Three hatcheries north of Campbell River are set to cull 2.6 million fish estimating a huge revenue loss for aquaculture company Mowi Canada West.
[The article has been updated: The earlier estimates reported by Mowi were 8.3 million smolts]
Fry and smolts that were being raised at Big Tree Creek, Dalrymple and Ocean Falls hatcheries were to supply Mowi鈥檚 Discovery Island fish farms. But now these fish will have to be culled as there are no other production sites to move them to, said Dean Dobrinksky, Mowi human resources, safety and communications manager.
鈥淎quaculture industry works on a five year cycle and fish are at different stages in the cycle. We had salmon that was slated to go to the Discovery Island farms this spring, but as per the Dec. 17 federal decision operators are not allowed to add any new stocks in these sites,鈥� Dobrinsky said.
In December, Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan announced her decision to phase out 19 Discovery Islands fish farms by 2022 after consultation with seven First Nations that hold title in the area. For years, several Indigenous groups and wild salmon advocates had been calling for the removal of fish farms from B.C.鈥檚 waters, arguing that they threaten the health of wild salmon.
Operators have been given an 18-month grace period to harvest close to three million salmon that are already in these pens.
READ MORE: Canada 鈥榮tole Christmas鈥� says Vancouver Island鈥檚 aquaculture industry While the decision impacted three major aquaculture companies based out of Campbell River - Mowi Canada West, Grieg Seafood BC, and Cermaq 鈥� Mowi took the biggest hit with 30 per cent of their overall production in B.C. concentrated in the Discovery Islands farms. A day before the minister鈥檚 announcement, fish from the hatcheries were scheduled to be transferred to the farms in Discovery Islands, said Dobrinksky.
The 18-month period is too short a notice to sort out operational logistics, according to Dobrinksy, who said that it disrupted the five year cycle under which the company operates.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be an awful experience for the farmers at the hatcheries who were taking care of the fish, feeding them and making sure that they are healthy,鈥� said Dobrinsky, and added, 鈥渁nd now we鈥檙e going to be asking those same employees to kill them.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 note: The article has been updated. The earlier estimates reported by Mowi were 8.3 million smolts.
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