New Standards Allow Sustainable Growth in Aquaculture
CAMPBELL RIVER - The government has implemented strong, scientific regulations that will allow sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry, creating new jobs in coastal communities. In addition, a $5.1-million fund has been established to support independent research into aquaculture and the environment.
"B.C. now has the most comprehensive regulatory framework in the world, including science-based standards to protect the environment," Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries John van Dongen said today. "It's time to get on with creating jobs and revitalizing the economy for B.C.'s coastal communities and First Nations."
Development scenarios indicate aquaculture expansion could lead to more than $1 billion a year in economic activity, and 9,000 to 12,000 new jobs over the next decade, most in coastal communities.
"Today's decision is based on our government's commitment to a scientifically based, balanced and principled approach to environmental management that ensures sustainability, accountability, responsibility and continual improvement," van Dongen said.
Research funding includes $3.75 million to improve aquaculture practices and other questions of public interest. Another $1.25 million will establish a chair in aquaculture and the environment at the University of B.C. The aquaculture research and development committee of the Science Council of B.C. will co-ordinate the research.
"We know aquaculture is an expanding industry with markets around the world," said Monty Little, chair of the Science Council's aquaculture committee. "The government has acknowledged the importance of ensuring this growth is based on good science by having the Science Council oversee this research."
The new performance-based aquaculture waste control regulation will be reviewed within five years of its implementation, and changes made through scientific evaluation of chemical and biological standards.
Media contact:
Graham Currie
Communications Director
Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
250 356-2862 / 250 888-0305 cell
BACKGROUNDERS
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
FUNDING OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON AQUACULTURE
A total of $5.1 million from the B.C. government will fund three independent research partnerships on aquaculture and the environment. The peer-reviewed, scientific research will be led by the aquaculture research and development committee of the Science Council of B.C.
The committee, formed a year ago, has identified priority research topics and will manage the new Aquaculture and the Environment Fund, which has been established with $3.75 million from the provincial government.
The province is also providing $1.25 million to support a chair for sustainable aquaculture at the University of British Columbia, and $100,000 to the new Malaspina University-College Centre for Shellfish Research in Nanaimo.
This funding for scientific research supports the government's commitment to continuous improvement of the environmental, economic and social performance of the industry. The research fund provides a mechanism to support scientific research needed to address issues associated with both finfish and shellfish aquaculture that are of concern to British Columbians. These concerns have been identified through processes including the salmon aquaculture review, the shellfish development initiative, and the work over the past year by the B.C. aquaculture research and development committee.
Later this year, the committee will issue a call for proposals and establish a scientific peer review panel to evaluate applications. The review panel will make recommendations to the committee, and decisions will receive final approval from the Science Council board. The Science Council was chosen to manage the fund because of its successful record of peer-reviewed grant funding.
The B.C. aquaculture research and development committee was established over a year ago. It has worked to form partnerships and alliances among scientific research institutions, industry and regulators (federal and provincial government).
The committee has begun to identify research priorities that cover environmental, social and production performance.
Contact:
Graham Currie
Communications Director
250 356-2862
Monty Little
Science Council of B.C.
604 351-7013
Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
FINFISH AQUACULTURE WASTE CONTROL REGULATION
Most comprehensive regulatory framework in the world
Government is implementing the most comprehensive regulatory regime and protective framework for finfish aquaculture in the world. In accordance with the Environmental Assessment Office's 1997 recommendations, the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection has introduced a new finfish aquaculture waste control regulation.
The new regulation applies to all farms and includes provisions for registration, waste discharge standards, pre-stocking requirements, domestic sewage requirements, best management practices, monitoring and reporting, remediation, fees, offences and penalties. To ensure maximum safety for the environment and public, the regulation will be reviewed within three to five years to evaluate its effectiveness and consider if amendments are required.
Requirements for finfish farm operators
Registration - Finfish farm operators are required to register with the ministry and provide updated information about farm operations. Registration may be in the form of a management plan for an aquaculture licence under the Fisheries Act, with supplemental information as prescribed in the regulation.
Standards and Pre-stocking Requirements - Finfish farm operators are required to ensure the sustainability of ocean floor organisms. A sediment chemical standard applies within the farm tenure and a biological standard at the perimeter of the tenure. Specific chemical conditions and monitoring requirements must be met if various chemical levels are exceeded during a production cycle.
Domestic Sewage - Finfish farm operators are required to meet conditions for domestic sewage discharge as described in the regulation.
Best Management Practices Plans - Finfish farm operators are required to prepare and implement a best management practices plan to meet specific objectives including:
* Achieving waste standards.
* Continual reduction of waste discharge and management to preclude spillage.
* Handling spills and mortalities in a timely and appropriate manner.
* Husbandry techniques to preclude wildlife access and minimize impacts on wildlife.
Monitoring and Reporting - Finfish farm operators are required to implement a monitoring program with accepted protocols and frequencies for:
* Physical parameters, such as currents.
* Routine sediment grab samples for soft-bottom sites and surveys of hard-bottom sites.
* Biological analysis and contaminant analysis (such as pesticides and metals), when specified.
Finfish farm operators must report monitoring results and other waste-related information to the regional waste manager. The ministry will undertake audits and inspections to ensure that such reporting is accurate and that the standards are effective in protecting the environment.
Fees, Offences and Penalties - Fees must be paid annually, based on the calculated discharge of specific substances. Farms not in compliance with the standards would be subject to enforcement measures which may include the following:
* Written warnings.
* Violation tickets.
* Administrative penalties.
* Formal prosecution.
* Land tenure/aquaculture licence suspension/cancellation.
The ministry's Protocols for Marine Environmental Monitoring, a handbook for the finfish aquaculture waste control regulation, provides further details about monitoring requirements. The Protocols document is available on the ministry's Web site: wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/industrial_waste/agriculture/agri_fishf.htm
Outcome and Benefits
Finfish farming is an important part of the government's strategy for social and resource renewal for the coastal communities of British Columbia. The marine finfish aquaculture industry in British Columbia provides jobs for communities and revenues for the province, with a reported annual production of 49,400 tonnes of fish and a wholesale value of $320 million in 2000.
By setting science-based standards that will protect the environment by managing aquaculture waste, the new aquaculture waste control regulation will ensure that finfish farming is managed in an environmentally sustainable manner while enabling the growth of this important industry.
Media contacts:
Graham Currie
Communications Director
Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
250 356-2862
Liz Bicknell
Communications Director
Water, Land and Air Protection
250 387-9973
