Federal Court rejects review of BC fish farm licence renewals
The Federal Court has rejected a bid by two First Nations and salmon farm operators to review Ottawa’s decision to not renew licences for 15 open-net pen Atlantic salmon farms in the waters off British Columbia.
The written ruling from Judge Paul Favel says former Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray’s decision from February 2023 to not renew the licences for farms around BC’s Discovery Islands met the “requirement of the duty to consult” and “did not breach the operators’ rights of procedural fairness.”
Favel also says the federal decision, which cited the uncertain risks posed by fish farms to wild salmon, was “reasonable.”
With open-net pens now out of the Discovery Islands, it’s time to transition all open-net pen salmon farms out of BC waters.