Question Period Note: Framework for Aquaculture Risk Management (FARM) - Study on the State of Salmon Aquaculture Technology

Framework for Aquaculture Risk Management (FARM) - Study on the State of Salmon Aquaculture Technology

• We take our role in the management of aquaculture seriously, which is why my department is developing a framework for aquaculture management that will help us manage the risk of harm to fish and fish habitat. This framework will also explain how the precautionary approach is applied and what the federal government’s management objectives are for aquaculture.
• Additionally, this framework responds to the 2018 Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development audit, which noted that the Department needs to clarify how we apply precaution.
• Finally, the framework will support a more consistent, robust, and transparent decision-making process around aquaculture.

Study on the State of Salmon Aquaculture Technology
• We take any impacts from salmon aquaculture seriously. Therefore, my department, in partnership with the Province of B.C. and Sustainable Development Technology Canada, commissioned a study on the state of salmon aquaculture technology.
• The objective of the study was to examine the risks and opportunities of the most promising emerging technologies for salmon farming in B.C.
• The study was conducted in close collaboration with an advisory committee representing First Nations, government, industry and philanthropic groups, and is currently being used by my department to inform the development of recommendations regarding the application of emerging technologies, the results of which will be available this winter.

Framework for Aquaculture Risk Management (FARM)
Background
• DFO developed the Sustainable Fisheries Framework (SFF) to support the conservation and sustainable use of Canadian fisheries resources. The Framework for Aquaculture Risk Management (FARM) was designed to be consistent with the SFF in that the FARM will be the overarching framework for future policies and tools related to the science-based management of aquaculture according to the DFO legislative mandate.
• Within the FARM, the threshold for unacceptable harm to fish or fish habitat is an impact from any aquaculture activity that has the potential to cause population-level detrimental effects to fish populations.
• This level of harm is analogous to fishery harvest control rules and avoiding the “upper stock reference point” in managing fish stocks, which, if exceeded may result in population impacts. It is also aligned with the avoidance of population-level effects for managing species at risk.
• The need to assess the risk, to understand the extent of the effect of the activity on fish and fish habitat, and the scientific uncertainties associated with the assessment of these effects is required prior to the determination of whether or not there is a need to take a precautionary approach when faced with a decision.
• The greater the uncertainty, the less confidence there is that impacts and risk are estimated with accuracy and precision. Therefore, the management of these risks will, by necessity, require more risk averse (precautionary) measures and decisions.
• The draft FARM documents have been shared with key stakeholder and partners, including the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the First Nations Fisheries Council (FNFC) of B.C., and the provinces who manage aquaculture. The documents were also posted on the DFO website for a 45-day public comment period in July 2019.
• Key revisions to the FARM documents will include better clarification of how DFO uses the precautionary approach in decision-making and how indigenous knowledge is considered.
• The current FARM documents are expected to be finalized in the coming months.
Study on the State of Salmon Aquaculture Technology
Background
• This study was commissioned and funded by DFO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), and the Province of British Columbia (B.C.), in consultation with an independent advisory committee. The advisory committee comprised DFO officials, SDTC, the Province of B.C., the First Nations Fisheries Council, Tides Canada, and the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association.
• The study reviewed the global state of salmon production technology and explored four technology options: land-based and floating closed-containment; offshore technologies; and, hybrid systems which combine both land and marine-based systems.
• The study also identified how Canada could support industry in putting these technologies in place in the future.
• The study was undertaken by Gardner-Pinfold Consulting Inc., who worked in close collaboration with the advisory committee.
• The late spring of 2019 was targeted for the completion of the study, with the final report to be released publicly by the summer of 2019.
• However, given the diverse range of views amongst committee members, additional time to incorporate the perspectives of the committee into the final draft report was required, which ultimately delayed the project.
• The draft study is being used to inform work of the Alternative Production Technologies Technical Working Group (TWG), as announced by the Minister on June 4, 2019. The purpose of the TWG is to develop recommendations related to aquaculture management in the Pacific Region.

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