Closed containment isn't easy to do
North Island Gazette, Published: May 25, 2010
Dear editor,
Regarding the story, ‘On-land fish farms practical, says report’ in the May 13 Gazette.
The world’s demand for seafood is growing and wild stocks are being stretched to their limit. That’s a reality that more and more people understand – and those people see the importance of salmon farming as part of long-term food security.
B.C. salmon farmers are looking for ways to provide for the global demand for healthy protein in a sustainable way – and investigating closed containment is part of that industry development. We’re off to a good start.
Salmon farmers are already quite knowledgeable about closed containment systems, because our fish are grown for a third of their life in recirculation systems on land.
Closed containment is a suggestion that seems simple in premise, but is more complicated in application. In 2008, DFO did a review of 40 closed containment projects around the world. None produced exclusively Atlantic salmon and none succeeded. The projects’ failures were due to a variety of factors, such as mechanical breakdown, poor fish performance and inadequate financing.
Technology does advance though, and there is news of some small-scale closed containment projects producing other varieties of fish with success. That’s good news, but it’s still only been applied to what is really a specialty product – not at the commercial scale.
Mr. Wright’s report speaks to the economics of such a project: but there are other questions that go with the debate. Our environmental managers suggest on-land projects would be unsustainable because the facilities would either have to run on diesel generators around the clock, or would have to move close to urban centres to connect to sufficient power.
Veterinarians and farm managers raise concern about animal welfare. Fish would have to live in much more confined spaces in closed containment, and because of the constant circulation required to keep the water clean, they would never be able to rest as they do in the ocean environment.
Nonetheless, our companies agree closed containment needs to be investigated – and are committed to learning more. Taking into consideration reports such as Mr. Wright’s is part of that process.
B.C.’s salmon farmers have proven themselves to be quick adapters to new technology – if there’s a way to do this business better, we’ll find it and implement it.
Mary Ellen Walling
BCSFA
Campbell River
