Regulating and monitoring British Columbia’s marine finfish aquaculture facilities 2018

Sea lice management at BC salmon farms

Integrated pest management

SLICE® (emamectin benzoate) is a commonly used chemotherapeutant licensed for sea lice management in farmed salmonids. In BC, SLICE® resistance has emerged in some farmed Atlantic salmon populations,necessitating the development of alternative treatments to ensure lice management and prevent wide-spread resistance. Having alternative treatment options is a key feature of Integrated Pest Management and involves numerous methods of controlling and reducing sea lice in order to reduce reliance on chemotherapeutants and prevent the development of resistance. Some examples include utilizing SLICE® on a rotational basis with alternative treatments like hydrogen peroxide baths and/or mechanical sea lice removal (e.g., using a hydrolicer boat).

DFO Marine Finfish Aquaculture Sea Lice Audits in BC, 2011 to 2018

DFO audits aquaculture facilities to verify the accuracy of industry procedures and reporting. On the day of the sea lice audit, DFO and industry conduct sea lice counts on an equal number of fish. The results of DFO and industry counts are compared to determine statistical agreement. DFO also assesses industry’s counting procedures, and in cases where DFO and industry counts do not agree, the difference may be attributed to sample selection and not methodology. In these cases no follow up action is required. If the lice levels are very low then statistical comparison is not possible.

Environmental

What is benthic (seabed) monitoring

Benthic means “of, or relating to, or occurring at the bottom of a body of water.” In BC, Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO’s) comprehensive benthic monitoring, auditing and regulation framework restricts the effects of fish farms on the surrounding environment.

Organic waste from fish farms, including feces and excess food, falls to the sea floor below and around aquaculture sites. In small amounts this provides food for species living below, but if too much accumulates, organisms can be smothered or the seabed altered. With time, the seabed will recover.

Soft and hard bottom sites

Benthic monitoring activities depend on the sea floor beneath the farm. In BC, the sea floor is generally defined as soft bottom or hard bottom.

These are benthic monitoring procedures that the industry must follow. DFO biologists follow these same procedures during benthic audits:

Industry-reported benthic monitoring events

Benthic monitoring data

This is a summary of the seabed sampling reports submitted in 2018. 14 site audits were conducted by DFO, and DFO’s audits indicated that 100% of results were consistent with industry-submitted reports.

Environmental reports

Incidental catch

Incidental catch is any wild fish that are caught or found dead within a facility as a result of aquaculture activities such as harvesting or transfer of fish. Efforts must be made to release live fish with the least harm. All incidental catch must be recorded and reported to DFO at the end of each production cycle.

As compared to a percentage of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) in the commercial fishery, the amount of incidental catch related to aquaculture in BC is negligible. For example, the 2017 herring incidental catch represents the estimated equivalent of 0.05% of the commercial TAC for the Strait of Georgia roe herring fishery.

	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Herring	7,833	11,264	23,374	26,128	29,075	45,023	75,106	13,836
Pacific cod	288	2,104	2,004	851	13,511	2,158	13,379	131
Rockfish species	1,753	38	2	46	25	1,453	10,095	3,348
Perch species	1,306	182	129	545	351	751	832	400
Pacific salmon	58	89	43	20	58	25	5	10
Other	195	351	266	26	150	3,430	5,898	2,356
Total	11,443	14,028	25,818	27,616	43,170	52,840	105,315	20,081

2018 escapes

All reasonable measures must be taken to prevent the escape of cultured fish. If an escape occurs, licence holders must take immediate action to stop further escapes, correct the issue, and report the event. DFO staff perform regular inspections to ensure compliance with licence conditions.

• 4 escape events were recorded
• 13 fish escaped

2018 marine mammal interactions

All reasonable measures must be taken to prevent marine mammals from coming into conflict with facility infrastructure and cultured fish. Interactions that result in the death or release of a marine mammal must be reported within 24 hours of discovery. DFO staff perform regular inspections to ensure compliance with licence conditions.

• 2 California sea lions drowned
• 1 Harbour seal drowned
• 1 Humpback whale was released

Looking forward - 2019 and beyond

Area based management

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is proposing that Federal, Provincial and Indigenous authorities work together along with the aquaculture industry, to adopt a more collaborative and “area-based” approach to the planning and management of aquaculture. This area based approach to aquaculture ensures planning and management occur at the best geographic scale, in partnership with Indigenous groups, governments, and the aquaculture industry.

