BC industry poised for growth
Canada: The Chairman of the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) says that industry growth is key.
Odd Grydeland, FishfarmingXpert, September 26, 2014
The Association is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and the organization has a broad membership of 40 companies, ranging from individual operators to large, multi-national companies. The BCSFA held its Annual General Meeting during an Aquaculture Awareness Week in Campbell River today - a well attended event with speakers from the industry and its supporters, as well as a delegation from the Clayoquot Sound-based Tla-O-Qui-Aht First Nation which was there to announce the signing of an agreement with the salmon farming company Creative Salmon, based in Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Chair of the BCSFA Board of Directors and Managing Director of Marine Harvest Canada, Mr Vincent Erenst, pointed out that this is the 17th of such or similar agreements entered into between coastal First Nations and the different members of the BCSFA, and more are expected. The salmon farming industry years ago took a proactive decision to reach out to its neighbouring First Nations in order to build relationships and to examine areas of mutually beneficial interests - a move that other natural resource industries only recently have begun to follow.
Mr Erenst pointed out that, despite its vast areas of opportunity for growth in production and markets, British Columbia is the only region that has shown stagnation amongst Canada's salmon farming areas. In fact, BC salmon farmers have lost some 40% of its market share during the past 10 years or so. But he also asserted that this situation is about to change. Given the huge opportunities, the capacity and commitment among existing operators (Marine Harvest, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood) to grow their businesses, these member companies of the BCSFA are ready for an industry expansion that could lead to a substantial expansion of the industry over the next 5-10 years.
The BCSFA members have also joined the Global Salmon Initiative, where participants have committed to have its salmon farming operations independently audited and certified under the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s environmental and social standards. In BC, this is envisioned to take place by the year 2020 or sooner. Today, only about 15 salmon farms are certified under this standard anywhere.
Mr Erenst pointed out that British Columbia is the first salmon farming region in the world to voluntarily develop and adopt an industry-wide Viral Management Plan and the first to have a fish farm that produces organic Chinook salmon, and the first to have Atlantic salmon farms certified by the Best Aquaculture Practices program of the Global Aquaculture Alliance. He said that BC is the region in the world with the greatest opportunity for growth for the salmon aquaculture sector
