August 23, 2007

 

Canada becomes world's fourth largest producer of farmed salmon

 

 

Canada is the fourth largest producer of farmed salmon in the world behind Norway, Chile and the UK, having produced a total value of US$543 million in 2005.

 

Half the aquaculture production comes from British Columbia and a quarter comes from New Brunswick.

 

Canadian aquaculture started taking off in the 1980s, when the government started encouraging foreign investment. Production quadrupled in the 15 years from 1985 to 2000.

 

Salmon farming experienced even more spectacular growth, skyrocketing from 50,000 tonnes in 1985 to more than one million tonnes by 2000.

 

Salmon from aquaculture already surpassed wild catches by then.

 

With Norwegian investment, a shift from farms growing predominantly Pacific salmon to farming Atlantic salmon occurred in BC waters.

 

Atlantic salmon continue to dominate the BC salmon farming industry representing 80 percent of the market.

 

Nearly all salmon farming is done in net-pens floating in the ocean. These open systems, which often hold up to 700,000 fish in 12,000 square metres, however, caused many environmental issues.

 

While the farm itself benefits from the circulation of clean oxygenated water and free removal of wastes into the surrounding waters, waste feed and feces from the farm affect the bottom-dwelling marine life under the netpens and can lead to harmful algal blooms.

 

Antibiotics and pesticides given to the fish release harmful materials into the surrounding waters.

 

With high densities of fish, disease and parasites thrive in the pens, which in turn  can threaten wild populations of salmon.