BC Salmon Farmers Association

Researcher Thierry Chopin has been pitching the ecological, economic and social benefits of farming seaweed and salmon together since the late 1990s. But, there won't be adoption of co-cultivation in salmon farming until there is regulatory change and financial incentive, he says.

A coalition of Vancouver Island mayors and industry stakeholders say Ottawa's decision to phase out Discovery Islands fish farms puts 1,500 jobs at risk.

Ken Hardie, who represents the British Columbia riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells, raised several questions during a parliamentary committee meeting about the assessments studied by the department to arrive at its conclusion that open-net pen fish farms pose little risk to wild salmon.

Global warming is likely to significantly reduce the areas suitable for the farming of Atlantic salmon along the West Coast, according to a recent UBC study.

Environment Canada is investigating allegations that fish plants in British Columbia are spewing virus-laden bloody water from processed, farmed salmon into the water off the coast of Vancouver Island.

Many fish can carry the virus without having the disease, Dr, Kristi Miller said.