Feds delay closure of B.C.'s open-net salmon farms until 2029

The federal government announced Wednesday that it would delay the closure of open net salmon farms off British Columbia's coast until 2029 to facilitate a transition to closed containment systems.

The announcement was met with praise and scorn from stakeholders in B.C.'s salmon industry.

The government had promised to phase out the farms by next year, but Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier instead outlined a transition to closed-containment salmon farm operations she said would allow aquaculture farms to renew their licences in a «responsible, realistic and achievable» way.

It was met with skepticism from the industry.

«The objective is unreasonable because there is no scientific basis to this decision,» said Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance president and CEO Tim Kennedy in a statement.

«The objective is irresponsible because it threatens 5,000 highly paid and skilled jobs in coastal British Columbia (500 of these jobs held by Indigenous people) during a time of economic stagnation.»

The alliance says over 95 per cent of Canada's salmon production comes from salmon farms in ocean pens in British Columbia.

The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association has said an analysis showed the province could lose up to $1.2 billion in economic activity annually if the licences are not renewed.

Open-net fish farms off B.C.'s coast have long been the subject of debate, with environmental groups and some Indigenous nations saying they are linked to the transfer of disease to wild salmon.

A marine conservation specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation praised the federal government's commitment to ending open-net systems and said they were pleased to see a concrete deadline set.

However, Kilian Stehfest argued in a written statement that the