Ending net-pen salmon farming costly, says industry-commissioned report [Video]

A report commissioned by the BC Salmon Farmers Association says the proposed federal ban on marine net-pens in British Columbia would cost taxpayers billions and have “severe consequences” for Canada’s economy, Indigenous communities, and food security.

The report by economics firm RIAS Inc. says ban would result in $9 billion of “unnecessary costs” to taxpayers to close the sector and subsidize companies with “unproven closed containment technology.”

It says such losses include $133.6 million per year to First Nations, the loss of more than 4,500 jobs and the elimination of 50,000 tonnes of farm-raised salmon.

In June, the federal government announced that it would delay the closure of open net farms until 2029 to facilitate a transition to closed containment systems.

Open-net fish farms off B.C.’s coast have been a major flashpoint, with environmental groups and some First Nations saying the farms are linked to the transfer of disease to …