Fraser Institute urges Ottawa to scrap open-net pen salmon farming ban.
The Fraser Institute, a Vancouver-based think tank that advocates free-market policies and is frequently critical of government regulation, has called on the federal government to reverse its plan to phase out open-net pen salmon farming in British Columbia by 2029.
In an article published September 20, senior fellow Kenneth P. Green argued the policy will cause significant economic harm without improving the health of wild salmon stocks. A 2024 analysis by consulting firm RIAS, commissioned by the BC Salmon Farmers Association, estimated the ban would reduce annual economic activity in Canada by CAD 1.17 billion, cut GDP by CAD 435 million, and eliminate 4,560 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of CAD 259 million.
The report also projected CAD 437 million in lost spending with more than 1,400 BC suppliers and the removal of 50,000 tonnes of farmed salmon production annually. RIAS said taxpayers could ultimately bear costs of at least CAD 9 billion.
Green also cited a February 2025 Macdonald-Laurier Institute study that found the Atlantic salmon farming industry employs between 10,000 and 14,000 people nationally, with 5,800 direct jobs and an overall economic impact of more than CAD 600 million.
The Fraser Institute argued that scientific evidence does not support the claim that salmon farming poses a significant risk to wild salmon. A recent review in Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries assessed more than 120 studies and found that pathogen transmission from farmed to wild salmon has minimal impact on wild populations.
The Trudeau government announced the phase-out in June 2024, with the Carney government continuing to pursue the policy. Licences for open-net operations in BC coastal waters are due to be terminated by June 30, 2029.
Green concluded that the decision risks dismantling a “pioneering Canadian industry” with no clear environmental benefit, and urged Ottawa to abandon the policy.
