Fish farms or aquaculture have been a source of controversy for decades. The idea is that by harvesting and growing fish, you can lessen the dependency on fisheries, and negate the environmental impact on wild fish populations, all the while creating jobs and promoting innovation. The idea is sound but it has been argued that the means in which it is carried out can be destructive to the environment. One such debate is taking place in British Columbia (B.C.), Canada. It pits pro-aquaculture reformist like the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR), and the First Nations against anti-aquaculture reformist like the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) and the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).
In this essay I will offer my solution to the environmental destruction caused by fish farms, after I analyze both sides of the argument and provide a historical context of the industry involved.
Instances of overfishing have been present in the history of most industrialized countries. In the 1970’s, the universal decline in fish populations coupled with people’s growing infatuation with seafood, led governments, companies and environmentalist to seek sustainable methods for obtaining seafood. Aquaculture or fish farms became the leading solution to this issue. However, finding willing, conducive locations to harvest fish proved to be difficult. Alaska outlawed salmon fish farms altogether, but British Columbia (B.C.), along the Pacific coast of Canada, welcomed the opportunity.
The Term Paper on Fish Farming
... $US 60 billion. Major Categories of Fish Aquaculture There are two kinds of aquaculture: extensive aquaculture based on local photosynthetical production and ... the transfer of disease organisms from the wild fish to the aquaculture fish is an ever-present risk. The very large ... of farmed salmon as well as other food products. Indoor fish farming An alternative to outdoor open ocean cage aquaculture is ...
The Initial start of salmon farming in B.C., during the 1970’s, was slow. This was due to the fact that research was still being conducted to determine the most appropriate species and techniques for raising and harvesting salmon. It was through this research that Atlantic salmon was determined to be the best fit. They are more docile and have a higher feed conversion rate than other species of salmon. Meaning the ratio to how much meat they produce to how much food they need is significantly higher. As the research and methods advanced the industry grew (History of Fish Farms).
In the early 1970’s to the early 1980’s, when it first restarted, private farmers and small companies owned the majority of farms in BC. However, with the increase of regulation and standards, the capital costs became too much and these smaller businesses failed, or merged with larger companies. The aquaculture industry in B.C. saw it’s greatest boom between the mid 1980’s and mid 1990’s, when the number of fish farms went from dozens to about 121 (History of Fish Farms).
However, this era was also met with failed enterprises and multiple merges. The reason for these mergers and failures was the dramatic decrease in salmon prices (History of Fish Farms).
Smaller fish farms couldn’t cover their costs, and were forced to sell to bigger companies or claim bankruptcy. Currently there are about 130 fish farms in B.C. with about 75 to 80 in operation at any given time. They are predominately owned by three major companies. They are also the Canada’s number one salmon producer and responsible for producing 76,000 metric tons of salmon annually (About us, BC farmers association).
The actual process of salmon aquaculture or farming is the growing, raising and harvesting of salmon in a controlled environment. This is a multistep process that usually takes anywhere from two to three years to complete. In the first step, farmers fertilize and incubate the eggs of the female salmon and then place the eggs into freshwater holding tanks on land, where they hatch. The hatchlings are kept in their freshwater holding tanks for about 18 months, until they smoltify. Smoltification is a physiological change that allows salmon to live in salt water. Once this change happens the salmon are then moved to open-net pens floating in the ocean. There they are raised for approximately 18 months until they reach adult size, and are ready to be harvested (Aquaculture in Canada: Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance).
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Powell, K. , 2005. Fish farming, Eat your Veg, Nature, 426, 378-379. The article that I chose to review discussed the possibility of maintaining and sustaining aquaculture by changing the diets of the farmed fish. The idea of carnivorous fish turning into vegetarians would help for future sustentation of aquaculture. There were pros and cons to either side of vegetarianism and the maintaining of ...
The use of open-net pens to farm salmon in BC as well as the locations they are being farmed at in B.C., have caused coalitions like the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR), to be concerned. CAAR is a leading coalition of environmentalist and fishermen, responsible for creating aquaculture reform. The negative impacts that the fish farms have had on the British Columbian environment have raised red flags with CAAR. The environmentalists in CAAR wish to keep the unspoiled beauty of British Columbia intact, as well ensure that there is no destruction to indigenous species (End the Silence…2013).
Fisheries and fishermen associated with CAAR also wish to see aquaculture reform. According to a report in 2005, the commercial and sport fishing industries provide more money and jobs for the province of BC than aquaculture industries do (End the Silence…2013).
The stakes for fishermen are that if the issues involving wild salmon and farmed salmon are not addressed they could potentially loose whole populations of wild salmon. This could effectively put fishermen out of work.
Other parties concerned about the practices of fish farmers in BC are the First Nations. The First Nations are the indigenous people of British Columbia, and like the salmon fishermen of that area, they rely heavily on a healthy wild salmon population to sustain their way of life. CAAR as well as the First Nations have the following issues with salmon farming (End the Silence…2013).
