Open-net pen salmon farms banned in BC
The federal government has announced a ban on open-net pen salmon farms in coastal BC waters to protect wild Pacific salmon populations. This fulfills the Liberal government’s 2019 campaign promise.
“The industry knew that changes were going to be made,” says Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
BC is currently the last place on North America’s west coast with ocean-polluting Atlantic salmon farms.
“Presently, no other Western North American state allows open-net pen salmon aquaculture, with the last other jurisdiction that did allow it, Washington State, banning it in 2022,” says Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada.
Over 120 First Nations from across BC and 75% of British Columbians support the removal of open-net pen salmon farms from BC waters.