Funding support from Canada for BC salmon farming industry low
The salmon farmers in British Columbia generated some CAD$ 290.5 million (~€ 219 million) in income from the export of salmon in 2012, which represents about 7 per cent of the total export of all seafood- both farmed and caught in the commercial fishery in Canada. But according to a release by the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association this week, while governments have poured millions of dollars into various schemes of closed containment systems, support for the conventional business of salmon farming from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is miniscule compared to that given other fishery sectors;
Over eight quarters of public reporting by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans on grants and contributions, members of the BC Salmon Farmers’ Association accounted for just 0.25 per cent of the funding given to fisheries in Canada. Of over $225-million (~€ 170 million) reported, about $555,000 (~€ 419,000) went to BCSFA-related projects. “Our farmers continue to succeed in a challenging international market without relying on subsidies,” said Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association. “We’re an example of a healthy sector that is contributing to our provincial and national success.”
Members of the association are sometimes asked about subsidization of their farming operations, and are committed to providing information to the public about any public funding they receive. To be clear, BC’s salmon farmers receive no money to assist with their basic operations. This grant information will be updated as further quarterly reports are released. All of the funding relating to the BCSFA was from the Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program and went toward the development of new technology, improved environmental reporting systems and certification standards.
For people interested in this topic, the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance also recently released a review comparing subsidies of the aquaculture industry across Canada with that of other resource sectors in the country. Based on Statistics Canada data, in 2009, the national aquaculture industry received less government support per dollar output (0.17%) than the average Canadian industry (0.67%).
