Fish farmers committed to protecting the marine environment

Since 2001, Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. has raised Atlantic, Chinook and Coho salmon at locations on the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island, and near to Sechelt, north of Vancouver. Its total employment is around 120 persons including its head office in Campbell River, hatchery operations at Gold River, and 15 farm sites dotting coastal inlets. 

BC's aquaculture industry contributes 6,000 jobs to the regional economy and is valued at $800 million annually. "Grieg Seafood is committed to protecting the marine environment where our salmon farms are located, an environment that is so important to aboriginal communities for food gathering, canoe journeys and other cultural practices," says Managing Director Stewart Hawthorn.

Hawthorn, who joined Grieg Seafood in 2010 and relocated with his family from New Zealand, managed similar aquaculture operations and established productive relationships with Maori groups in support of their own economic activities. "Grieg has agreements with several First Nations around north Vancouver Island and the coast. “My discussions with chiefs and councils have included how we can develop aquaculture training programs which lead to employment at our farm sites and at our hatchery at Gold River.”

“For some, our support contributes to a community's economic plans to manage their own shellfish aquaculture operations. Grieg's long-term success is tied to working with our First Nation partners, and toward their efforts to develop skills and capacity amongst their own people, particularly young families."

The industry believes that partnerships with First Nations can respond to the need for jobs in more remote communities. Many of these jobs are on the fish farms, and also in the support industries such as trucking and processing. "We recognize the public interest in aquaculture and in managing our farming practices well," continued Hawthorn. 

"And that is why we invite our Aboriginal partners to meet with us, learn about our business, and tour our farms to see first-hand how we take care to raise our fish. We also acknowledge that our partners are stewards of the waters where we operate." Hawthorn states, "Grieg Seafood believes in continuous improvement." "Our relationships with First Nations has benefited us in so many ways, including how we plan for our business, and how our aboriginal partners can share in our success too."

Anti-aquaculture campaigners with the Living Oceans Society are wrong in their recent criticism of our Plover Point farm site application,” says Grant Warkentin, Communications Officer, Mainstream Canada. “They are missing the key point that our new site is a better environmental choice than the old one it will replace. Our old Cormorant site is in a location which is not optimal for growing fish to harvest size and is used for smolt entry only. “ (Once the smolts in Cormorant reach a suitable size, they must be transferred to other sites.)

The Plover Point site, located in Ahousaht First Nation territory, was identified as a suitable replacement site in the protocol agreement between Ahousaht and Mainstream Canada because it is located in deeper water and in a better location with less risk of environmental impacts. It is appropriate for growing fish from smolt size to harvest size, “and will allow us to increase fallow times at other sites in the region, lowering our overall environmental impact while still maintaining our current level of production.

"The Plover Point site we have applied for will, if approved, replace Mainstream’s Cormorant site in their production plans. The Cormorant site will be transferred to the Ahousaht First Nation, as per our protocol agreement with the Ahousaht government, for the Ahousaht to use for their own purposes.”

First Nation fish farmers in Clayoquot Sound

Moses Martin lives in one of the most beautiful places in Canada, Tla-o-qui-aht Indian Reserve, Long Beach, Tofino, B.C.. “I come from a family of artists and I’m the one who can’t draw a straight line,” he jokes. He works in the region as liaison with Creative Salmon, the net-pen fish farm company that grows Chinook salmon around giant Meares Island amid Clayoquot Sound.
      

Martin always worked hard at expanding the economic footprint of Tla-o-qui-aht in the region's economic activity. He recently acquired a 24’ Harbercraft aluminum boat to course the pristine waters of his home, “We do guiding, fishing charters, bear watching and whale watching tours, and tours of Creative Salmon fish farm sites. Farm sites are found on the east side of Meares Island about 20 km out of Tofino.”
     

Tla-o-qui-aht has a few members working for Creative Salmon, “We have a few community members working on sites. Creative Salmon’s workforce is about 25 percent First Nation and we are working toward 50 percent.” Expanding the number calls for training which is on the job training by and large, said Martin. 
     

“They are not bad paying jobs,” and he noted in summer the workforce increases as students hire on at $15 per hour. Farm sites employ people year-round and employees go in and out from Tofino daily since the locations are not as remote as many of the farm sites on the east site of Vancouver Island, whereas up in Klemtu sites owned by Marine Harvest Canada are distinctly remote.
     

Tla-o-qui-aht members find employment at Lions Gate Fisheries which operates a fish processing plant in Tofino. Jobs in all facets of the industry are year-round. Meanwhile the tourism industry is beginning to pick up in Tofino and  Martin has the 24’ aluminum touring boat moored at the government dock in Tofino. 
     

“The business of tourism is beginning to pick up and it’s busy in Tofino right now. It has had a bit of a slow start,” and experienced a decline over the winter in what is normally a year- round destination area.
     

Creative Salmon’s Tim Rundle said the company continues to grow Chinook salmon in the usual fashion to 15 lbs dressed and delivered fresh to market. Creative Salmon like others presently grow the fish in a relatively unsure regulatory market.
     

“It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s DFO that regulates the fish farm industry or the province, as long as it doesn’t set it back.” The general criticism of netpen fish farming regards escapes, disease, and conditions on the bottom beneath net-pens. Creative Salmon has learned over the years, “The big lesson is we do it low density because if you crowd the fish they don’t get the proper nutrition.”
     

Laurie Jensen is the Environmental, Licences and Community Relations Manager Mainstream Canada (A Division of Ewos Canada Ltd., which also grows fish in net-pens on the west side of Vancouver Island. “Fish farming is important for producing healthy food for a growing population of the world,” said Laurie. 
     

“Our aim is to produce food in a sustainable way so that our practices do not reduce the potential for future food production based on the same natural resources.” She noted that Mainstream Canada has achieved full certification in the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard for all their BC operations.