CAAR states that open net pens are being placed in areas where the farmed Atlantic salmon have the potential to interact with indigenous species of salmon, native to the Pacific. This interaction can occur when farmed salmon escape, or when wild salmon swim by the open net pens containing farmed salmon. There have been instances in the past of farmed salmon escaping in copious amounts out of B.C. fish farms. The fear is that if they do escape, they could potentially outcompete the indigenous species of salmon, which are already experiencing depletion in their population.
The Essay on Salmon Farming Farmed Fish Pcb
Salmon Farming If you recently ordered salmon off the menu of your favorite restaurant, or purchased it from your local grocery store, chances are it was farmed. According to "Salmon of the Americas, an organization of salmon-producing companies in Canada, Chile and the United States, 70 percent of the salmon produced in British Columbia and Washington comes from salmon farms. If it weren't for ...
Farmed salmon also pose many risks to indigenous species while still in the cage. There have been studies that show a direct correlation between an increase in sea lice infestation among wild salmon and fish farm activity (Mages, 2008).
Fish farms in B.C. are closely situated next to the migratory paths wild salmon take to spawn. Because of this, both adult and juvenile wild salmon are often exposed to this influx of sea lice. Sea lice can spread disease like Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) and Infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN).
These diseases have depleted huge populations of both wild and farmed salmon in the past. ISA has just recently made its way into BC and is usually associated with fish farms. This has alarmed CAAR, the First Nations, as well as the CAIA. On top of spreading disease, sea lice can also hinder juvenile salmon’s ability to survive in the wild, by making them more susceptible to predation or compromising their health (Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmon, 2007).
Another issue involving fish farms in B.C. is the chemical waste involved with aquaculture. SLICE for example is a pesticide like compound that is often used by fish farmers to treat sea lice. When it is dumped into the tanks it often travels out into the surrounding areas, causing a negative environmental impact. Fish farms also produce copious amounts of feces, due to the fact that there are large amounts of fish in one area. This abundant amount of feces in one area can also negatively impact the surrounding landscape (End The Silence…2013).
The other side of the argument lies with the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) and the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).
The CAIA is a national industry association, which represents the interests of Canadian aquaculture operators, feed companies and suppliers (Aquaculture in Canada: Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance).
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“BCSFA is a forum for communication and cooperation within the salmon farming sector, and the focal point for liaison between the industry and government (About us).” Both of these associations state that fish farms are not as impactful on the environment as critics would make you believe and are a necessary step towards providing a sustainable ecosystem. The director of BCSFA Odd Grydeland states that government regulation and improved technology have greatly reduced the risk of impact to the environment (Farming the Seas, 2013).
Improved cages have limited the amount of salmon allowed to escape and incidents of salmon escaping have become less common in recent years (FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Canada).
Also studies done suggest that farmed salmon have low survival rates, when they do escape (Aquaculture in Canada: Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance).
The CAIA states that the location of salmon farms are regulated and monitored by the government. They are forced by the government to be put in areas that have good circulation so that pollution from feces and other chemicals does not accumulate in one specific area. Finally pro-fish farmers argue that state of the art medicine is enough to stop the spread of disease among salmon populations, both wild and farmed.
In regards to the economy and jobs, CAIA and BCFSA argue that they are just as vital to providing jobs in BC as fisheries and fishermen. They report that the industry has grown exponentially and continues to grow. They are currently providing more than 8,000 jobs nationally and bringing in a little under a billion dollars every year (Pacific Salmon Commission).
They have also helped the First Nationals, by reducing their unemployment rate from 80% to what it is now, which is 0%.
As of December 2010, the Canadian government took responsibility for the management and regulation of aquaculture operations. Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), is responsible for the monitoring, regulating and licensing of aquaculture operations. “Transport Canada (TC) is responsible for reviewing applications with respect to the protection of navigable waters in Canada (Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations).” In order for aquaculture operations to be federally authorized they must fill out applications, which are reviewed by the DFO, TC, and the ministry of Forest, Land and Natural Resource Operations. This application is required as stated by Fisheries Act (Pacific Aquaculture Regulation) and the Navigable Waters Protection Act (Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations).
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... customers, S&F Seafood, to a new salmon aquaculture firm, Nu-Farm Inc. This new competitor uses ... has been investigating what makes some salmon in an aquaculture environment grow more quickly than others, ... by the salmon, or environmental damage caused by the farm’s operations. The lost salmon had a ... that Canada’s international reputation for salmon and other fish will remain high. A market ...
The operations, if approved must also adhere to the standards stated in these acts. These acts are aimed at protecting the environment from unsafe fishing practices, and protecting wild populations from unsafe aquaculture operations.
Provincial governments also play a huge role in the regulating of aquaculture. “The primary legislative instruments for the regulation of aquaculture at the provincial level in British Columbia are the Fisheries Act, (1996) and the Fisheries Act Regulations (1976), the Aquaculture Regulation (2002) and the Environmental Management Act (Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations).” All of these acts helped define, and address the issues of environmental degradation from aquaculture.
