Farming the Seas
Although a relative newcomer among BC resource-based industries, the salmon-farming sector has grown rapidly. Salmon farming has become a vital part of the local economy in many British Columbia coastal communities. Today, farm-raised salmon is British Columbia's largest agricultural export and returns more than $800 million to the provincial economy.
Humans have been tending useful aquatic plants and animals for thousands of years. However, it has only been in the last several decades that aquaculture (aquatic agriculture) has expanded in scale and diversified into many new species and technologies. This provides fish farmers and other aquaculture industries with an ever-increasing opportunity to provide the fish, shellfish and marine plants that reach our dinner plates.
The demand for healthy seafood is steadily increasing and in fact the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predict global demand for fish will reach 150 to 160 tonnes by 2030. Yet capture fisheries can only provide 80 to 100 million tonnes per year on a sustainable basis. Salmon farmers are helping to meet this demand with high-quality, fresh products that are available throughout the year.
Industry Development
The fish hatchery techniques that are used for enhancing wild runs of salmon provided the basis for early attempts at salmon farming. Early experiments with the raising of hatchery fish in ocean net pens encountered their share of challenges, but proved that it was possible to farm salmon for human consumption. Over time, salmon farming techniques were improved and larger-scale and commercially viable fish farming became possible.
A lot of early exploratory work on salmon farming was done here in British Columbia but Norway was the first country where a commercial salmon farming industry established itself and undertook significant growth. In the early 1980's the BC government encouraged Norwegian investment in the development of salmon farming in British Columbia. This laid the groundwork for today's vibrant salmon farming industry along BC's west coast.
The path leading to the vibrant BC salmon farming industry of today proved challenging as early operators had much less refined equipment than is now available, were working with undomesticated stocks, and faced a very steep learning curve. Then in 1989, just as many of the new farms were bringing their first harvests to market, the price of salmon fell dramatically. It was too much for many of the new salmon farming companies to bear and the fledgling industry went through a period of significant consolidation and renewal.
What emerged was a salmon farming industry with fewer players but with larger, more efficient and better-managed fish farms. Since then, farmed salmon production has grown significantly as the industry has enhanced its technological sophistication, production efficiency and the quality of its environmental management. In a very short period of time, salmon farming in British Columbia has moved forward from its humble beginnings and evolved into a major producer of quality seafood for world markets.
The Global Industry
The international salmon-farming industry has progressed rapidly in recent decades and on a global basis there are now more salmon grown on farms than are caught in wild fisheries. BC is the world's fourth largest producer of farm-raised salmon after Norway, Chile, and the United Kingdom; however BC's farmed salmon production is dwarfed by that of the top three producers - Norway, Chile, and the UK - which together account for 85% of a total global production of 1.2 million tonnes of farmed salmon and sea trout. While BC remains a relatively small player today, optimal siting opportunities and favourable operating conditions on the west coast of British Columbia create the potential for significant growth in the salmon farming industry.
