Land-Based Salmon Project in Quebec Offers Alternative to Open-Net Pens
Samonix is developing a large-scale land-based salmon farm in Quebec’s Outaouais region that would produce up to 10,000 metric tonnes of Atlantic salmon annually. The proposed facility would use a high-recirculation Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), treating and reusing approximately 99 per cent of its water while raising salmon entirely on land.
According to Samonix, the closed system is designed to prevent farmed salmon from escaping or coming into direct contact with wild fish, while reducing water use and limiting discharge into the surrounding environment. The facility would operate without pesticides or routine antibiotics, and fish waste and uneaten feed would be collected and transported off-site rather than discharged into the Ottawa River.
For Wild First, projects like Samonix demonstrate that salmon aquaculture does not need to take place in open-net pens. As Canada moves toward its commitment to ban open-net pen salmon aquaculture in B.C. coastal waters by June 30, 2029, land-based closed-containment systems offer one example of how salmon production can continue while separating farmed fish from wild salmon and their marine environment.
Read more about the Samonix project.