Federal policies undermining Canadian aquaculture's potential

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) released its analysis of 2023 Statistics Canada aquaculture production and trade data. The data shows that actions taken by the Trudeau federal government have significantly weakened the sector and suggested to be stopped in the face of U.S. tariff threats.

“The loss in overall production – which has deepened in 2024 – is the result of non-science-based and unnecessary federal government actions to reduce salmon production in British Columbia. These actions have weakened Canadian domestic food production and threaten workers at a time when the aquaculture industry, facing tariff threats from the United States, needs to be strong and robust for coastal communities across Canada,” CAIA said in a statement.

Key highlights of the 2023 aquaculture production data are:

Volume down: Canadian farmed seafood production was 145,985 tonnes in 2023 which was the lowest level in a decade and 27% less than peak production levels in 2016 (200,804 tonnes).
Value down: In 2023, the total value of farmed seafood produced in Canada was $1.26 billion, and has fallen 25.3% in real terms since its peak value of $1.69 billion (constant 2023 dollars) in 2018.
Exports fell: Exports of Canadian farmed seafood fell to $882.8 million in 2023, the lowest value in real terms since 2015, and has dropped 24.5% since the peak export value of $1.17 billion in 2019

“In the last five years, the Trudeau government has listened to extreme activists and, against their own internal peer-reviewed science advice, undertaken damaging actions that have weakened a sector that has a major opportunity for Canada. Especially in the face of U.S. tariffs that would, if implemented, brutalize coastal communities, it is time to stop all damaging actions and policies that undermine the strength and vitality of our sector,” said Timothy Kennedy, president & CEO. “It is time to begin on a new and innovative pathway toward food security, job creation and new economic and community opportunity through seafood farming.”

CAIA suggests that all current Trudeau federal policies and regulations being imposed on the seafood sector should be stopped immediately. This includes, but is not limited to:

BC salmon farming transition and “ban”, threatening the livelihoods of 4,500 people and many coastal and First Nations communities and now being used by activists to attempt to constrain development in Atlantic Canada;
Transport Canada “Safe Manning” proposal for ships that require – without any industry consultation – 4 crew (instead of 2 or 3) that would significantly increase costs for operators at a time of skilled labor shortages;
Proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCA) that damage economic opportunity and job creation, such as the one-million-hectare NL south coast fjords NMCA, be stopped immediately given it will cut off significant areas for fish harvesters and negatively impact aquaculture producers;
Proposed changes to Conditions of License for BC shellfish farmers to remove production from certain areas, without scientific justification.

Download the 2023 Canadian aquaculture statistics here.