Campbell River, BC – Yesterday, the Minister responsible for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (DFO), Joyce Murray, outlined the engagement process for the development of the transition plan for the BC salmon farming industry. Murray also announced that salmon farm licences outside of the Discovery Islands, will be renewed for a period of two years. The Minister reiterated her strong support for supporting wild salmon populations, the Blue Economy, and the need to work with both the Province of BC and First Nations.

For Grieg Seafood BC Ltd., the announcement is a sign that there is a path forward for a thriving and sustainable salmon farming industry in BC. The changes to the conditions of license shared by Minister Murray are also in line with Grieg Seafood’s commitment to supporting wild salmon populations, minimizing our impact in the regions in which it farms, and building strong relationships with First Nations.

“We are pleased with the news that the Minister has renewed the salmon farm licenses in BC, and we look forward to sitting down with Minster Murray, her team and the Nations in whose territories we operate to start building the Transition Plan,” says Rocky Boschman, Managing Director for Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. “Our industry is in continuous development with new technologies and innovations. For instance, we are in the process of deploying semi-closed barrier systems at three of our farms in Esperanza Inlet which reduces the interaction between wild and farmed salmon populations, and the completion of our new RAS 34 facility allows us to pursue post-smolt productions, which reduces the amount of time our fish spend in the ocean. All of this work demonstrates our commitment to constant improvement and supporting the government’s vision of transitioning away from old methods of farming.”

Grieg also remains committed to honouring the commitments made in the United Nations Declaration of Rights for Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and looks forward to continuing to work with and develop relationships with the Nations in whose territories they farm.

“We are incredibly thankful for the support of the Nations with which we have partnerships. The announcement today allows us to continue to honour our commitment to Nations and provides framework to ensure our operations meet the highest standards. We look forward to continuing to work with Nations to match the best technology and operating models to their specific territory and support their wild salmon conservation efforts,” added Boschman.

Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. is one of the largest salmon farming companies in BC and plans to harvest 22,000 metric tonnes of harvest in 2022. Headquartered in Campbell River, BC, Grieg has approximately 180 fulltime employees, located in the rural, coastal communities in which it operates. Grieg holds 22 farm licenses on both the east and west coast of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, and operates a hatchery in Gold River, BC.