B.C. First Nations Coalition Pushes to Reverse Pacific Salmon Pen Ban

A coalition of British Columbia First Nations is asking the Carney government to reverse a planned ban on open-net fish farms in the province, arguing that an Indigenous-led model of salmon aquaculture can grow the rural coastal economy while still protecting wild Pacific salmon. The proposal was unveiled by chiefs of the First Nations for Finfish Stewardship at a press conference on Parliament Hill on April 29 and has been framed as a test of the federal government's stated commitment to economic reconciliation.

What the chiefs proposed

The First Nations for Finfish Stewardship coalition presented what its leaders described as a five-pillar plan for the future of salmon aquaculture in British Columbia. At its core, the plan calls for repealing the federal phase-out of open-net pen salmon farming on the B.C. coast, which is currently scheduled to take effect in 2029, in favour of a regulatory framework built around Indigenous stewardship, science and equity ownership.

The proposal includes the creation of a Nation-led Salmon Stewardship Fund, financed through a per-tonne contribution from harvested salmon, that would pay for habitat restoration, monitoring and research. It also calls for the transformation of the existing Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences in Campbell River into an ISO-accredited Indigenous Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, located in Wei Wai Kum territory, with a mandate to certify operations and lead diagnostic work for finfish health.

The fourth and fifth pillars focus on economic participation. The coalition is asking Ottawa to back greater First Nations equity ownership in coastal aquaculture operations and to support Indigenous involvement throughout the supply chain, from feed production through to processing and export. Coalition leaders argue that without ownership, regulatory reform will simply repeat the patterns of resource extraction without participation that have shaped the B.C. coast for generations.

The wild salmon investment

While the coalition's primary message was about aquaculture reform, the chiefs also welcomed the federal government's $1.3 billion investment in wild Pacific salmon conservation announced earlier this year. Coalition leaders said the federal funding is consistent with their own commitment to wild salmon recovery and demonstrates that the conservation of wild stocks and the operation of regulated farms are not mutually exclusive.

The wild Pacific salmon strategy includes habitat restoration on key spawning rivers, expanded monitoring of returns, additional resources for the Pacific Salmon Foundation and federal commitments to work with First Nations on governance reform. The coalition has asked Ottawa to integrate aquaculture policy with the wild salmon strategy, with First Nations playing the leading role in both areas.

Federal officials have said the wild salmon investments are independent of any decisions about aquaculture policy, but the coalition argues the two cannot meaningfully be separated. Sea lice management, escaped fish, water quality and the cumulative effect of multiple stressors on wild stocks all require coordinated science, monitoring and regulation.

The political calculus

The Carney government has been clear about its general orientation: it wants to attract investment, create jobs, build out critical infrastructure and demonstrate progress on affordability and economic reconciliation. Coalition leaders are framing their plan as directly aligned with all of those priorities, including food security and rural economic development on the B.C. coast.

The previous Liberal government under Justin Trudeau committed to phasing out open-net pen aquaculture in B.C. coastal waters, citing concerns from environmental groups and other First Nations about the impact on wild salmon. The 2029 deadline was set in 2024 and is the central policy that the FNFFS coalition is asking the new government to rethink.

Reversing the phase-out would be politically and legally complex. Several First Nations on the central and northern B.C. coast support the existing phase-out and have raised concerns about the cumulative impact of farms on wild stocks that they rely on for food, social and ceremonial use. The Carney government will need to weigh competing Indigenous voices, environmental science, economic considerations and broader Pacific salmon recovery goals before making a decision.

The economic stakes

Salmon farming has historically been one of the largest export industries on the B.C. coast, generating jobs in rural and Indigenous communities and supplying a global market for farmed Atlantic salmon. The phase-out, if completed on schedule, would significantly reduce that footprint, with implications for direct employment, processing operations and downstream supply chain businesses.

Coalition leaders argue that an Indigenous-led model would allow the industry to continue while addressing the regulatory and environmental shortcomings that have driven much of the criticism. They have pointed to closed-containment technology, improved sea lice management protocols and stronger monitoring as ways to reduce environmental risk without eliminating the sector entirely.

Industry associations representing existing operators have signalled support for the coalition's broad direction, while making it clear that any new regulatory framework will need to provide investment certainty for capital-intensive farming operations. Environmental groups, by contrast, have urged the federal government to maintain the phase-out and to focus on supporting transition pathways for affected workers.

Federal response

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has acknowledged receipt of the proposal and has said it will engage with the coalition as part of broader consultations on the future of B.C. aquaculture. Federal officials have not committed to reopening the phase-out decision, but have emphasised that the Carney government is willing to consider new approaches that align with both economic reconciliation and conservation goals.

The Carney government has placed Indigenous economic participation at the centre of its broader natural resources strategy, including discussions over critical minerals, energy infrastructure and a potential Alberta-to-coast oil pipeline. Aquaculture sits at the intersection of those debates because it is a coastal industry that depends on healthy salmon ecosystems and on the consent of nations whose territories it operates within.

Coalition leaders have asked the federal government to provide a clear timeline for engagement and a commitment to making any final decision in partnership with the affected nations. They have also asked for protection of existing operators during the consultation period, to prevent investment paralysis driven by uncertainty.

The view from Ottawa

For Prime Minister Mark Carney, the salmon farming question is one of several files where his government's commitment to economic reconciliation is being tested in concrete terms. Decisions on Coastal GasLink expansion, on tanker bans on the north coast, on shipbuilding contracts and on aquaculture regulation will all signal whether the rhetoric of reconciliation is matched by policy choices that prioritise Indigenous economic agency.

The coalition's proposal also lands at a time when Canada is trying to demonstrate that it can both grow its rural economy and meet its environmental commitments. Federal officials have emphasised that the wild salmon investments will continue regardless of the aquaculture decision, but acknowledge that the two debates will be linked in public perception.

For now, the coalition's plan is one of the most detailed Indigenous-led proposals ever brought forward on B.C. aquaculture, and it sets a benchmark against which any subsequent federal decision will be judged.

What's next

Federal consultations with First Nations and industry stakeholders are expected to continue through the summer, with the Carney government signalling that it will provide more clarity on its aquaculture policy in advance of the 2029 deadline. The Indigenous Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences proposal could potentially move forward independently of any decision on the phase-out, providing a near-term opportunity to demonstrate Indigenous leadership in the sector.

British Columbia's provincial government has so far taken a watching brief, given that aquaculture regulation is largely federal. Provincial officials have indicated they will support whatever framework the federal government and First Nations develop, so long as it is consistent with provincial environmental standards and supports rural communities.

For the coalition, the months ahead will be about pressing the case in Ottawa, mobilising support across First Nations communities and demonstrating that an Indigenous-led salmon aquaculture industry can deliver on both economic and environmental fronts. The decision will be one of the most consequential federal calls on coastal British Columbia in years.