Thanks to a new federal government order, the floating farms that are essential to producing Canadians’ favourite fish will move onshore.
What happened: B.C. salmon producers have five years to shut down open-net ocean salmon farms and transition to land. The main gripe with these farms is that imported Atlantic salmon may escape and expose native wild Pacific salmon populations to parasites.
Why it matters: Land-based farms are expensive to build and maintain, given the energy costs and equipment needed to farm fish beyond the ocean. Industry groups have warned that the high upfront costs of establishing the new facilities will be passed on to consumers.
- Prices for cheaper, ocean-farmed salmon have already been on the rise, but the cost difference between land-farmed and open-net salmon farms is expected to shrink.
Zoom out: Salmon is a top B.C. export, making up 95% of Canada’s total consumption. The move to land farms could leave Canada relying on exports in the short term as the tech and scale of these farms ramp up — a move already threatening the $1.5 billion industry.—LA