The 'Big Decision'

The big decision to ban fish farms from B.C. waters by 2029 was a long time coming.  

It dates back to 2012 when the Cohen Commission released a report suggesting salmon farming might have to end unless it could be proven by 2020 that fish farms didn’t harm wild salmon. The inquiry probed the decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River, a major highway for fish travelling to the ocean.

That started a heated and often nasty debate over the scientific evidence backing allegations that wild fish populations were being harmed by sea lice infestations coming from fish farms. Few felt the brunt of the attacks more than biologist Alexandra Morton, who shifted her career from studying whales to sea lice impact research. Fast forward to 2024.

Episode 

 of The Salmon People tells the story of federal Fisheries Minister Diane LeBoutillier’s announcement to ban fish farms from B.C. waters in 2029, a decision Morton believed was long overdue.

“All of our hard work has now reached the regulators, the decision makers. We are seeing this industry destroy wild salmon stocks. Pathogens are pouring out of these farms and that has been denied for so long,” Morton said.

“And so there's no winning or losing here, but it's a big step.”

However, reaction to the proposed ban was mixed.  The fish farm industry was understandably unhappy with the decision. Ivan Vindheim, CEO of the world’s largest farmed salmon producer Mowi expressed disappointment during a presentation to investors in the summer of 2024.

“It looks like emotion and political agendas have taken over facts and science in this case, which is really, really sad as there is so much at stake,” he said. 

Dallas Smith of the Tlowitsis First Nation also voiced concern about job loss in isolated communities.

But not all Indigenous people living in the area view the ban as a loss. Don Svanvik of the ‘Namgis First Nation thinks there don’t have to be job losses if land-based farms are built and operated by First Nations. Kuterra, a land-based farm built by Namgis in 2012, has proven the technology is viable, if expensive compared to ocean-based fish farming.

“My dream would be to send these guys [the Norwegian companies] home and have Canada and B.C. partnering with First Nations. It would be a real kick in the ass for the economy, building the infrastructure,”  Svanvik said.

However, fish farm companies, Cermaq, Mowi and Grieg insist land-based farming can’t be done and definitely not by 2029. 

You can hear all these stories 

 on The Big Decision. Or on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.