From left to right: Brad Hicks (partner, Taplow Feeds Ltd.), Tim Rundle (managing director, Creative Salmon Co. Ltd.), Diane Morrison (managing director, Mowi Canada West), Stephanie King (CEO & founder, InWater Technologies), David Kiemele (managing director, Cermaq Canada), Brian Kingzett (executive director, BC Salmon Farmers Association), and Jennifer Woodland (managing director, Grieg Seafood BC and BCSFA Board Chair). © BCSFA
Members of the BC Salmon Farmers Association’s board visited the province’s Legislative Assembly in Victoria this week to promote the message that they can contribute to food security and economic stability, despite destabilising federal government policy and the threat of President Trump's tariffs on goods exported to the United States.
“Now is the time to adopt a unified 'Team BC' approach,” said Brian Kingzett, executive director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association, in a press release. “With the right policy support, salmon farming can play a critical role in reducing BC’s nearly $11 billion deficit while generating thousands of well-paying jobs and ensuring a stable, high-quality food supply.”
Kingzett also pointed to a recent independent Macdonald-Laurier Institute report stating,: “Salmon farming could benefit Canada by providing economic stability to coastal communities, fostering greater cooperation with First Nations, driving technological innovation, and protecting wild salmon.”
According to the BCSFA, a responsible, collaborative plan — developed under First Nations agreements and with support from all levels of government — could generate $2.5 billion in annual economic output by 2030, contribute $930 million to GDP, and create 9,000 jobs with $560 million in annual wages, as outlined in a recent economic and financial impact report.
At a time when the federal government is investing heavily in other provinces, including nearly $37 million to fund improvements to infrastructure, innovation and science partnerships in Nova Scotia’s fish and seafood sector, over $13.3 million in funding to support innovation and sustainability in New Brunswick’s fisheries sector, and Pacifican’s $5 million commitment to boost plant-based "seafood" production, BC salmon farmers, producing Canada’s most consumed seafood, farm-raised salmon, is again being left behind.
“With global seafood demand rising and the ongoing threat of US tariffs, BC has an opportunity to strengthen its food resiliency,” said Kingzett. “Science continues to tell us that farm-raised salmon and wild salmon can co-exist, and as BC seafood producers, we are ready to work alongside all levels of government to build a responsible future for the sector. With the return to stable, science-based policies, BC salmon farmers can help secure BC’s food production and drive economic growth while protecting wild salmon.”
