July 14, 2010

British Columbia to step up patrol on aquaculture sites

More federal fisheries officers will be hired and trained to inspect salmon farms and shellfish operations, as the ministry is working to assume responsibility for the aquaculture industry on the British Columbian (BC) coast.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) wants to create a new office consisting of approximately 50 people, including 10-15 fisheries officers, to be based on Vancouver Island.

For now, Trevor Swerdfager from the fisheries department isn't saying where the office will be located. A DFO office is already located in Campbell River and three of the major Norwegian-owned salmon farm companies also have their Canadian offices located in the city.

The rest of the employees in DFO's new aquaculture office will be assigned to licensing and regulatory work as well as making more information available to the public (through their website) regarding aquaculture farms.

The federal government was forced to assume control of aquaculture following a February 2009 ruling by the BC Supreme Court. Anti-salmon farm activist Alexandra Morton spearheaded the court challenge which successfully established that the federal government, and not the province, has responsibility over aquaculture.

Surprisingly, DFO say they have no intention of imposing the new federal policy on Canada's east coast which also has salmon and shellfish farms managed by the provinces. In BC, the federal government assumes full responsibility for aquaculture on Dec 18.

While DFO is indicating there will be tougher enforcement of regulations, they also want to streamline the process for new applications or changes to existing ones.

The BC Salmon Farmers Association has been supportive of the changeover, but remains cautious about their new "water-lords."

"I think it will provide confidence on how our industry is being managed," said Mary Ellen Walling, the association's executive director. "Two of our largest companies (Marine Harvest and Mainstream) are already reporting sea lice information on their websites and that's a significant change in the last five years."