VANCOUVER — The Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and John van Dongen, British Columbia’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, today announced that the federal and provincial governments will not be involved in the citizens’ forum into B.C. salmon farms announced by the David Suzuki Foundation on Sept. 6, 2001.

"While the Government of Canada certainly welcomes this gathering of public opinion on B.C. salmon farms, we will not be participating," said Mr. Dhaliwal. "I am confident the extensive scientific research into aquaculture already being carried out, by my department and our government and industry partners, is providing the scientific information we need to make informed decisions to manage this industry."

"The provincial government supports the development of salmon aquaculture in a way that is environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable to communities," said Mr. van Dongen. "We are already addressing the environmental issues facing the industry. However, we welcome any new information that may be made available through the citizens’ forum."

Over the past year, Canada’s aquaculture industry has undergone extensive and thorough examination at both the federal and provincial levels. Three official reports on aquaculture were released in the past year by the Auditor General, the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and the Commissioner for Aquaculture Development.

The Auditor General and the Senate reviews included wide-ranging consultations with a number of interests, including provincial governments, industry stakeholders, environmental groups, local communities, and the public. All three reports made key recommendations to improve the industry, based on a range of technical data. Since then, DFO has taken numerous steps to address these recommendations and ensure the aquaculture industry’s overall environmental sustainability.

British Columbia is implementing the recommendations of the Environmental Assessment Office's Salmon Aquaculture Review including setting up of the Salmon Aquaculture Implementation Advisory Committee. The committee provides a forum for stakeholder consultation and advice. The provincial government is developing new operational standards based on extensive research into the environmental impact of aquaculture.

Both the federal and provincial governments are committed to continuing to work with their partners — at all levels — to help ensure the environmentally-sustainable development of Canada’s aquaculture industry.

Backgrounders on the respective actions the federal and provincial governments have taken toward the environmentally-sustainable development of Canada’s aquaculture industry are attached.

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