‘Now, we have no idea what our future holds’

A group representing under-35s working in the British Columbia salmon farming sector has added its voice to those who say the industry hasn’t been given enough time to transition to closed containment.

On Wednesday, Canada’s Liberal minority federal government announced that it would renew licences for existing open net-pen farms in BC for five years from July 1, 2024, but they will be closed by June 30, 2029. Only land-based salmon farms and marine closed containment facilities will be considered for licences after July 1, 2024.

The BC Salmon Farmers’ Association (BCSFA) and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Association (CAIA) have said five years isn’t long enough to develop land-based farms or floating closed containment systems.

And yesterday, Steven Rafferty, chief executive of global salmon farmer Cermaq, told Fish Farming Expert that ministers in Ottawa were well aware that transition was impossible in the given timeframe and that some MPs, including ex-fisheries minister Joyce Murray, “would be very happy that the industry is closed”.

Trading jobs for votes

Adding to the protests, the Young Salmon Farmers of BC said the federal government was putting young Canadians’ livelihoods on the line for a chance at another term, as two-thirds of the BC salmon farming sector is under 35.

“The federal government knows five years to transition to closed containment is not possible,” said Sam Tomkinson, co-director of the Young Salmon Farmers of BC. “The sector has made it very clear to the government that it takes at least 10 years to implement research, trial and implement new technologies.”

The group pointed out that moving an already low-carbon and responsible sector to technology that isn’t proven and will increase carbon emissions and food insecurity is irresponsible.

Wilfully ignorant government

The group’s co-founder and co-director, Michelle Franze, said: “It’s obvious the current government does not care about supporting wild Pacific salmon or young Canadians.

“Politics will always trump the well-being of Canadians and the environment, and we as young people are tired of this juvenile behaviour from a wilfully ignorant government.”

Franze, who is communications, partnerships and community manager for the BCSFA, said young people in British Columbia have been dealing with the consequences of the federal government’s constant uncertainty and political decisions, including the closure of around 15 salmon farms in the Discovery Islands.

Fear and anxiety

“We have been the ones who have directly euthanised fish, wasting millions of meals for Canadians, and have torn apart ocean pens with our hands after the closures in the Discovery Islands, and now to be told we will have to re-live the trauma so the Government can feel good about an election is unacceptable,” said Franze.

The decision announced on Wednesday will continue to cause fear and anxiety for young people, as the fate of their careers is unknown.

“Many of us have recently bought houses and are starting families, and now, we have no idea what our future holds or if we will be able to stay in the rural, remote communities that we call home because there is no other employment,” said Tomkinson, a regulatory affairs specialist at Grieg Seafood BC.