Fisheries and Aquaculture Reports, Studies and Documents

Detailed List

  • A Competitiveness Survey of the British Columbia Salmon Farming Industry Adobe Acrobat Required (1.1mb)
    An assessment to determine areas in which government can help increase the competitiveness of the industry.  The document identifies:
    • areas where the BC salmon industry is not competitive and the underlying causes;
    • industry research and development priorities; and
    • suggested public policy priorities.
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  • Making Sense of the Salmon Aquaculture Debate Adobe Acrobat Required
    A consultants' report for the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (PFRCC) analyzes the risks associated with salmon farming in the areas of fish health, escapes and ocean effects. The report does not identify any new areas of high risk compared to the BC government's Salmon Aquaculture Review
    •  Comparison chart can be viewed in:
    The province already has  action plans or programs in place for all the risk areas discussed in the report. In many areas, the report found low risks.

In some areas, particularly around sea lice and IHN, the report finds higher risks relative to the findings of the Salmon Aquaculture Review. However, the province is already moving forward with an action plan to address these issues. As with previous reports, the PFRCC identified a need for continued monitoring and research.

  • Salmon Aquaculture Review Report
    Extensive 1997 report from the Environmental Assessment Office’s multi-year, multi-million dollar review of salmon aquaculture in B.C. Concludes that "farming in British Columbia, as presently practiced and at current production levels, presents a low overall risk to the environment." The report included 49 recommendations, which the provincial government accepted.
  • Aquaculture in Canada's Atlantic and Pacific Regions
    Interim Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries, June 2001.  The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands submission to the committee prior to the completion of the report. B.C. supports the results, which are consistent with B.C.’s strategic approach to aquaculture.
  • Summary Report of Contaminant Results in Fish Feed, Fish Meal and Fish Oil
    A recent survey by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) shows that the dioxin-furan and PCB levels, as well as the mercury levels, in fish feed, fish meal and fish oil would not be expected to result in fish containing levels above the Canadian Guidelines for Chemical Contaminants and Toxins in Fish and Fish Products.
  • On the risk of colonization by Atlantic Salmon in BC Waters
    Analyzes the ability of Atlantic salmon, and other salmonids, to colonize outside of their natural range, with emphasis on the coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada. The conclusion, supported by historical experience as well as current scientific opinion and study, is that the risk of Atlantic salmon colonization in BC is not only low, but extremely so, and that farmed escapees are not in any way compromising wild Pacific salmon stocks.
  • Results from the 2001 First Nations Atlantic Salmon Watch Program
    The most extensive effort to date to enumerate Atlantic salmon in BC. One hundred and three surveys were carried out from September through to December 2001. The surveys were conducted on forty-nine different river systems, covering over 230 kilometers.  More than 350,000 salmonids were counted during the surveys, only two of which were Atlantic salmon.
  • U.S. Department of Commerce - Vision for U.S. Aquaculture: "To assist in the development of a highly competitive, sustainable aquaculture industry in the United States that will meet growing consumer demand for aquatic foods and products that are of high quality, safe, competitively priced and are produced in an environmentally responsible manner with maximum opportunity for profitability in all sectors of the industry."