Eliminating open-net fish farms in B.C. would cost taxpayers billions: report

A farmed Atlantic salmon is seen during a Department of Fisheries and Oceans fish health audit near Campbell River, B.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS /Jonathan Hayward

A report commissioned by the BC Salmon Farmers Association says the proposed federal ban on marine net-pens in British Columbia would cost taxpayers billions and have "severe consequences" for Canada's economy, Indigenous communities, and food security.

The report by economics firm RIAS Inc. says ban would result in $9 billion of "unnecessary costs" to taxpayers to close the sector and subsidize companies with "unproven closed containment technology."

It says such losses include $133.6 million per year to First Nations, the loss of more than 4,500 jobs and the elimination of 50,000 tonnes of farm-raised salmon.

In June, the federal government announced that it would delay the closure of open net farms until 2029 to facilitate a transition to closed containment systems.

Open-net fish farms off B.C.'s coast have been a major flashpoint, with environmental groups and some First Nations saying the farms are linked to the transfer of disease to wild salmon, while supporters say the farms' risks are unproven or overblown and cite economic costs if operations are phased out.

The farmers association says in a news release that federal and independent scientists have concluded the farms pose little risk and that removing the farms would not affect the population of wild Pacific salmon.

It says the association and Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship are now urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to "consider a more realistic, no-cost-to-taxpayers alternative to transition that would achieve the same outcome as a ban without imposing devastating impacts on the sector, on First Nations’ rights, and on coastal communities in B.C."

It says B.C.'s salmon farmers have also "been committed to continuous innovation."

"Mandating the sector to transition to unproven technologies in a short time frame ignores the willingness of B.C. salmon farmers to administer alternative innovations that can achieve the same outcome," a news release from the association says.

"Innovative solutions need to be tailored to unique coastal characteristics and aligned with the goals of the rightsholder First Nations who host salmon farms in their territories."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2024.