and locally-observed & documented information on the numerous problems associated with open net-cage salmon farming and have urged policy initiatives that would maintain aquaculture jobs while protecting marine health and wild salmon.

Government Inaction

In 2004, CAAR member group the Georgia Strait Alliance published a government report card assessing the regulation of salmon farming in BC, its successes, failures and shortcomings. In 2007, the team updated the report card and found BC still sadly lacking in the development of sustainable salmon farming. The government has never responded to the recommendations.

In 2004, the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue, involving representatives of the international salmon farming industry and non-governmental organizations such as CAAR, commissioned an independent technical assessment on chemical and antibiotic use in the global industry. BC’s shortcomings are clearly documented in the Executive Summary of this report.

The BC government repeatedly claims to be leading the world in salmon aquaculture management and standards. However, a report commissioned by the provincially funded BC Pacific Salmon Forum (PSF) challenges that claim. The report, B.C. Finfish Aquaculture Regulation: An Information Review and Progress Report by Gareth Porter was pulled off the PSF’s web site soon after appearing, but CAAR secured a copy. The report gave BC an average overall score of 5.1 out of 10. Read Gareth Porter’s report here (pdf).

In 2007, CAAR submitted a full budget briefing and encouraged the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Provincial government to establish the Closed System Aquaculture Innovation and Development Fund. This $10 million fund would provide matching investment to entrepreneurs who demonstrate the ability to build and operate closed system salmon aquaculture projects. Government support would enable private operators to prove systems without carrying the full costs and without forcing existing businesses into an immediate, capital-intensive transition to technology with which they are not familiar.

The 2008 Provincial budget did not contain any funding commitments for closed containment.

CAAR believes our government and citizens can demonstrate to the world that BC is advancing technological innovation and securing economic opportunity while still accepting responsibility for the health of our environment and the future of our wild salmon.