Question Period Note: Escapes of Cultivated Atlantic Salmon

• My department undertook a risk assessment to better understand the interactions between cultivated and wild fish, specifically the risks posed to wild Atlantic Salmon population abundance and genetic character in Atlantic Canada by direct genetic interaction with escapes from Atlantic Salmon aquaculture.
• The science advisory report was published in March 2024.
• In Atlantic Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) works closely with provincial authorities, who are the lead regulators, to ensure salmon aquaculture activities are managed sustainably.
• Science advice and research findings continue to inform the implementation of adaptive management measures to protect and restore wild fish populations.

• Escapes of farmed salmon have the potential for negative genetic impacts to wild Atlantic Salmon populations, including the potential to compromise their sustainability. In June 2023, a risk assessment of genetic introgression from aquaculture escapes to wild Atlantic Salmon underwent peer review at a meeting by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS). The CSAS report was publicly released in March 2024 and has garnered some attention from media and non-governmental organizations.
• The Report found that, based on a suite of different escape rate scenarios, there are varying risk levels associated with interbreeding for wild Atlantic salmon across the populations examined. The risk increases for populations closer to aquaculture operations and for small and/or declining wild populations. This assessment will help inform future decisions, including the movement of fish, and measures to be taken to reduce the risk of escape and interbreeding.
• In addition to potential impacts on the genetic diversity of wild Atlantic Salmon, escaped cultivated fish may compete with wild species for resources and habitat.
• Preventing the escape of cultured fish is a priority for the aquaculture industry, commercial and recreational fisheries, environmental groups and government regulators.
• DFO regulates the aquaculture industry through the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act in order to protect fish, fish habitat, and aquatic species at risk.
• In Atlantic Canada, DFO works closely with the provinces, who are the lead regulators with responsibilities for overseeing containment of farmed Atlantic Salmon and prevention of escapes. In British Columbia, DFO is the regulator.
• To minimize risk of escape, finfish containment systems (such as net pens) should be able to withstand local weather and ocean conditions, while minimizing the potential for human error. These conditions include storms, water currents and other environmental factors. The containment systems should be regularly inspected and maintained by industry to ensure integrity and to control factors that could contribute to failures, including biological matter buildup, ice buildup, and marine mammal interactions. If breaches occur, licence holders must report escapes to the responsible regulatory authority and DFO may approve fishing to recapture escapees, where warranted and effective.
• Federal, provincial, and territorial partners have committed to explore developing national standards, including standards respecting net-pen design, construction, and installation, to increase consistency and further minimize the risk of escape. This work is included in the workplan of the Strategic Management Committee on Aquaculture, formed under the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers.

If pressed - containment requirements
• In British Columbia, my department is the lead regulator of salmon aquaculture activities and enforces measures to prevent and minimize.
• Across Canada, requirements are in place for avoiding breaches of containment as well as for reporting and responding to escapes of cultivated salmon.
If pressed – protection of wild Atlantic salmon
• DFO is deeply committed to the conservation and protection of wild Atlantic salmon and their habitats.
• DFO collaborates extensively with provincial authorities, who are the primary regulators of salmon aquaculture in Atlantic Canada.