A dispute has emerged in Atlantic Canada over the allocation of C$81.7 million (€50.65 million) in new federal funding earmarked for wild Atlantic salmon recovery.
The funding forms part of the federal Atlantic Wild Salmon Strategy, which is intended to support the stabilisation and rebuilding of wild salmon stocks, several of which are considered endangered.
Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association has asked the Canadian government not to direct any of the funding to Atlantic Salmon Federation, a conservation group that has been a long-standing critic of open-net pen salmon farming, according to reporting by CBC News.
In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson, association executive director Tom Taylor said the federation should not receive public funding, arguing it campaigns against aquaculture.
Taylor told CBC the industry supports 9,400 jobs in Atlantic Canada and generates C$3.2 billion (€1.98 billion) in annual economic activity, citing Statistics Canada 2024 data. He added that more than 1,400 local businesses are linked to the sector, many in rural communities.
The Atlantic Salmon Federation rejected suggestions it is seeking to close the sector. Vice-president of communications Neville Crabbe told CBC the organisation remains focused on wild salmon conservation, while opposing further geographic expansion of fish farming.
The federation has also announced plans to supplement the federal package with a further C$25 million (€15.50 million) raised from individuals and foundations, according to the report.
The debate highlights ongoing tension in Atlantic Canada between salmon farming operators and wild salmon conservation groups, particularly around environmental impacts, coastal development and future aquaculture growth.
The issue also comes as the federal government moves ahead with plans to phase out open net-pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia by June 2029, a separate policy that does not directly apply in Atlantic Canada, where aquaculture jurisdiction largely sits with provincial governments.