Federal transition plan ripped as “wildly unrealistic”.
Isaiah Robinson of the Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation in BC has a simple but pointed and heartfelt message to the federal government about responsible ocean aquaculture:
“Listen to Canadians, and obviously to Indigenous Peoples that are trying to keep their economies afloat.”
In other words, back off on your Liberal plans to ban open net-pen salmon aquaculture in BC coastal waters by June 30, 2029.
Robinson is the deputy chief councillor of the Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation and general manager of the Kitasoo Development Corporation. He points out that his nation’s economy amounts to approximately $3 million a year — and $1.78 million of that is due to aquaculture. “Over half of our economy is based on aquaculture.”
The nation employs an average of 65 people through its salmon aquaculture operations and national smoked-salmon business. It sells its Klemtu Spirit smoked salmon through Walmart (which has 403 stores in Canada) and Metro (which has 250 stores in Quebec and Ontario).
The nation states regarding its aquaculture: “Without this, we crumble. Without aquaculture, we lose everything.”
As of 2023, BC had 82 ocean fish farms (compared to Norway's 1,200 and Chile's 1,360). Since Ottawa first began discussing a transition plan in 2019, 32 of these farms in BC have been closed by the federal government.
Kitasoo Seafoods, located in Klemtu on BC’s central coast, about 500 km north of Vancouver, holds six salmon-farm tenures. These are currently leased and operated by Mowi Canada West through a protocol agreement. They produce an average of 5,000 tonnes of salmon annually.
The ocean farms operate under strict environmental sustainability requirements monitored by the nation. “Continued operations by Mowi Canada West depend on the environmental performance of the farms meeting the satisfaction of the Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation.”
However, federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier has ruled that open-pen salmon farms in BC waters must be replaced by “marine or land-based closed-containment systems.”
Robinson is not alone in questioning Ottawa’s plans.
Dallas Smith, a spokesperson for the Indigenous Coalition for Finfish Stewardship, says: “The ability to do closed containment or land-based aquaculture in British Columbia is just a fairy tale. As much as I hope the tech eventually gets [there], it doesn't exist right now."
SeaWestNews asserts that the transition plan “is not just ambitious—it’s wildly unrealistic.”
The publication adds: “It is a plan conceived without a proper scientific basis, aimed at mandating closed-containment systems without any serious environmental assessments or global precedents to support its success in British Columbia.”
A BC government-commissioned report projected that replacing the province’s current salmon farm production with recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), also known as land-based or closed-containment operations, would require an investment of $1.8 billion to $2.2 billion.
The BC report also estimated that it would be at least 10 years before a significant land-based salmon production sector could operate at a steady rate in BC.
The federal government first began discussing a transition in 2019. Now, Ottawa says it is consulting First Nations and others as it works toward a final transition plan in 2025.
As of 2022 (the latest available data), open-net salmon farming in BC directly and indirectly employed more than 700 Indigenous people, provided $120 million in annual economic benefits to First Nations (including $42 million directly to Indigenous communities), injected $24 million annually into Indigenous-owned businesses, generated $1.2 billion for the provincial economy, and supported 6,000 jobs.
While Ottawa has spoken of protecting wild salmon from sea lice as they pass salmon farms, SeaWestNews notes: “Federal scientists have consistently found that the risk posed by salmon farms to wild stocks is minimal. Claims about sea lice and disease outbreaks have been largely debunked, with studies showing that ... sea lice levels have not decreased in areas where farms were closed.”
The article continues: “The notion that farmed salmon are decimating wild salmon stocks is not just false—it’s a dangerous distraction from the real threats to our wild stocks, such as climate change, habitat destruction, and overfishing.”
The Coalition for Finfish Stewardship criticizes “wealthy, urban activist groups in Vancouver [who] spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to bombard your social media with misleading information about salmon farming.”
It adds: “Despite what activists say, the sector has come a long way in the past decade regarding technology, practices, transparency, community support, wild salmon enhancement, and Indigenous relationships. Today, 100 percent of farmed salmon is raised in partnership with BC First Nations. We believe this is a first for any industry in the province.”
Not all First Nations in BC support such aquaculture, but Isaiah Robinson’s community of 350 members has moved from a 5% employment rate in the early 1980s to 99% employment today.
Robinson notes that there have been no suicides in his hometown of Klemtu for 18 years, a fact he attributes to full employment, economic success, and stability: “I don’t want to go back to that era that we had. I would like to manage the prosperity that we do have and grow from there. It’s taken us a lot of time to get here.”
He emphasizes: “It’s crucial to understand that 100 percent of the remaining fish farms in BC waters operate in partnership with First Nations, reflecting our stewardship and commitment to sustainable practices. Respecting these partnerships is the only way the government will earn the trust of the coastal First Nations who have chosen to enact their sovereignty through responsible aquaculture in our unceded territories.
“We are committed to working collaboratively [on the transition process], but the focus should be on partnering with the First Nations that know their waters, steward their resources, and have everything to lose if this industry—one that is rapidly improving—is unjustly dismantled.”