Aquaculture legislation and regulatory reform
Learn about aquaculture legislation and regulatory reform, including a proposed new federal Aquaculture Act, new and amended regulations and national standards.
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Legislation
Canada is developing a new federal Aquaculture Act that will:
- promote greater national consistency
- aim to ensure that our aquaculture industry remains environmentally sustainable
- support the continuous improvement of aquaculture management in Canada
- improve transparency by making information on the aquaculture industry more readily available to Canadians
At the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers meeting in December, 2018, Ministers agreed to support the development of a federal Aquaculture Act. The new act will provide greater clarity on rules applicable to the sector.
We plan on starting the draft of the new bill in mid to late 2020. We expect the bill to become law in 2022.
Regulations
We’re also moving forward with the creation of a single, comprehensive set of aquaculture regulations to bring more clarity for industry, stakeholders and the public. On November 21, 2018, Canada announced these proposed new aquaculture regulations in the Fall Economic Statement.
The proposed set of regulations would:
- consolidate many regulations into one for enhanced clarity and understanding
- amend existing regulations (for example, Aquaculture Activities Regulations, Atlantic Fishery Regulations, Pacific Aquaculture Regulations, etc.) to improve aquaculture management
- overall,
provide modern provisions that:
- support innovation
- reduce barriers to growth
- enhance environmental sustainability
Our proposed new regulations would align with ongoing federal-provincial-territorial work to improve the regulatory framework for aquaculture, as part of the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers’ Aquaculture Development Strategy.
To ensure the regulatory framework is effective and responsible, we’ll work closely with:
- provincial and territorial partners
- Indigenous peoples
- industry and stakeholders
The proposed regulations will work together with the proposed new Aquaculture Act to form a new federal aquaculture management framework that would address stakeholders’ interest in:
- safeguarding the environment
- addressing barriers to industry growth
- supporting responsible aquaculture practices
National standards
We’re also considering developing national standards under the proposed new regulations. This would improve consistency and coherence of aquaculture management in Canada.
These standards could cover areas such as siting, containment and sea lice treatment.
The standards would be updated based on the latest innovation and science research. This will allow us to make regular changes and improvement to regulatory measures.
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