Salmon Aquaculture Relocation Process

On October 18, 1999, then Fisheries Minister Dennis Streifel and Environment, Lands & Parks Minister Joan Sawicki announced a government salmon aquaculture policy that would ensure a viable and environmentally sustainable salmon aquaculture industry.

For more information on the Policy Framework see the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries' website.

Corporate Information Services is assisting the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries' in this process by providing detailed resource maps of areas of possible relocation of the salmon aquaculture industry. In producing these maps, Corporate Information Services uses the siting criteria outlined in the Salmon Aquaculture Review.

As well as being able to provide maps of more localized areas of interest, Corporate Information Services has produced a gallery of 1;50,000 scale resource maps for the North Coast and Central BC Mainland coast, as well as northern and western Vancouver Island.

Aquaculture Opportunity Studies for Salmon Farming in British Columbia

As part of the Salmon Aquaculture Policy Framework the British Columbia government is relocating some 25 poorly sited salmon farms. This is part of a comprehensive plan to minimize the environmental and social impacts of fish farms, and support local economies in coastal communities.

Over the next several months, the British Columbia government will screen sites in specific geographic areas and begin processing applications for farm relocation to new tenure sites. Through the Aquaculture Opportunity Studies (AOS), government will produce regional maps that identify areas where tenure applications have a reasonable chance of success, as well as areas where habitat considerations, significant social conflicts or other issues may be barriers.

Meanwhile, the government is standardizing farm-siting criteria, streamlining the tenure application and referral process and developing new waste regulations and performance based standards and implementing an enhanced monitoring and enforcement strategy.