Sustainability

Jun Paa
November 5, 2009

BC Coastal Fish Farming

The present method in BC coastal fish farming is the most harmful aquaculture production systems(1). The industry use open net-cages placed directly in the ocean, where farm waste, chemicals, diseases and parasites are released directly into the surrounding waters. Escaped Atlantic Salmon, the preferred variety, is a threat to the local population of wild pink, sockeye and Coho as the escaped fish can compete with food and habitat(2).

The vast majority of salmon farming operations depend on the use of vaccines, antibiotics and pesticides to control diseases and parasites in often high densities that becomes a major pollutant in the water. Diseases and parasites are transferred easily to the wild stock through the open net cages.

All these combined effects of diseases, parasites and chemical pollutions could easily be the main culprit for this years dismal salmon runs. Furthermore, the seabed underneath these farms where other aquatic natural resources such as crabs and shrimps are detrimentally affected by the pollution caused by excess feeds and feces that form a blanket of organic content, smothering the sea floor(3).

Raising carnivorous fish like salmon that require a high percentage of protein derived from wild fish in their feed also has a significant impact on the environment. More kilograms of wild fish are used to raise salmon than farmed salmon produced, depleting wild fish stock rather than supplementing them.

The BC government, in its pursuit for economic sustainability in the coastal communities is encouraging this type of fish farming(4). Operators prefer this method to the alternative (closed containment) because of the high cost of operation in the alternative methods. Until the BC government recognizes this threat to the local fish industry and the environment as a whole, the forecast for next year’s salmon run is grim.


References

1. Environmental Impacts http://www.farmedanddangerous.org/page/environmentalimpacts

2. McGinnity, P., C. Stone, J. B. Taggart, D. Cooke, D. Cotter, R. Hynes, C. McCamley, T. Cross, and A. Ferguson. "Genetic impact of escaped farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) on native populations: use of DNA profiling to assess freshwater performance of wild, farmed, and hybrid progeny in a natural river environment." ICES J. Mar. Sci. 54 (December 1997): 998-1008

3. EVS Environmental Consultants. In 'Impacts of Freshwater and Marine Aquaculture on the Environment: Knowledge and Gaps (Preliminary Report). Prepared for Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, June 2000, pp. 12
4. van Dongen, John. 2002. “Why BC Lifted the Moratorium on Fish Farms.” Press Release, Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries, Province of BC. (September 26