Salmon farmers worry about regulation costs

Dan Maclennan
September 24, 2010
Courier-Islander

BC Salmon Farmers are concerned proposed Pacific aquaculture regulations from DFO will be too costly for the industry.

They also want more clarification in some areas of regulation.

"The federal government has allocated $8-8.5 million to pay for this new regulatory system each year," the BCSFA said in a release Monday. "Salmon farmers don't feel that's enough to cover the increased staffing and monitoring that has been outlined in the regulations - and are sensitive to significant fee increases for their operations because of the already-high operational costs in the area.

"BC is already considered a high-cost area for production - and any marked increase to operational costs would challenge our companies in the international seafood market," they said.

Regulatory jurisdiction over aquaculture is slated to transfer from the provincial government to the federal government in December. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans unveiled a set of draft regulations in July, seeking comment over a 60-day period which ended last week. The BCSFA said Monday it submitted its formal response after extensive discussions with salmon farmers. The BCSFA represents all of the province's major salmon farm companies as well as processing, shipping and supply and service companies.

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