Skilled workers leaving B.C.
Although a few licences for new salmon farms have been approved in British Columbia lately, the industry is still growing at a snail's pace. With a market demand that is ever increasing, B.C. salmon farmers are frustrated by the slow process of getting new production licences approved. And outside investors are putting their aquaculture dollars elsewhere.
If one took a trip to Australia, you wouldn't have to go far before meeting former Canadian fish farm workers and executives. Also in New Zealand, Norway and Scotland will you find people that used to work in Canada, but left due to limited opportunities for promotion and industry expansion.
The U.S. market for farmed salmon is growing rapidly, and with production growth slowing to a standstill in Chile, Canada is ideally positioned to meet this growing demand. And while governments on the East Coast of the country support their salmon farming companies and their expansion plans, B.C. politicians are still waiting for broader public support (meaning votes) before they will get behind this industry.
