The Pacific Salmon Foundation says the federal commitment to ban open-net pen salmon farms in B.C. by 2029 is an important step toward reducing one of the controllable threats facing wild Pacific salmon.

PSF points to more than a decade of peer-reviewed research showing that open-net pen farms can spread parasites and pathogens into wild salmon migration routes. The update highlights three key infectious agents of concern: sea lice, Tenacibaculum maritimum, and Piscine orthoreovirus, all of which have been linked to risks for wild salmon health.

With roughly 55 open-net pen salmon farms still operating or licensed to operate in B.C., PSF says the next three years are critical. The organization is calling for a transition to truly closed-containment salmon farming, where waste, viruses, bacteria, and other infectious agents cannot freely move between farms and the marine environment.

Read more:
https://psf.ca/blog/the-latest-on-open-net-pens-in-bc/