The aim will be to first pilot test this approach in B.C. and then eventually in other parts of Canada, if successful.

Study on the state of salmon aquaculture technology

The Government of Canada is committed to advancing innovation in aquaculture to support sustainable growth of the sector. The government is embarking on a study that will look at the economic feasibility of different aquaculture production technologies, along with their environmental impact. The Study on the State of Salmon Aquaculture Technology will allow a full examination of alternative technologies for salmon aquaculture to enable the sustainable economic growth of the sector.

Aquaculture regulatory reform

As part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to modernize regulatory frameworks, DFO is proposing to develop a comprehensive set of aquaculture-specific regulations, which would simplify and streamline existing regulatory requirements for aquaculture in Canada by consolidating all federal aquaculture regulations into one.

The proposed regulations would include amending existing regulatory provisions, as well as additional improvements to further enhance regulatory oversight and transparency. Subsequent to this initiative, the Department plans to work with our provincial partners to develop a set of national aquaculture standards.

Precautionary approach

The Government of Canada is committed to following the precautionary approach, which recognizes that the absence of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing decisions where there is a risk of serious or irreversible harm.

The Department has developed an interim policy entitled Framework for Aquaculture Risk Management (FARM) to provide a consistent, predictable process for aquaculture risk management that ensures wild fish and their habitats are protected. This risk-management framework also explains how a precautionary approach for aquaculture decision-making is to be implemented.

An interim Framework on the Transfer of Live Fish has also been developed, providing guidance on the authorization of the movement of fish in marine environments and what, if any, additional mitigation measures are needed to protect wild stocks. The interim framework sets out a process for assessing the impact of transfers on wild fish and determining if testing for pathogens is warranted.

Both documents are currently open for public consultation until August 2, 2019. More detail can be accessed online at the below addresses:

• Framework for Aquaculture Risk Management (FARM)
• Framework on the Transfer of Live Fish

Important web links

• DFO aquaculture page
  (national)
• DFO aquaculture page
  (Pacific Region)
• BCARP Public Report directory
• Aquaculture public reporting
  (national)
• Aquaculture regulations and compliance
  (Pacific Region-annual compliance report, IGMF, IMAPs)
• Aquaculture licensing
  (info on user fees, CoLs, report on applications and decisions, siting guidelines)
• Aquaculture maps
  (facility locations, Fish Health zones, transfer zones)
• CFIA reportable diseases

Links to DFO aquaculture public reports

1. National Aquaculture Public Reporting Data
2. Average monthly mortality of cultured salmon at British Columbia aquaculture site
3. Carcass classification of cultured salmon at British Columbia aquaculture sites by facility
4. Carcass classification of cultured salmon at British Columbia aquaculture sites by fish health zone
5. DFO’s fish health monitoring activities at British Columbia aquaculture sites
6. Summary of DFO fish health inspections of British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
7. DFO marine finfish aquaculture audit activities in British Columbia
8. Fish health events at British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
9. Mortality events at BC marine finfish aquaculture sites
10. Results of DFO fish health audits of British Columbian marine finfish aquaculture sites, by facility
11. Industry sea lice counts at British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
12. DFO sea lice audits of British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
13. Average number of lice per fish on British Columbia salmon farms
14. Antibacterial use vs. Atlantic Salmon Production in British Columbia
15. Use of in-Feed Anti-lice Therapeutants in British Columbia
16. Results of DFO benthic audits of British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
17. Results of industry benthic monitoring of British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
18. Benthic performance at marine finfish aquaculture sites in British Columbia
19. Incidental catch at British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
20. Marine mammal fatalities at marine finfish aquaculture facilities in British Columbia
21. Marine mammal interactions at British Columbia marine finfish aquaculture sites
22. Use of lights at BC marine finfish aquaculture sites (discontinued)
23. Escapes of cultured marine finfish from BC aquaculture sites
24. Monitoring of Atlantic salmon escapes (under the Atlantic Salmon Watch Program)
25. Managing transfers and fish health at British Columbia salmon farms
26. Regulating and monitoring British Columbia’s marine finfish aquaculture facilities:
• 2011-2014
• 2015-2016
• 2017