New peer-reviewed studies conclude minimal risk to wild salmon from BC farms.
Two newly published peer-reviewed studies have added to the growing body of scientific evidence indicating that salmon farming in British Columbia poses minimal risk to wild Pacific salmon populations.
The first study, published in Aquaculture Research, examined the risk of interspecies disease transmission from Atlantic to Chinook salmon. Researchers found that Tenacibaculum maritimum (the bacterium that causes Tenacibaculosis or “mouthrot”) was not transmitted to Chinook salmon even when exposed to high pathogen concentrations in a cohabitation model. The study is the first of its kind in Canada to examine this specific transmission pathway.
A second study, published in Scientific Data by Nature, compiled over 20 years of sea lice monitoring data from the Pacific coast of Canada, covering nearly 100 salmon farms and more than 365,000 wild fish. The dataset highlights the variability in sea lice prevalence by year and region and cautions against drawing broad conclusions based on limited samples.
“These studies add to a growing and increasingly rigorous body of scientific evidence concluding that salmon farms in BC do not harm wild salmon populations,” said Brian Kingzett, Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association.
The two papers follow recent publications in Journal of Fish Diseases and Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries, which similarly found limited or no evidence that salmon farms adversely affect sea lice levels on wild populations or cause long-term population impacts.
A fifth paper is forthcoming in Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, suggesting that sea lice trends on wild salmon in the Broughton Archipelago have remained unchanged despite the removal of nearby finfish aquaculture.
In April 2024, the BC Salmon Farmers Association, together with the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship and the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, released a 500-page review titled Modern Salmon Farming in British Columbia. The review incorporates data and analysis from First Nations, sector participants, independent scientists, and eNGOs.
With the federal government’s 2029 deadline to phase out marine net-pen salmon farms in BC approaching, the industry is calling for the decision to be reconsidered in light of the expanding body of scientific evidence. According to the BC Salmon Farmers Association, the ban could cost taxpayers up to CAD 9 billion and result in significant economic disruption.
Under an Indigenous-led development plan, the sector projects the potential to generate CAD 2.5 billion in annual economic output and 9,000 jobs by 2030, rising to CAD 4.2 billion and 16,000 jobs by 2040.
The BC Salmon Farmers Association represents over 95% of salmon farming production in the province. Its members support more than 4,500 jobs and contribute over CAD 1.17 billion annually to the BC economy. All farms currently operate under agreements or partnerships with local First Nations.
