Federal minister wants B.C. to be model for global aquaculture

Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier says the country's "strict rules" on banning open-net salmon farming are necessary since the goal is to make British Columbia "a model" in global aquaculture.

During a separate funding announcement on salmon restoration in Vancouver, Lebouthillier noted that Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne would be in B.C. soon to meet with First Nations affected by the pending open-net farm ban.

When asked if federal money is coming to support the transition away from open-net farming, she said there's work to be done to help communities and propel the aquaculture industry toward the future. 

Lebouthillier announced the ban in Ottawa yesterday, saying aquaculture must move to land by 2029, giving communities and businesses five years from the original deadline to transition away from open-net farming.

Several B.C. coastal First Nations involved in aquaculture have expressed anger at the announcement, saying five years isn't enough for the industry to shift to containment salmon farming.

Ahousaht Nation Hereditary Chief Hasheukumiss says a five-year transition period is the same as shutting down the farms immediately, and the federal government has repeatedly ignored the concerns of Indigenous communities involved in aquaculture.  

WATCH | Open-net salmon farms to be closed in five years:

Feds delay closure of B.C.’s open-net salmon farms until 2029

5 months ago

Duration 2:20

It was a 2019 Liberal election campaign promise: transition all Pacific open-net salmon farms to closed containment systems as wild salmon populations face existential threats. As CBC's Rafferty Baker reports, while the feds have announced a ban – it is coming with a significant delay.