Aquaculture Science and the Environment
DFO's environmental science program provides a solid foundation for the conservation and protection of fish and fish habitat, and the protection of marine ecosystems.
DFO scientists study the environmental interactions between aquaculture operations and the environment and provide scientific advice on how best to measure and limit habitat impacts. While more detailed information can always be sought on any scientific question, the most challenging emerging questions in aquaculture science relate to integrating findings on aquaculture production and environmental interactions, and to locate farms in the context of the ecosystems in which it occurs.
Field data is used to develop effective decision-making tools which, in turn, lead to more scientific certainty about how aquaculture operations interact with the environment. This research provides critical information on regulating aquaculture under the habitat provisions of the Fisheries Act and lead to policy decisions that help to regulate industry practices, such as those relating to farm siting, licensing, feeding practices, and harvesting protocols.
Please visit the links below to learn more about what DFO is doing to ensure that the aquaculture industry is managed in a sustainable way.
State of Knowledge Initiative (peer review of existing scientific knowledge)
Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS coordinates the peer review of scientific issues for Fisheries and Oceans Canada)
Environmental Assessment and Siting of
Aquaculture Operations
Waste Management
Escape Prevention
Ecological Interactions Between Farmed and Wild Fish
Introductions and Transfers of Aquatic
Organisms
Environmental Assessment and Siting of Aquaculture Operations
In the vast majority of cases, aquaculture operations undergo a thorough environmental assessment and appropriate mitigating measures are adopted before their facilities can be approved.
For example, before the Government of Canada grants approval to an aquaculture application, the federal department or departments involved must ensure that an environmental assessment is done under the
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. This environmental assessment is carried out to determine the significance of the potential adverse environmental effects that an aquaculture facility may pose.
In addition, as part of the federal review of aquaculture proposals, all aquaculture site applications are reviewed pursuant to Section 35 of the federal
Fisheries Act to ensure the site does not impact fish and fish habitat. The review includes evaluation of information on the size of the farm combined with specific features of the site such as ocean-floor habitat and the strength of water currents. The review is intended to identify the means by which to avoid negative effects to fish habitat. Where potential effects cannot be avoided, the review identifies the appropriate regulatory response based on the scale of potential habitat effects and on the sensitivity of the fish and fish habitat in the proposed farming area.
Where to locate, or site, the farm
The number of aquaculture operations permitted in a given area depend on siting guidelines (where to locate the farm) that set criteria for determining if a location is suitable for aquaculture development. The results of an environmental assessment consider, among other factors, the total environmental effects of the proposed operation
in combination with nearby projects or activities in the area such as marinas or fish processing plants.
A complex range of factors is considered as part of the review of a site application. These include size of the proposed operation, the surrounding ecosystem, and other uses such as commercial fisheries, marinas, recreational areas, adjacent land-use, or transportation corridors. For example, the Inner Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick may have the potential to support a different number of aquaculture operations than can Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia.
Interim Guides for Environmental Assessment and Site Applications
Interim Guide to Information Requirements for Environmental Assessment of
Marine Finfish Aquaculture Projects
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Interim Guide to Information Requirements for Environmental Assessment of
Marine Shellfish Aquaculture Projects
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Interim Guide to Application Information and Site Marking Requirements for
Aquaculture Projects in
Canada under the Navigable Waters Protection Act
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Interim Guide to Fisheries Management Role in the Evaluation of Aquaculture
Site Applications
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