After years of waiting, DFO says a transition plan for BC salmon farms is finally on the way.
North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney raised the issue during Question Period in Ottawa this week. Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Oceans Canada Mike Kelloway said answers are coming.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is working to ensure that the draft transition plan for salmon aquaculture is measured, and indeed, responsible,” he said. “It is important to take the time necessary, Madam Speaker, to get the draft transition plan right, given its importance to British Columbians. Work on the draft transition plan is underway and will be released in the coming weeks.”
The plan was supposed to be released in June, but was delayed. The Liberal government has been promising since 2019 to provide a transition plan for the removal of conventional net-pen farms from BC’s coast and the potential displacement of thousands of workers.
On Friday the BC Salmon Farmers Association said they had received a draft of the transition plan and are now reviewing it. However, they say the goal of making the entire industry closed-containment by 2029 is unrealistic, unachievable, and will harm coastal communities.
