BC aquaculture supply industry thinks a 'Responsible BC Salmon Farming' transition pathway is possible but the Government's help is needed to achieve it.
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First, it was the Canadian aquaculture industry that urged the Prime Minister to immediately renew British Columbia's salmon farming licenses, now the supply and support companies are joining the plea. "We need your help," they tell Justin Trudeau and members of the Federal Cabinet in a letter. "A 'Responsible BC Salmon Farming' transition pathway is within our reach," they add, but to achieve it, certainties such as a minimum six-year renewal are needed.
Since we learned in February the proposed overhaul to marine finfish aquaculture regulations in Canada could include longer duration for salmon farming licenses in British Columbia, the industry has been urging the Prime Minister not only to renew them but to ensure this renewal is sufficient to demonstrate that theirs is a sector with a future.
In the letter now sent to Trudeau, representatives of twenty-four BC supplier companies remind the Prime Minister that the sector has already demonstrated its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship and that it plans to accelerate that trajectory to become a world leader in the next decade, "if given the opportunity."
"The future that all parties want includes the most progressive and ethical methods of salmon farming. But it’s a future that requires hard work and investment, resources that require a long- term outlook to succeed," the letter reads.
"Overall, we know that a 'Responsible BC Salmon Farming' transition pathway is within our reach," it continues. That path, the letter adds, can and must support enhanced protection of wild salmon, further Indigenous reconciliation, continued innovation, the production of the highest quality local food, and the creation of more jobs across the province.
However, while they are confident that this 'Responsible BC Salmon Farming' transition pathway can be achieved, the supply and support companies have stressed that to achieve it, the sector needs certainty to facilitate greater private sector investment. In addition, they have also recalled that, as companies involved in the salmon farming sector in British Columbia, they directly employ many hundreds of British Columbians, as well as indirectly supporting thousands more.
"Our people need hope for the future, and certainty that they will be able to provide for their families tomorrow," says the letter. "A single salmon production cycle takes six years from start to finish. We ask that you take the next step with us, and support a minimum six-year license renewal."
The companies signing the letter remind the government that in 2019 it made an election commitment that came with no consultation neither to the industry's employees nor to the families they support. "Since that time, little to no concrete information has been put forward – leaving an entire sector mired in uncertainty. The impact of that uncertainty alone has and continues to negatively impact British Columbians as a whole."
As a result, they say, those who work in this sector cannot plan for the future of their families, because they do not know if their jobs will exist in the coming months and years. "This is an unjust and unfair situation for the hard-working people of this province."
