B.C. salmon farming expansion still delayed
FishfarmingXpert, December 09, 2011
Canada: The industry has been under one form of review for the past 20 years, and none of the subsequent reports identified significant concerns. But continued pressure from environmentalists stops politician from embracing the business
It wasn’t meant to be an investigation into the appropriateness of salmon farming in British Columbia, but a well organized campaign by environmentalists that are opposed to the idea of a private corporation using a piece of public property for the production of a high-valued and high quality seafood product has managed to put a focus on the salmon farming industry as the main culprit responsible for the occasional decline of returning “wild” salmon- many who come from hatcheries using aquaculture technologies. The Cohen Commission was set up by the Canadian government in order to look at reasons for an unusually poor return of Fraser River sockeye salmon that occurred in 2009. Ironically- the next year saw a ~100 year record return to the same river of the same species of Pacific salmon, and fish farming practices had not changed in the meantime.
B.C. salmon farmers and other aquaculturists have been applying for permission to increase production at individual sites and to take other managerial actions in order to make better use of sites and resources meant to reduce operational costs and to become more competitive in a changing global market place. The latest excuse for not dealing with these applications in a timely fashion is the anticipated findings of the latest industry investigation- the Cohen Commission. A myriad of other reasons for fluctuations between annual runs of wild salmon species has been sidelined in media circles in order to create a focus on salmon farming and its alleged, but unproven, impact from anything between sea lice and salmon diseases.
Some segments of this important contributor to the economy of coastal communities in B.C. are cutting back on staff and fish stocking, as Dan MacLennan of the Campbell River-based Courier-Islander reports;
Blame the Cohen Commission, in part, for delays in processing amendment applications for fish farm licenses, says DFO. Last week, in the wake of announced job and production cuts from Marine Harvest Canada, a number of fish farmers said a slow regulatory process is hurting efforts to improve efficiency. MHC announced late in October that it will shed roughly 60 jobs from its total of about 500 and cut production by 30 per cent in reaction to decreasing prices stemming from an increase in global production.
Mainstream Canada said it wasn't planning any layoffs but it could be much more efficient if it was allowed to increase production at some of its farms. Applications for approval to do that remain stalled with DFO.
Grieg Seafood's Managing Director Stewart Hawthorn said old regulations are hurting efficiency efforts. "We should have a world-leading, positive, responsible farming community here," he said. "Instead, we've been stuck with no growth for more than 10 years now. You've got no way of getting your costs down because your regulations are stuck 15 years ago."
Asked about the slow pace of application processing, DFO issued the following statement last week; "Until the results of the Cohen Commission are known, eligible businesses may still apply for licences and amendments. However, decisions on applications for new marine salmon aquaculture sites and for substantial amendments to existing marine salmon aquaculture licences, where there is potential for a significant increase in the environmental footprint, will be postponed until DFO has time to consider the recommendations of the Commission."
DFO said decisions will continue to be made on aquaculture applications such as:
. All categories of applications related to shellfish, freshwater, enhancement and non-salmonid marine aquaculture
. Applications for administrative, name change or technical amendments to marine salmon licences
. Applications for existing marine salmon farms which have been previously licensed by the Province but which do not yet have a federal licence
. Applications for new sites that would replace an existing site, in the same area, where the new site may have a lower environmental impact at the equivalent production level.
The Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River was established in late 2009. The commission's task is to investigate "the causes for the decline of Fraser River sockeye salmon including, but not limited to, the impact of environmental changes along the Fraser River, marine environmental conditions, aquaculture, predators, diseases, water temperature and other factors that may have affected the ability of sockeye salmon to reach traditional spawning grounds or reach the ocean, and the current state of Fraser River sockeye salmon stocks and the long term projections for those stocks, and to develop recommendations for improving the future sustainability of the sockeye salmon fishery in the Fraser River including, as required, any changes to the policies, practices and procedures of the Department (of Fisheries and Oceans) in relation to the management of the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery." The Commission's final report is due by the end of June, 2012.
Read more articles at:
Aquaculture Regulations and how they are impacting Salmon Farming and Salmon Farming jobs in British Columbia.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/we-should-have-world-leading-positive-responsible-farming-community-here
