Bernadette Jordan announced Thursday that contentious fish farms in the Discovery Islands on the West Coast will be phased out over the next 18 months.
Ken Hardie, who represents the British Columbia riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells, raised several questions during a parliamentary committee meeting about the assessments studied by the department to arrive at its conclusion that open-net pen fish farms pose little risk to wild salmon.
The B.C. government, First Nations and industry have come together to create a plan to shut down 10 fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago in the next three years. The move aims to protect wild salmon from parasites as they migrate.
The federal government is fumbling the management of fish farms, while failing to enforce rules and manage risks of infectious diseases, parasites, drugs and pesticides causing damage to wild fish, says a scathing audit released on Tuesday.