Vancouver, Canada – As the federal government’s commitment to ban open-net pen farming of Atlantic salmon in British Columbia by 2029 approaches, a leading wild salmon advocate is urging Canada to stand firm. Tony Allard, President of Hearthstone Investments and co-founder of Wild Salmon Forever and Wild First, argues that honoring this ban is not only an environmental necessity but a strategic economic opportunity. Citing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s call for leadership based on “the world as it is,” Allard contends that Canada must deliver on its promise and lead the transition to sustainable land-based fish farming.
In a recent opinion piece, Allard highlights the documented harm open-net pen feedlots inflict on wild Pacific salmon through the discharge of pollution, parasites, and pathogens. He notes that former minister Murray’s decision to remove pens from the Discovery Islands was backed by 59 peer-reviewed studies and upheld by the Federal Court of Appeal, which cited the “deeply problematic state of wild salmon.” Allard points out that British Columbia is now the last jurisdiction on the Pacific coast of North America to allow this practice, calling it “an embarrassment” rather than a point of pride.
The industry, Allard argues, currently extracts free services from the environment by using coastal waters as a dumping ground, a subsidy that delays innovation. He warns that foreign interests, particularly from Japan and Norway, are lobbying Canada to overturn the ban to preserve this lucrative arrangement while they pursue more responsible systems elsewhere. “For so long as we allow them to pollute for free, they will never pursue sustainable systems here,” he states.
The alternative, Allard asserts, is clear: land-based farms that separate farmed fish from wild populations, eliminating exposure to sea lice, viruses, and contaminants. He points to global developments, such as Proximar Seafood’s land-based Atlantic salmon farm in Japan, as evidence of a clear market signal toward cleaner aquaculture. Fully closed, land-based systems represent an opportunity for British Columbia to lead, provided it does not squander the chance through delayed action or “incremental concessions.”
Allard emphasizes that the case for transition is supported by science, economics, and reconciliation. He notes that dozens of B.C. First Nations have called for an end to open-net pens, and that the larger wild salmon economy supports thousands of jobs and sustains communities in ways farmed salmon cannot. He urges the government to use the time remaining to retrain workers for a resurging wild salmon economy and encourage land-based closed containment, stressing that the existing value chain for processing and export can adapt. “This is the practical path,” he concludes. “It protects wild Pacific salmon, advances reconciliation, supports rural and coastal communities, and positions Canada to lead a modern, sustainable aquaculture industry.”
