BACKGROUNDER
2002AGF0018-000790 Sept. 12, 2002		Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
FINFISH AQUACULTURE WASTE CONTROL REGULATION

Most comprehensive regulatory framework in the world

 

Government is implementing the most comprehensive regulatory regime and protective framework for finfish aquaculture in the world.  In accordance with the Environmental Assessment Office’s 1997 recommendations, the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection has introduced a new finfish aquaculture waste control regulation. 

 

The new regulation applies to all farms and includes provisions for registration, waste discharge standards, pre-stocking requirements, domestic sewage requirements, best management practices, monitoring and reporting, remediation, fees, offences and penalties. To ensure maximum safety for the environment and public, the regulation will be reviewed within three to five years to evaluate its effectiveness and consider if amendments are required.

 

Requirements for finfish farm operators

 

Registration - Finfish farm operators are required to register with the ministry and provide updated information about farm operations.  Registration may be in the form of a management plan for an aquaculture licence under the Fisheries Act, with supplemental information as prescribed in the regulation.

 

Standards and Pre-stocking Requirements - Finfish farm operators are required to ensure the sustainability of ocean floor organisms.  A sediment chemical standard applies within the farm tenure and a biological standard at the perimeter of the tenure.  Specific chemical conditions and monitoring requirements must be met if various chemical levels are exceeded during a production cycle.

 

Domestic Sewage - Finfish farm operators are required to meet conditions for domestic sewage discharge as described in the regulation.

 

Best Management Practices Plans- Finfish farm operators are required to prepare and implement a best management practices plan to meet specific objectives including:

·        Achieving waste standards.

·        Continual reduction of waste discharge and management to preclude spillage.

·        Handling spills and mortalities in a timely and appropriate manner.

·        Husbandry techniques to preclude wildlife access and minimize impacts on wildlife.

 

Monitoring and Reporting - Finfish farm operators are required to implement a monitoring program with accepted protocols and frequencies for:

·        Physical parameters, such as currents.

·        Routine sediment grab samples for soft-bottom sites and surveys of hard-bottom sites.

·        Biological analysis and contaminant analysis (such as pesticides and metals), when specified.

 

Finfish farm operators must report monitoring results and other waste-related information to the regional waste manager.  The ministry will undertake audits and inspections to ensure that such reporting is accurate and that the standards are effective in protecting the environment.

 

Fees, Offences and Penalties - Fees must be paid annually, based on the calculated discharge of specific substances. Farms not in compliance with the standards would be subject to enforcement measureswhich may include the following:

·        Written warnings.

·        Violation tickets.

·        Administrative penalties.

·        Formal prosecution.

·        Land tenure/aquaculture licence suspension/cancellation.

 

The ministry’s Protocols for Marine Environmental Monitoring, a handbook for the finfish aquaculture waste control regulation, provides further details about monitoring requirements. The Protocols document is available on the ministry’s Web site:

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/industrial_waste/agriculture/agri_fishf.htm

 

Outcome and Benefits

 

Finfish farming is an important part of the government’s strategy for social and resource renewal for the coastal communities of British Columbia.  The marine finfish aquaculture industry in British Columbia provides jobs for communities and revenues for the province, with a reported annual production of 49,400 tonnes of fish and a wholesale value of $320 million in 2000. 

 

By setting science-based standards that will protect the environment by managing aquaculture waste, the new aquaculture waste control regulation will ensure that finfish farming is managed in an environmentally sustainable manner while enabling the growth of this important industry.

 

 

 

Media contacts:

Graham Currie Communications Director Agriculture, Food and Fisheries 250 356-2862

Liz Bicknell       Communications Director Water, Land and Air Protection 250 387-9973

 

 

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