Sustainable Aquaculture
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T H E L E G I S L A T I V E A S S E M B L Y O F B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A S P E C I A L C O M M I T T E E O N S U S T A I N A B L E A Q U A C U L T U R E F I N A L R E P O R T V O L U M E O N E THIRD SESSION, THIRTY-EIGHTH PARLIAMENT MAY 2007 Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data British Columbia. Legislative Assembly. Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture. Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture final report, Third Session, Thirty-Eighth Parliament At head of title: The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. ISBN 978-0-7726-5787-9 1. Aquaculture - Government policy - British Columbia. 2. Aquaculture industry - Government policy - British Columbia. 3. Fish culture – Government policy - British Columbia – Citizen participation. I. Title. II. Title: Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture first report. SH37.5.B7B74 2007 354.5'709711 C2007-960132-4 Office of the Clerk of Committees SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE Location: Room 224, Parliament Buildings Victoria, British Columbia V8V 1X4 Telephone: (250) 356-2933 Toll free at: 1-877-428-8337 Fax: (250) 356-8172 Email: [email protected] Internet Homepage: This report and others are available at our Internet Homepage which also contains further information about this and other Select Standing and Special Committees: http://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt May 16, 2007 To the Honourable Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia Honourable Members: I have the honour to present herewith the Final Report of the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture for the Third Session of the Thirty-Eighth Parliament. The Final Report covers the Committee’s activities from November 2005 to May 2007. Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Committee. Robin Austin, MLA Chair 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Composition of the Committee ........................................................................................................ i Terms of Reference .......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary..........................................................................................................................iv List of Meetings .............................................................................................................................viii Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Committee Activity and Summary of the Public Consultation Process............................................. 3 Committee Activity...................................................................................................................... 3 Public Hearings............................................................................................................................ 3 Written Submissions .................................................................................................................... 4 Site Visits ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Witness Briefings ....................................................................................................................... 10 Committee Findings and Recommendations.................................................................................. 11 Economic Impacts...................................................................................................................... 11 The Environmental Impacts of Salmon Farming........................................................................ 18 Siting and Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 24 Finfish - Regulatory.................................................................................................................... 27 Sea Lice and Treatment.............................................................................................................. 31 Other Finfish-Related Issues....................................................................................................... 33 Wild Salmon.............................................................................................................................. 35 Shellfish Aquaculture ................................................................................................................. 36 Summary of Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 39 Appendix A: Witness Briefings...................................................................................................... 44 Appendix B: Briefings Witness List ............................................................................................... 48 Appendix C: Witness List.............................................................................................................. 51 Appendix D: Written Submissions................................................................................................58 COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Robin Austin Chair Skeena Ron Cantelon Deputy Chair Nanaimo-Parksville Gary Coons North Coast Scott Fraser Alberni-Qualicum Gordon Hogg (to August 2006) Surrey-White Rock Al Horning (from September 2006) Kelowna-Lake Country Daniel Jarvis North Vancouver-Seymour Gregor Robertson Vancouver-Fairview Shane Simpson Vancouver-Hastings Claire Trevena North Island John Yap Richmond-Steveston CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE Craig James, Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees COMMITTEE RESEARCHERS Brant Felker, Committee Research Analyst Kathryn Butler, Committee Researcher (to March 2007) Simon Gray-Schleihauf Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture Final Report May 16, 2007 i TERMS OF REFERENCE On November 22, 2005, the Legislative Assembly agreed that a Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture be appointed to examine, inquire into and make recommendations with respect to Sustainable Aquaculture in British Columbia and in particular, without limiting the generality of the foregoing to consider: 1. The economic and environmental impacts of the aquaculture industry in BC 2. The economic impact of aquaculture on BC’s coastal and isolated communities. 3. Sustainable options for aquaculture in BC that balance economic goals with environmental imperatives, focusing on the interaction between aquaculture, wild fish and the marine environment. 4. BC’s regulatory regime as it compares to other jurisdictions. 5. Solicit and consider written and oral submissions from any interested person or organization by any means the Committee considers appropriate; The Special Committee so appointed shall have the powers of a Select Standing Committee and is also empowered: a) to appoint of their number, one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Committee; b) to sit during a period in which the House is adjourned and during any sitting of the House; c) to adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; d) to retain such personnel as required to assist the Committee; and shall report to the House as soon as possible but no later than May 31, 2007 or following any adjournment, or at the next following Session, as the case may be; to deposit the original of its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly during a period of adjournment and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, the Chair shall present all reports to the Legislative Assembly. ii Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture Final Report 2007 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Committee wishes to express its appreciation to everyone who assisted in our work. In particular, we would like to thank all those individuals and organizations who participated in the Committee’s investigation, by writing or presenting at one of our public hearings. We would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of these individuals and organizations, as their participation was fundamental to our work. We would also like to thank the people who we met during our site visits who shared their knowledge and time with us. Visiting these sites and seeing the various elements of the industry provided us with a unique and valuable opportunity to learn first hand from the people who work daily in the industry or live in areas affected by aquaculture. In addition, the Committee would like to acknowledge the cooperation of senior government officials, academics, scientists and experts whose testimony and willingness to provide detailed information on complex issues have been essential in the Committee’s investigation and deliberation on aquaculture issues in the province. The Committee would also like to recognize the professionalism of Hansard Services in all the various phases of producing the transcripts of our meetings. A special thanks to Wendy Collison and Graham Caverhill, as well as the other Hansard staff who travelled with us in order to ensure that the deliberations were on the public record. The Committee would also like to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Craig James and the staff from the Office of the Clerk of Committees. Mary Newell, Jacqueline Quesnel, Tamara Checknita, and Dorothy Jones handled the travel arrangements, meeting