Aerial view of fish farming in British Columbia, Canada.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
Canadian authorities are planning to overhaul British Columbia's marine finfish aquaculture regulations, according to local news reporting.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is undertaking a review of the proposed changes, to be implemented by July 2024. Current marine finfish aquaculture licences in British Columbia are due to expire on June 30, 2024.
The DFO review's proposals, which are now out for consultation until March 8, include extending finfish aquaculture licences for up to six years, while enforcing stricter controls over sea lice monitoring and treatment.
The DFO also proposes greater transparency over fish inventories during the entire production cycle, as well as better reporting on the effects of fish farming on megafauna such as seals and sea lions.
The primary goals of the proposed changes, according to the DFO's summary document, include reducing threats to aquatic life and their environments, establishing transparent, uniform, enforceable, and equitable licensing conditions, and improving data collection for transparency, effective oversight, and management of the sector.
As part of the proposed changes, the DFO is to consider extending the duration of marine finfish aquaculture licences to between two and six years.
This potential extension aims to balance the need for operational stability and predictability for aquaculture operators with the flexibility to adapt to evolving environmental, technological, and regulatory conditions, the DFO summary document states.
Perhaps the most significant change amongst the proposals is regarding the management of sea lice by aquaculture operators.
The DFO wants to ensure that all sea lice removed during hydrogen peroxide bath treatments are captured and disposed of at land-based facilities.
Conditions may also be added to specify the minimum duration and initial salinity for effective sea lice treatment using freshwater baths.
The department said it is also considering reducing the period that farms can exceed the regulatory sea lice threshold during out-migration windows, alongside exploring adjustments to the sea lice per salmon threshold.
The DFO is considering how a farm-level or area-level threshold could be utilized in addition to the fish-level threshold, which currently stands at 3.0 motile sea lice/salmon - a measure that has been in place since 2010.
The DFO noted that although aquaculture companies track their fish inventory, recording how many fish are introduced to farms at the start of the production cycle, as well as noting any fish deaths, escapes, and the quantity of fish processed at a plant, there is no obligation for companies to perform inventory accounting at the end of a production cycle.
Among the proposed changes, the DFO wants aquaculture producers to submit comprehensive reports detailing the initial number of fish placed in net pens, losses due to escapes or deaths, the number of fish sent for processing, and, if needed, an explanation for any discrepancies in these figures.
Another notable proposal addresses interactions between aquaculture operations and wild fish or megafauna.
The DFO suggests that aquaculture companies should record and submit photos or videos of entangled or deceased seals and sea lions, alongside other megafauna, to aid species identification and adaptive management.
The DFO also wants to capture more information on the use of new technologies within the marine finfish aquaculture industry.
"Currently, not all of these tools and products are shared with or approved by the Department," the DFO says, adding it is "considering creating conditions that will require license holders to share more information on their current and future plans for deploying new technologies, share technical information on products, and monitor and report on the effectiveness and potential impacts of those technologies."
The document outlining the proposals can be viewed here, and feedback should be returned by email to DFO.AQConsult-AQConsultez.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca by March 8, 2024, following which the DFO will provide a summary of responses received.