Internal documents reveal Ottawa is bracing for major industry players to walk as it phases out open-net pens, leaving closed containment ventures scrambling for salmon eggs.
The federal government is preparing for the possible exit of international salmon farm operations on the B.C. coast following the governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 promise last summer to phase out open-net pen farms by 2029.
If big operators like Mowi Canada West, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood leave the province SA国际影视传媒� shuttering broodstock hatcheries in their wake SA国际影视传媒� that could put closed containment salmon farms in a tough position, cut off from their supply of Atlantic salmon eggs, an internal memo obtained by CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 National Observer through a federal Access to Information request shows.
The three multinational companies that own the majority of aquaculture licences on the coast have indicated the SA国际影视传媒渢imelines of the aquaculture transition plan are insufficientSA国际影视传媒� to make the shift to closed containment facilities, according to a Feb. 2 memo to Department of Fisheries and Oceans Deputy Minister Annette Gibbons.
SA国际影视传媒淪hould these producers leave B.C., they would likely terminate their local broodstock along with their farm operations,SA国际影视传媒� the memo said.
New companies wishing to apply for a closed containment licence would need to import eggs from outside the province SA国际影视传媒� either from Atlantic Canada or overseas SA国际影视传媒� which hasnSA国际影视传媒檛 typically been done due to the risk of introducing new diseases to B.C. waters.
SA国际影视传媒淚mporting eggs has been identified as a key issue to the [closed containment] sector's success,SA国际影视传媒� the memo said.
Salmon Evolution, a Norwegian land-based salmon farming company, is looking to expand its operation in North America, including B.C., the document said. The company has been actively searching for a site on the West Coast for several years to build a large-scale, land-based salmon farm.
The company is in SA国际影视传媒渁dvanced negotiations for a high-potential site in North America,SA国际影视传媒� that meets its system requirements, according to the firmSA国际影视传媒檚 2024 annual report, although B.C. was not confirmed as the location.
Site verification and relevant regulatory approval processes will take two to three years, after which the plan is to build a full-scale facility similar to its SA国际影视传媒淚ndre Har酶ySA国际影视传媒� operation, which is expected to produce 36,000 tonnes of processed fish annually.
Southern B.C. and northern U.S. states were identified by the company as desirable locations since the salmon farming industry infrastructure and value chain is already established. The company said last year it hopes to begin construction as early as 2026.
However, it seems significant obstacles need to be overcome.
To date, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) does not allow the import of live Atlantic salmon or eggs from countries such as Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom, due to the threat, in particular, of importing infectious salmon anaemia to the province.
CFIA aquatic animal health policy dictates import risks SA国际影视传媒渕ust be negligible or mitigated to a negligible level to ensure that disease is not introduced through import into Canada,SA国际影视传媒� the document notes.
The memo goes on to discuss two potential complex, lengthy routes BC containment salmon farm operators could take to apply for permits and permissions to safely import Atlantic salmon eggs.
One potential way would be to transport Atlantic salmon eggs from Eastern Canada (where ISA exists) SA国际影视传媒� if a facility obtains CFIA authorization as a SA国际影视传媒渃ompartmentSA国际影视传媒� equipped with appropriate bio-security practices and is granted elevated SA国际影视传媒渉ealth statusSA国际影视传媒� beforehand.
The second potential option would be for CFIA to consider negotiating an export certificate for Atlantic salmon eggs from a country like Norway, or for the salmon farm operator to establish specific commodity import conditions.
Open ocean-pen aquaculture operations have been a decades-long point of contention for First Nations, the industry, wild salmon conservationists and the provincial and federal government. However, last June, the federal government announced it would shift to land or marine-based closed containment salmon farms and allow a five-year window for existing operators to make the transition. Any new salmon aquaculture licences would only be issued to closed containment systems for a period of nine years.
The federal government, acknowledging the increased investment costs associated with the new technology, said it would provide support for the transition, but did provide details about who would get support or the form it would take.
The BC Salmon Farmers (BCSF) association said the ban on ocean open-net pens by 2029 isnSA国际影视传媒檛 feasible.
SA国际影视传媒淲e have repeatedly stated that it is unrealistic and unachievable,SA国际影视传媒� said Michelle Franze, BCSF communications manager in an email.
However, BCSF did not clarify if industry players plan to attempt a transition to closed containment, exit B.C. or shut hatcheries with the aquaculture transition.
BC stands to forfeit $ 1.1 billion in economic activity tied to net pen salmon farming along with 4,500 full-time jobs in Canada, according to BCSF.
Net pen operators also produce an estimated 50,000 tonnes of salmon in BC annually. In contrast, no closed containment systems worldwide have come close to matching those volumes, the email said.
Last year, Salmon Evolution reported harvesting 4,900 tonnes of salmon at its Norway operation SA国际影视传媒� more than double the previous yearSA国际影视传媒檚 amount. The company is aiming to scale up operations and eventually produce 100,000 tonnes annually once phase two of its Norway facility finishes construction, and proposed operations in North America and Korea get underway.
CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 National Observer also reached out to the federal fisheries ministry, MOWI, Cermaq, and Salmon Evolution with questions and interview requests.
They did not respond before publication deadline.
Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative, Canada's National Observer