February 17, 2023
The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance today released the following statement:
We are deeply disappointed and disturbed at the Canadian government’s decision to ignore their own science and the requests of First Nations, by declining to renew select salmon farming licenses in the Discovery Islands region of British Columbia.
This decision goes against First Nations Reconciliation, increases food costs for Canadians and undermines food security and has broad-reaching implications for employment and economic opportunity for people in rural, coastal and Indigenous communities, and our global trading markets.
We call for an immediate re-examination and reversal of this decision.
Now, because of government actions that are based on politics and not facts, Canada’s food security and affordability is at risk at a time when access to low-carbon proteins has never been more important. This decision means that Canadian salmon is costing more for families, is harder to find in grocery stores and is being replaced by farm-raised salmon flown in from elsewhere in the world.
Spot prices for West Coast fresh Atlantic salmon (all farm-raised) are at record highs for this time of year, up 20-30 per cent over the last few years, with the price jump being driven by reduced supply of BC-grown farm-raised salmon. Grocers looking for more Canadian-grown product in response to consumer demand are being forced to import salmon from other countries.
This announcement reiterates the deeply faulty Discovery Islands decision from 2020 that was rejected by the federal court in 2020. The original 2020 decision resulted in reduced production, from 20,000 tonnes in the Discovery Islands, the equivalent of 120 million salmon meals, to zero production today, costing jobs and costing consumers more.
Nearly four in every 10 servings of seafood in Canada is salmon and the majority of this is farm-raised. 97% of Canada’s salmon production is farm-raised salmon. The Discovery Islands region makes up 25% of BC’s salmon farming. Demand in North America has been replaced by foreign sources, and with increased air freight this decision has added 163,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of adding 35,000 cars to the road permanently.
Canada has an unparalleled opportunity to be a global leader in aquaculture development. Canadian salmon farmers are global leaders in sustainable farming, providing a safe, reliable, healthy and low-carbon protein. We are committed to raising the best, most sustainable salmon in the world and have recently made sustainability commitments to Canadians that outline our path towards ever better environmental performance.
Government frameworks must support attracting business capital, job creation in rural, coastal and Indigenous communities, and healthy domestic food production.
This decision does the opposite.
