The global cost of salmon farming to marine ecosystems is estimated to be about $50 billion USD from 2013 to 2019 due to pollution, parasites, and high fish mortality. FAIRR Initiative is shedding light on sustainability concerns within the salmon farming industry, particularly the waters surrounding salmon farms, which are polluted with waste from farmed […]

Wild Pacific salmon are on the brink of extinction. On both sides of the border, First Nations and governments are urgently focused on restoration efforts to revive the abundance of salmon. “It would be helpful and more efficient if the efforts on either side of the border could co-ordinate with one another,” says Thomas Biladeau, […]

A new study comparing salmon farming regulations in four countries finds that Canada’s rules fall short when it comes to protecting wild fish populations from one of the key threats posed by ocean-polluting salmon farms: ⚠️ sea lice infestations ⚠️ In BC, the lack of strong precautionary management for sea lice in Atlantic salmon farms […]

On December 5, 2023, the provincial government urged for the transition of ocean-based salmon farms to closed containment systems. This statement followed a surge in recent reports highlighting a spike in the number of wild fish deaths caused by salmon farm operations in BC waters last year. “That is the direction we know the province […]

Nearly 1 million wild fish died due to ocean-based salmon farming practices that require sea lice to be removed from farmed salmon. This marks a 6x increase from 2021 to 2022. Conservation groups say the wild fish, primarily herring, are ‘needlessly’ dying at the cost of salmon farming operations. “Herring are very important because they […]

“Federal Fisheries and Oceans Canada data shows more than 817,000 wild fish were killed at B.C. salmon farms in 2022, five times the number of deaths reported in previous years.” Local groups are growing increasingly frustrated with unnecessary harm to local marine life and ecosystems. It’s time for the government to make good on their […]

Recently published data from Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) states that over 817,000 wild fish were killed due to open-net pen salmon farm operations near Tofino. BC Premier, David Eby, states, “Net pen fish farms, I think it’s safe to say the social license for those that just sit in the ocean and cause the death […]

Ocean-polluting salmon farms in BC waters are responsible for a record number of wild fish deaths in 2022—a total of 817,265 according to DFO. Salmon farming practices, such as the removal of sea lice through a suction machine, result in collateral death and damage to wild fish. Despite the federal government investing millions of dollars […]

Despite the federal government’s mandate to transition away from open net-pen salmon farms by 2025 to protect wild salmon before it’s too late, the salmon farming company Cermaq continues to expand operations near Tofino. “Wild salmon are in dire straits,” stated former Minister Joyce Murray on the closure of open-net pen salmon farms in the […]

The federal government is funding a First Nations initiative to protect and restore wild salmon habitats. “What we are bringing to this is a much more creative and nuanced view of what a sustainable economy looks like in rural communities,” says Eric Angel, a project lead for Salmon Parks Network working with Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Nuchatlaht […]