In our 2019 election platform, we pledged to transition open-net pen salmon farms out of BC waters by 2025. Since being elected as your Member of Parliament, I have received and responded to thousands of enquiries on what our Government is doing to protect and restore wild salmon stocks. I have spoken to countless community leaders, interested stakeholders, Indigenous leaders, industry, and other ocean users on this issue. This week, our Government took another step to remove fish farms from BC waters in response to specific requests made by First Nations in the Discovery Islands. 

We announced that we are phasing out existing salmon farming facilities in the Discovery Islands, with the upcoming 18-month period being the last time this area will be licenced. This means that no new licences will be granted and no new fish of any size may be introduced into Discovery Islands facilities during this time. All farms will be free of fish by June 30th, 2022, and the vast majority of the fish still present in these farms will be harvested before the migratory season of 2021. However, existing fish at the sites can complete their growth-cycle and be harvested. Failure to harvest all cultivated fish by the end of the day on June 30, 2022 would constitute engaging in aquaculture without a licence, which is prohibited by the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations.

These facilities are some of the oldest sites on the West Coast and are located on the traditional territory of the Homalco, Klahoose, K’ómoks, Kwaikah, Tla’amin, We Wai Kai and Wei Wai Kum First Nations. Consultations with the seven First Nations in the Discovery Islands area provided critical guidance to the Minister, which heavily informed this decision. In response to feedback heard from First Nations throughout consultations, DFO will ensure information is shared with the First Nations moving forward and extend an invitation to participate and monitor progress as the farms harvest out the remaining fish on site. This process aligns with our Government’s commitment to reconciliation by implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and respects the principle of free, prior, and informed consent of affected First Nations.

This decision is not without its challenges. The aquaculture industry supports thousands of jobs across the country, including many in the Discovery Islands. This is a difficult decision that impacts real people and communities. There are communities and livelihoods that will be affected by this decision. That is why, over the coming months, we will work with industry to ensure a fair, orderly and just transition for those workers and communities.

We are fully committed to protecting wild pacific salmon and the work needed to reverse the current declines. Although I was disappointed that the DFO report in September did not include further analysis of the cumulative risk of all nine pathogens taken together independently or in conjunction with other cumulative risks to wild salmon such as sea lice, climate change, or overharvesting, this decision reaffirms my strong belief that we are on the right path.

This decision would not be possible without the leadership of many in British Columbia. I want to thank the many conservationists, volunteers, stewards, streamkeepers and residents across our province committed to ensuring that wild salmon flourish and that we continue to work towards healthy oceans and rivers. I recognize that we are at a critical juncture and that historic, decisive action must be taken now and in the coming years to ensure our wild pacific salmon not only survive but thrive.

Sincerely,

Patrick Weiler, MP
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country