Discovery Islands stay salmon farm free: Federal Court of Appeal 

Living Oceans greeted a January decision from the Federal Court of Appeal with gratitude and relief. The three appellate judges were unanimous in upholding a lower court ruling in a case brought by Norwegian salmon farm giant MOWI. The appeal decision effectively ends five years of litigation aimed at re-opening salmon farms in the Discovery Islands. We have always maintained that this region, together with the Broughton Archipelago, is critical to wild salmon survival and should never have seen industrial-scale farming. 

The court rulings confirmed former Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray’s decision to keep salmon farms in the Discovery Islands shuttered. Farms have been closed there since early 2021, when licence extensions were first denied. Minister Murray made an express finding that science required that she make a precautionary decision about the licences and the Court’s decision confirms that choice. It also affirmed the Minister’s right to look beyond the advice being offered by her Department, which has long been criticized as a captive regulator. 

Since farms have been removed from Sechelt, the Discovery Islands and the Broughton Archipelago, the Salmon Coast Field Station has reported healthier-looking juvenile salmon with fewer salmon lice each year. Returns of adult salmon have increased as well, with this year’s Fraser River sockeye returns outperforming the forecast by over 400 per cent. Broughton stocks of pink salmon have increased by orders of magnitude as well. 

“We all owe a debt of gratitude to these Ministers who stood firm in showing the Department of Fisheries what precautionary decision-making looks like,” said Karen Wristen, Executive Director at Living Oceans Society. “Departmental advice was to re-issue the Discovery Islands licences but both Ministers took the time to hear from independent scientists who have published extensively on the harm caused by salmon farms.” 

The government has promised to end open-net pen salmon farming across B.C. by 2029, but has yet to deliver the long-awaited Salmon Aquaculture Transition Plan or to define what technology will be permitted for use after the ban takes effect. Living Oceans continues to demand an end to ocean-based salmon farms—please join us by sending a letter to the Fisheries Minister today! 

Photo credit: Tavish Campbell