The Great Fish Farm Escape

On July 1, 30,000 Atlantic salmon escaped from a Frederick Arm fish farm in British Columbia. A pen anchor slipped into deeper water causing one of the corners of the open net pens to be pulled under allowing for the escape. Now that this non-indigenous species has escaped into Pacific waters, they run the risk of competing with native wild salmon for food and habitat.

With open net cages, waste from feces and uneaten feed pellets can accumulate under the cages altering the chemical and physical environment, antibiotics, pesticides, paints and disinfectants can also accumulate on the seabed, confining fish in unnatural densities makes them more susceptible to disease, diseases can transfer from captive fish to wild populations, sea lice associated with farmed fish may lead to increased mortality in some juvenile pink salmon and escapes of non-indigenous species continue to occur.

The majority of ecological problems stem from the use of open net cages in marine environments. Closed containment systems would address many of CWF’s concerns with aquaculture including escapes, waste accumulation, and disease and parasite transfer to wild populations.

Salmon aquaculture has been an issue of concern for CWF for many years. The problems and unanswered questions pertaining to aquaculture and its ecological impacts are numerous.

This is an issue facing every Canadian and we need your help in protecting Canada’s native fish. To date we have gathered 1,613 names on our petition. If you haven’t already done so, please add your name to the petition which CWF will then send to The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. It is time that the federal government took its responsibility to protect fish and fish habitat. These escapes are unnecessary and preventable; using closed containment systems would resolve many environmental concerns associated with this practice.