With less than three years remaining before the federal government’s June 30, 2029 deadline to end open-net pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia, Wild First Chair Tony Allard says Ottawa has yet to provide a clear plan for how it will deliver on that commitment. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said in August that the ban was “certainly still in place,” but offered few details about how the transition will be implemented.

In an opinion piece published in National Newswatch, Allard warns that continued uncertainty makes the transition more difficult for First Nations, coastal communities, conservation groups and the aquaculture industry. He points to research documenting risks associated with interactions between open-net pen farms and migrating wild salmon, as well as a Federal Court of Appeal decision upholding the federal government’s ability to take a precautionary approach when wild salmon are at risk.

Allard makes the case that the question is no longer whether Ottawa has the authority or evidence to act, but whether it will clearly explain how the 2029 commitment will be implemented. With the deadline approaching, he stresses that greater certainty is needed to allow communities, industry and governments to prepare for the transition while protecting wild Pacific salmon.

Read Tony Allard’s full opinion piece in National Newswatch.
https://nationalnewswatch.com/2026/10/28/ottawas-silence-on-the-salmon-farm-deadline-is-the-real-risk