Most fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago will be phased out by 2023 under an agreement between B.C. and First Nations announced Friday.
As many as 17 open-net salmon farm tenures in the region representing about one-third of the provincial industry will be shut down to protect wild salmon stocks.
Premier John Horgan said: “Our governments have come together to help revitalize and protect wild salmon and provide greater economic certainty for communities and local workers.”
The operations are all owned by Marine Harvest or Cermac and employ about 600 people. Officials said if the four-year shutdown is done in an orderly fashion, the companies expect the job loss will be minimal.
Ten of the sites face firm closure dates in the next few years. There is the potential for seven of the tenures to remain open after 2023 if the companies can win approval from First Nations in the region, which they’ve been unable to do to date.
The contentious farm sites have been scenes of long-running protests. They currently produce about 40,000 tonnes of farmed salmon a year.
