Question Period Note: Plastic Pollution from Shellfish Aquaculture

Plastic Pollution from Shellfish Aquaculture

My department and I are committed to the sustainable and responsible management of our ocean environment.

While pollution control has always been a component of aquaculture licence conditions in British Columbia, the updated Pacific Aquaculture Regulations under the Fisheries Act requires that operators mark their gear and remove debris from their sites. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will continue to inspect aquaculture facilities, particularly those where reports of debris non-compliance have been identified.

Canada can be a global leader in sustainable aquaculture, including by collaborating with the provinces, municipalities and stakeholders to address pollution.

• The article in Canada’s National Observer on February 3, 2022, reports that British Columbia’s (BC) shellfish aquaculture sector is a key contributor to plastic pollution in coastal areas.
• In BC, Aquaculture licences are issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) under the authority of the Fisheries Act and the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations. DFO shellfish aquaculture licences have always included conditions for facility inspections and requiring equipment to be properly installed.
• Conditions of licence were updated effective April 1, 2021, including clear instructions for debris management, gear marking, Styrofoam containment, and annual facility clean-up of all debris. Some of the new conditions will be phased in effective April 1, 2022, or April 1, 2023, allowing additional time and to lessen economic impacts.
• Enforcement actions may be taken if operators are not following conditions of licence. Shellfish aquaculture debris was identified as a priority for Conservation & Protection for FY 2021-22.
• In the rest of Canada, provinces are responsible for managing aquaculture marine debris through conditions of licence. Atlantic provinces have implemented other regulatory mechanisms to help reduce marine plastics such as security bonds, adaptive farm management plans, and ability to issue tickets for non-compliance.
• DFO encourages the public and industry to report possible violations regarding pollution through its Observe, Record, Report Line.

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