May 8, 2007

 

Canadian aquaculture group sees red over proposals to move to closed systems

 

 

Aquaculture enterprises in Canada's British Columbia are criticizing a proposal by the government's Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture to move the salmon aquaculture industry into closed containment production within three years.

 

Opponents of the proposal said that such systems have never been used in a viable way before.

 

As there is no contact between farmed fish and the sea, such a production method is supposedly safer.

 

However, the recommendation is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable and is highly unrealistic, according to Ruth Salmon, Executive Director of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance.

 

Salmon said closed containment operations in BC and New Brunswick have already proven to be economically impractical.

 

He noted that It was attempted in Norway, Scotland, Iceland and other countries but all operations who tried it were closed within 3-4 years. 

 

To ensure fish health, closed systems require that fresh seawater be continually pumped into the  tanks. This would require a huge increase in power consumption for the pumps and result in more burning of fossil fuels which harms the environment.

 

The provincial and federal regulatory requirements already enforced in the BC aquaculture industry have established the most stringent environmental standards of all aquaculture producing countries, Salmon said.

 

While the group fully supports ongoing research and development of sustainable closed containment systems, given the current absence of viable systems, accepting the recommendations would undermine investor confidence and result in further job losses in the province's salmon aquaculture industry, Salmon said.

 

With a market worth US$700 million, restricting the growth of this industry would cripple the long-term survival of many coastal communities in the province, he said.

 

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) is a national industry association, headquartered in Ottawa. It represents the interests of Canadian aquaculture operators, feed companies and suppliers.