Salmon Farmers Have Room to Grow
By Mark MacDonald, Business Vancouver Island, July 2011
CAMPBELL RIVER - British Columbia salmon farms produce only 3-5 per cent of the salmon consumed in the world.
It could be much more, meaning more jobs for an industry that has become a significant economic driver for the province, and has been convincingly answering critics’ questions about the potential environmental impact of salmon farms in coastal waters.
Salmon farming has become B.C.’s number one agricultural export, producing an average of just under 80,000 tons each year and generating $800 Million in economic activity in the province. The industry employs 6,000 people directly and indirectly.
Salmon farms dot the North Island and adjacent coast, and there are processing facilities in Campbell River, Quadra Island, Port Hardy, Tofino and Sechelt, which is on the Sunshine Coast.
It’s year round, sustainable employment, fully capable of supplying fresh salmon to market on demand, and not subject to seasonal fishing regulations.
Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association headquartered in Campbell River, says the current yield of salmon farms in B.C. waters is comfortably consumed by Canadian and U.S. markets. If they ate the two to three servings of fin fish per week recommended by nutrition authorities, she adds “we would need to quadruple our production.”
Jurisdictional responsibility for the industry has been passed from the province to the federal government, and Walling is hopeful the efforts of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) and a majority government successfully craft legislation to allow aquaculture to expand.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time in Ottawa,” she says. “We’re working very hard at the national level, to help the government realize the importance of having proper aquaculture legislation.
“Really what we need is federal Aquaculture Act, the same as Fisheries. Currently, the only direct mention of aquaculture federally is in the Bank Act.
“Legislation would provide firm parameters around an industry that has been constantly besieged by environmental lobbyists. The industry has had to invest significantly in answering questions and addressing concerns. Some of them are valid. Some can be viewed as ‘red herrings’, featuring dubious, unfounded claims that, when scientifically answered, are responded to by other questions.
In some ways, it’s not dissimilar to how opponents fight land development, by dragging the process to a standstill with questions and requests for questionable studies - which developers must answer. That requires more money, which either adds to the cost of the project once it hits the market, or makes the developer reluctant to proceed.
“B.C. is not attracting a lot of salmon farming investment dollars, because it’s considered risky here with the legislative uncertainty and opposition, “she says. “We have the highest cost of production in the world, due to regulations, and associated communication and legal costs.
“Capital is fluid, and will flow to where it’s most welcome.
“Salmon farming enjoys friendly partnerships with First Nations such as the Kitasoo First Nation in Klemtu and Ahousaht First Nation.
Yet it has to be ready to respond quickly to concerns that are raised, scientific, or imagined.
One of the major concerns opponents raise is the proliferation of sea lice at fish farms. Walling notes that much of the statistical information from farms on the Atlantic Coast, which shows higher counts of sea lice, is applied as possible scenarios on the West Coast. Recent studies have shown that the sea lice on the East Coast is a completely different species than that found on the West Coast, which is good news for B.C. farms. Sea lice is studied intently here, and the doomsday scenarios painted by aquaculture opponents have failed to materialize, and in all likelihood, will never become reality.
“The industry has made tremendous improvement that never seems to get acknowledged, Walling observes.
Some suggest that salmon farms should be land-based, but that creates a variety of other problems, Walling says.
Growing fish to market size in closed containment facilities raises concerns about the density of fish, feed, bio-security needs, and pumps.
“To grow a fish from a tiny egg to where it’s ready for market would require a huge draw on power for the pumps alone, and we already have a shortage of power on Vancouver Island,” she notes. “And from an animal health perspective, veterinarians would start worrying about fish welfare and crowding, which could result in disease outbreak and failure to thrive.
“With sea pens, there’s lots of room, which allows for fish movement and schooling, and fish waste is part of the natural eco-system. For marketing purposes, if the salmon were completely raised in closed containment systems people would be concerned about the quality of the species swimming in suspended feces.
“Not to mention the added costs related to rearing salmon on land.
“The U.S. market is so competitive, we wouldn’t be able to offset those added costs, “she says.
Chicken, for example, takes just six weeks to move from an egg to a fryer ready for the consumption. For salmon, it’s two and a half years from egg to market. That leaves a lot more opportunity for error and loss of investment.
“We have to grow a fish that much longer, so we better be paying close attention all along the way,” she says.
B.C. farmed salmon has earned a good reputation throughout North America for its quality.
At the annual Eat! Vancouver trade show which attracted34, 000 visitors last month, Walling says the Salmon Farmers ‘booth was one of the busiest booths, and they handed out1, 500 pounds of salmon.
“As Canadians, we’re not big seafood eaters, although we are in B.C.,” she says, adding the popularity of Sushi has been good for the salmon industry “It’s been a great entry into the market for us, as they demand a high quality product.”
