Federal government and First Nations to approve B.C. fish farms: province
VICTORIA — Fish farmers in British Columbia have four years to show their open-net operations don’t harm wild salmon and to get approval from First Nations to locate them in their territories as part of new rules introduced Wednesday.
Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said the government is setting new standards for the renewal of fish farm operating tenures to protect wild salmon stocks and support reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples.
“Fish farms are unique, with impacts that are very difficult to contain,” Popham told a news conference. “We acknowledge that many factors are affecting wild salmon, and one of them is fish farms. Wild Salmon are critical to the culture and well-being of many B.C. First Nations.”
Popham announced the new policies as tenures expired for 20 fish farms operating around the Broughton Archipelago off Vancouver Island.