First Nation studies land-based Coho salmon project on Vancouver Island.
The Homalco First Nation is assessing the feasibility of developing a commercial, land-based salmon farm within its traditional territory on Vancouver Island.
The Campbell River area-based Nation said it has launched a feasibility study for a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility focused on producing Pacific Coho salmon in a fully contained, land-based environment.
According to the Nation, the study will examine technical, environmental and economic considerations, including water use, energy demand and biological performance. RAS technology recirculates and treats water for reuse, with losses largely limited to evaporation and routine operations.
Homalco said the initiative reflects its long-standing opposition to ocean-based salmon farming in its territory and is intended to determine whether a land-based approach can meet environmental, technical and community standards. The project will not proceed if those thresholds cannot be met, the Nation said.
The proposal follows earlier Indigenous-led land-based aquaculture initiatives on Vancouver Island. The ‘Namgis First Nation launched a land-based salmon farm near Port McNeill in 2017, initially producing Atlantic salmon before switching to steelhead trout. The facility has been leased to Kuterra since 2019, which reported harvesting around four tonnes of steelhead per week in 2024.