June 11, 2022

Canadian scientists support homegrown ocean-farmed salmon

Canada's top fisheries and aquaculture scientists said home-grown, ocean-farmed salmon is a valuable food resource for Canadians, in response to claims by activists protesting against salmon farms, Fish Information & Services reported.

The scientists said aquaculture provides affordable, highly nutritious protein with year-round access, and that the activists' propagated assertions are not backed by science.

The nine scientists, who took part in the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat's (CSAS) rigorous assessments, have also warned the Canadian federal government that it should make decisions about the future of aquaculture in British Columbia based on the best available science.

The scientists said ministers tasked with deciding the future of salmon aquaculture should rely on the scientific evidence presented in recent CSAS reports about an industrial food sector that provides Canadian food security and is increasingly being adopted by First Nations along British Columbia's vast coastline."

For Fisheries and Oceans Canada, CSAS coordinates scientific peer review and science advice.

Nine peer-reviewed studies found that the 35-year-old aquaculture operations in BC's Discovery Islands had virtually no impact on wild stocks migrating through the area, according to the CSAS reports.

-      Fish Information & Services