Should the British Columbia Government Allow Open-Cage System for Salmon Farms?
Salmon farming in British Columbia is steadily growing over the years and is one of the major revenue contributors in Canada. North America is the fourth-largest producer of Salmon in the World exporting mainly to Asia and the U.S. In 2016; the industry recorded revenue of $1.5 billion. The main species of fish bred in British Columbia farms are Atlantic salmon. They do well because the conditions in the offshore islands of Vancouver favour them. The area between Vancouver and mainland Canada offers suitable conditions that support the optimal growth of Atlantic Salmons. Cage system is constructed by laying protective nets underwater to protect the salmons from escape, predators, and food chain competitors. As the open-cage Salmon farming grows economically and physically, the government and the public raised concerns about the pros and cons of this project. The British Columbia government should not allow open-cage for Salmon farms because of the adverse effects it poses to the environment.
One of the advantages of open-cage farming is because it is easy to construct compared to other techniques of fish farming. Whether artisan type or sophisticated ones, open-cage salmon farming is comparatively natural to build, making it to be highly adapted by fish farmers for either commercial or household purpose. Furthermore, management of fish in open-cage farms is easy. Routine observation and feeding of Salmons are not complicated since the fish are confined within a small region. Farmers reap humongous benefits when they can control the number of fish in the cage. Open-cage salmon farming enables the farmer to know the number of fish present hence precise feeding that reduces waste. Also, with the use of open-cage, farmers can establish fish growth rate thus plan for the future. Lastly, fish reared in cages are superior, tasty, appealing hence preferred to other species.
Similar to other fish farming techniques, open-cage fish farming has a myriad of disadvantages. Fish bred in cages pose a high risk of pollution to the environment. Unused feed and faecal matter that are constantly released to the water body contain a high concentration of nitrogen. The high level of nitrogen causes depletion of oxygen which is hazardous to marine life. Still, using pesticides and antibiotics emit release chemicals that cause pollution to water and aquatic life. Construction of ponds has caused the destruction of several hectares of mangrove forests that significantly interferes with ecosystems.
About 2.5 million salmons escape annually to the wild. Scientists are concerned about these rising numbers. Fish in ponds are generally reared differently from the wild ones making them have inferior gene composition. The massive amount of fish regularly escaping is a potential risk to the stable gene composition of wild fish in the nearby environments and eventually, the entire water body. Caged fish that escape can spread diseases and infections to wild fish. The former is likely to suffer from diseases because their immunity is weaker than the latter.
In summary, caged fish farming provides nutritious and easily accessible fish. Salmons in cages are easy to manage and feed providing farmers with a source of income and consumers with a cheap source of protein. Nevertheless, the British Columbia government is worried about its severe implications for the environment. The ponds pollute the nearby environment inform of various emitted pollutants hence affecting wild fish and polluting water. Salmons that escape can potentially change the stable gene composition of wild fish. Therefore the British Columbia should move swiftly to either stop open-cage fish farming or impose stringent measures to control this market since the disadvantages overweigh the advantages.