Canada: Plan outlines First Nations-led salmon farming transition in British Columbia

The report, called BC Salmon Aquaculture Transition: Then & Now, also outlines how the sector’s deep history of innovation supports the federal government’s vision for BC aquaculture, reconciliation, food security, the blue economy and climate friendly protein production. In July 2022, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) released a framework for discussion regarding the net pen transition plan for BC. The proposal for transition of the salmon farming sector to be First Nations-led is taking place concurrently, with DFO’s development of a new framework. “Working together with First Nations who are interested in aquaculture is essential to our future on the west coast,” said Diane Morrison, board chair of the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) and managing director of Mowi Canada West, in a press release. “These principles will ensure we transition in a way that progressively minimises interactions with wild salmon and be led by the First Nations in whose ...