Aquaculture

Tsu-tsii-in(Alton Watts), tyee ha'wilth (hereditary chief) of Hupačasath First Nation in the Alberni Valley, publicly demanded on Sept. 23 that Atlantic salmon farming company Cermaq close their Boot Lagoon hatchery operation near Port Alberni by the end of the year. 

Watts says Cermaq is polluting Nuu-chah-nulth waters and bringing disease to the fish that swim up their rivers. He says cutting off the hatchery is one way to make sure their fish farms cease operations. 

As the sun appears to be setting on salmon farming in British Columbia, the industry remains a divisive topic amongst coastal First Nations. Some declare their territorial right to economic development, while other First Nations say pathogens spread from fish farms aren’t giving wild Pacific salmon stocks a chance to recover.

Entrepreneurs who come from a long line of commercial fishers are capitalizing on an ocean harvest that has nothing to do with catching fish.

Kelp is presenting growing possibilities on international markets, contributing a valuable, self-regenerating ingredient to agriculture, food products and even the skin care industry.

With time running out for salmon farming as we know it on the B.C. coast, a potlatch in Port Alberni delivered another blow of opposition to the industry.

Tiicma Fisheries Inc., a venture of Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’ First Nations (KCFN), is in the process of applying to the Ministry of Transport for a tenure site and licence to operate a sablefish facility in Kyuquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The proposed aquaculture finfish facility is located 11.5-kilometres from Houpsitas, a KCFN village, and about 12-kilometres from Fair Harbour, the marina facility owned by the nation. 

Pinnace Channel is the presented waterway for the site, which will be floating adjacent to Hohoae Island.

Small town whispers about an orca swimming into a fish farm near Tofino are true.

On the morning of Feb. 18, 2025 a killer whale swam into the infrastructure at Creative Salmon’s Baxter Islets facility in Clayoquot Sound, states a May 23 email statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). 

“The animal safely swam back out shortly after on the same day,” said the department, which is responsible for the conservation and protection of marine mammal species in Canadian waters, as well as managing licences for aquaculture operations in B.C.

B.C.’s fish farms appear to be facing an increasingly challenging situation, with pressure mounting on both sides of the border.

For decades ocean-based net pens have been the industry standard. But the 65 sites that still remain in British Columbia now have the looming deadline of June 30, 2029 – a date set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada when all open net pens must be out of water. 

B.C.’s fish farms now have five years to get open net-pens out of the water – a federal directive that has evoked opposing reactions from coastal First Nations.

Since 2019 a deadline has loomed over the industry, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a mandate to have a plan by 2025 to transition away from the open-net pens that have long been the standard for finfish aquaculture. On June 19 it finally became clear where that plan will lead, as Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced that all open net pens will be banned in British Columbia waters as of June 30, 2029.

With a few weeks left before British Columbia’s fish farm licences expire, the federal government remain tight lipped about the future of the industry.

All of the 85 finfish licences off the B.C. coast are due to expire on June 30, and renewals are being sought for 66 of the sites - most of which raise Atlantic salmon in the Pacific waters. With 52 of the active farms off the west coast of Vancouver Island, most of the sites are in Nuu-chah-nulth territory, evoking intensely divisive opinions from those who call the region their ancestral home.

With the 2025 deadline approaching for a transition plan from the standard ocean net pens, the fish farming industry is on the cusp of a defining period as all of B.C.’s tenure licences are set to expire this summer.

According to data provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, all of the 85 finfish licences on British Columbia’s coast are due to expire June 30. Renewals are being sought for 66 of these licences, and consultations are underway with First Nations that have fish farms in their territorial waters.