Currently the Canadian government as well the British Columbian province support the expanding of aquaculture operations in BC. Policy strategies used by the BCFSA and CAIA, are to lobby elected officials into letting them expand their operations. By allowing fish farms to expand their operations, BCFSA and CAIA think the pressure on wild populations could be alleviated. The majority of fish farms are ran by a small amount of companies with a large amount of power and can easily bend environmental regulations in their favor. They’ve provided case studies suggesting the dangers to the environment are limited. They also pose under the guise of a sustainable market and the solution to overfishing.
CAAR see’s through this guise and argues that open-net fishing is not sustainable, and instead suggests a reform towards closed system aquaculture. This would entail keeping the fish in isolated tanks, away from indigenous species of salmon and out of the surrounding aquatic ecosystem. CAAR has tried to influence policy changes on many different levels. They have conducted and presented to the Canadian government, many case studies about the negative effects of fish farms on wild salmon populations. They have raised awareness of this issue through media sources. They have also donated money towards the research and development of an effective closed tank system. CAAR has also pushed for the labeling of farmed salmon, which would let consumers know what they were buying. Given the bad reputation of fish farms recently, this could seriously affect the profits of the aquaculture industry (About us).
The Essay on Declining Fish Stock
The Problem: Seeing the video on Declining Fish Stock VLR, expose the challenges between fishermen and environmental concerns. This video shows how fishing fleets have depleted the oceans of almost 90% of its big fish; therefore, claiming the ocean is not as resilient as it once was. The majority of the largest fish have already been pulled from the oceans, leaving only 10% of its remaining fish ...
Although both sides make compelling arguments I think there has to got to be a better way of creating a sustainable market for salmon other than fish farms that use open-net pens. The case studies I have read suggest that these fish farms have a direct, negative effect on the environment in which they are kept. There is also strong evidence that suggest these salmon farms are breeding grounds for sea lice, which have been known to spread disease. This alone, is enough for me to condemn the practice. After reviewing the arguments and seeing the inactivity of the Canadian government, it is apparent that they are not doing much because of the economic contributions provided by the fish farms. Organizations like CAAR have provided compelling arguments and research as to the effects of fish farms on the environment where organizations like CAIA and BCFSA simply rely on the stance of, “we’re well regulated.” It is clear that these regulations are outdated and in need of change.
In order to fix the fish farm problem I recommend the same alternative that CAAR recommends which is a mandatory closed containment policy. Closed containment can be simply putting a solid wall cage in the ocean that surrounds the school of salmon, or it could mean taking the fish completely out of the water and placing them in a pool on land. The biggest issue surrounding this is cost efficiency and the disposal of waste from the tanks. However, technology does exist that allows the waste to leave the closed environment or be recycled back into the water system. The cost of closed containment is more but when weighed against the potential risks facing the environment, it is much less. By forcing fish farmers to use this method of farming, even if it is temporary, it could help lessen the environmental stress being placed on the waters of BC (About Us).
Ways in which we could measure the success of this policy change would be to perform case studies after the regulation was put into effect. We could measure the amount of sea lice present on salmon in the area. Second we could record salmon populations of the area after a certain amount of time to determine if they are rebounding. With these two data points we could then determine for 100% whether or not fish farms are the detrimental to the environment, and if so, how detrimental.
The issue involving salmon farms is complex and interwoven. The two parties involved in the discussion are on opposite sides of the plain, but seem to be fighting for the same cause. They are both trying to create sustainable methods for obtaining seafood without taking jobs away from people or destroying the environment. Research is still being done as to what the effects are of aquaculture on the wild salmon populations in BC. Given the case studies I have read throughout writing this paper though, I would argue aquaculture technology has a long way to go, before it is considered sustainable to the environment.
Works Cited
“About Us.” BC Salmon Farmers Association. BC Salmon Farmers Association, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“End the Silence. Tell the Prime Minister to Act on the Cohen Recommendations.” Farmed And Dangerous. Farmed and Dangerous, 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“Aquaculture in Canada: Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance.” Aquaculture in Canada: Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance. Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Canada.” FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Canada. Fisheries & Aquaculture Department, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Mages, Paul A. “The Effects of Sea Lice on Juvenile Pink Salmon Predation Susceptibility.” The Effects of Sea Lice on Juvenile Pink Salmon Predation Susceptibility. Simon Fraser University, 2008. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmon.” Farmed And Dangerous. Farmed and Dangerous, 2007. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“Farming The Seas.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“History of Salmon Farming.” BC Salmon Farmers Association. BC Salmon Farmers Association, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.” Land Tenures Branch -Crown Land Program Areas. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
“Pacific Salmon Commission.” International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission Publications. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
The Environmental Effects of Salmon Farms on Indigenous Species of Salmon in British Columbia
Ryan Cooper
11-26-2013
Professor Murren
