Salmon Farming

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Aquacultural Revolution: The scientific case for changing salmon farming

Many prominent scientists and First Nation representatives speak their minds about the salmon farming industry and the numerous problems associated with it in the film Aquacultural Revolution.

Simple ways you can help:

• Always ask if it’s farmed or wild, and think twice about buying farmed salmon
• Make a donation to Watershed Watch Salmon Society or other environmental NGOs and help protect wild salmon
• Get your concerns on on record. Send a fax to the government and let them know changes must happen soon
• Learn more about sea lice and salmon farming below and at Watershed Watch's sea lice page and the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform

A shorter YouTube version of this film is available if you would like to share this film with others.

The film Aquacultural Revolution was created by filmmaker Damien Gillis of Save Our Rivers Society in collaboration with Watershed Watch Salmon Society with support from the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform and Save Our Salmon. If you would like to help distribute this film, please see our distribution instructions. To receive further updates and more information sign-up for our e-newsletter.

Aquaculture Threats

As currently practiced, salmon aquaculture (fish farming) is a major threat to wild salmon, the world over. To help get the message across, Watershed Watch conducts education and outreach programs in an effort to raise awareness of harmful industry practices. Watershed Watch also negotiates directly with industry and have attempted to conduct collaborative research to come to agreed conclusions on the impacts of salmon farming. Unfortunately, industry and government still deny much of the published science that highlights the negative impacts of salmon farming. Watershed Watch is a founding member of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, and have also represented aboriginal groups such as the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council in examinations of salmon farm impacts in their traditional territories.

Sea lice

Sea lice are small ocean parasites that feed on the skin of fish. Lice normally do not harm adult salmon; however, small numbers of lice may kill juvenile salmon. Scientists agree that the pink salmon collapse in the Broughton Archipelago in 2002 is likely related to sea lice from salmon farms. From an expected 3.6 million salmon, only 147,000 spawning fish returned.

Watershed Watch Executive Director's peer-reviewed paper estimated that 1.6 billion lice eggs were produced over a 2-week period by Broughton Archipelago salmon farms in the winter of 2004. Although sea lice are a natural part of marine ecosystems, sea lice coming from salmon farms are not and they resultantly cause severe problems for wild salmon. For more information see our sea lice page.

Disease

The threat of disease transfer between wild and farmed salmon is serious. Both Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD) and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) are common throughout the salmon farming industry. BKD is a leading cause of death to farmed Chinook and coho, and a serious danger to wild pink, sockeye, and chum salmon. IHN, a virus carried by adult wild salmon without visible symptoms, is particularly dangerous both to juvenile wild sockeye and to farmed Atlantic salmon which have little natural resistance. As long as open-net pens allow constant exchange of water to the marine environment, diseases and parasites will also likely be exchanged between farmed and wild salmon.

Escapes

Do you know there are almost no commercial fisheries for wild Atlantic salmon left because of their dwindling numbers in the wild? So if you're buying Atlantic salmon, chances are it's also farmed salmon. Farmed Atlantic salmon frequently escape and have been seen in more than 80 rivers in British Columbia and are known to have spawned in the Tsitika River on northern Vancouver Island. This is a concern because escaped farmed salmon are capable of competing with wild salmon for food and habitat. For more information see Dr. John Volpe's report Super un-Natural.

Effects on Surrounding Marine Ecosystems

Many different compounds and chemicals are used in industrial salmon farming operations. In an effort to keep farmed fish healthy, salmon farmers add drugs such as antibiotics and therapeutants to the salmon feed as needed. The chemical Slice is used to treat farmed salmon for sea lice infestations, but it may also affect non-target wild crustaceans such as crabs and may remain in the environment. Other chemicals such as antifoulants and disinfectants are also released into the environment by farms in an attempt to control unwanted organisms and diseases. Little is known about how these chemicals affect the marine ecosystems.

Farm salmon are held in flow through nets and cages which allow fish waste and excess feed to freely pass into marine waters. These wastes frequently accumulate under salmon farms and may degrade the habitat surrounding the farm.

One solution that may minimize the problems associated with open-net cage salmon farming is closed containment technology which provides a barrier between farmed salmon and the marine ecosystem.

For more information see the following Watershed Watch reports on aquaculture:

• Estimated Sea Louse Egg Production from Marine Harvest Canada Farmed Atlantic Salmon in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, 2003-2004 Craig Orr 2007, NAJFM 27:187-197
• Sea Lice and Salmon: BC Briefing Note Craig Orr 2005, for CAAR
• Sea Lice and Salmon: Elevating the dialogue on the farmed-wild salmon story Watershed Watch 2004
• Salmon Farms, Sea Lice and Wild Salmon: A Watershed Watch Report on Risk, Responsibility and the Public Interest Watershed Watch 2001

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