Looming uncertainty in aquaculture plan ‘unfair and unjust,’ BC industry says

A group of aquaculture industry suppliers is calling on the premier and cabinet to allow six-year renewals of salmon farm licenses in the salmon farming sector in British Columbia and elsewhere.

“We need your help. As businesses engaged in British Columbia’s salmon farming sector, we directly employ several hundred British Columbians and indirectly support thousands more,” says the letter signed by 24 business owners and managers in British Columbia’s salmon farming sector.

In 2019, the federal Liberals made an election commitment to move fish farms out of the water and onto land-based operations, but that commitment “came without consulting our employees or the families they support,” the letter said.

Since then, little to no concrete information has been put forward – leaving an entire sector mired in uncertainty, the letter states. The impact of this uncertainty alone has had and continues to have a negative impact on all British Columbians, the companies say.

“Those in the food production sector are unable to plan for their families’ futures, not knowing if their jobs will exist in the months and years to come. This is an unfair and unjust situation for the hard-working people of this province. In addition, the private sector is limited in its ability to invest more in the face of this persistent uncertainty.

The sector has shown its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, they say, and the plan is to accelerate that trajectory to become a global leader over the next decade, given the opportunity. is given.

“The future that all parties want includes the most progressive and ethical methods of salmon farming. But it’s a future that requires hard work and investment, resources that require a long-term vision to succeed. Overall, we know that a transition to “responsible BC salmon farming” is within our reach. This pathway can and must support increased protection of wild salmon, increased Indigenous reconciliation, continued innovation, the highest quality local food production, and additional job creation across our province.

“To achieve this, we need you to provide the certainty needed for new private sector investment. Our people need hope for the future and the certainty that they will be able to provide for their families tomorrow. A single salmon production cycle lasts six years from start to finish. We ask that you take the next step with us and support a license renewal of at least six years.

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