We have  just released a new report: Wild Fish Trapped: Incidental Catch in the Salmon Farming Industry 

We know there’s a lot of secrecy around salmon farms, and sometimes we have to dig a little to uncover the truth. And that’s what we have done.

Over the last few weeks, Watershed Watch’s Science Advisor, Stan Proboszcz, analysed the federal government’s data on how many wild fish are killed in salmon farms every year and found some shocking things.

For example:

• the number of wild fish caught in salmon farms has been increasing every year with nine times as many caught in 2017 compared to 2011;
• Approximately 13.2 million wild fish may be held within 65 B.C. salmon farms at any one time; and
• an additional 663 tonnes of wild fish may be attracted to the vicinity of the farms where they can be exposed to fish farm viruses.

Incidental catch of wild fish by salmon farms threatens the health of B.C’s coastal waters. This report exposes more of the fish farm industry’s dark side and its impact on wild fish. It’s time to get open-net pen fish farms out of B.C.’s coastal waters.

If you have not already, please sign our Safe Passage petition calling for the removal of open-net pen salmon farms from wild salmon migration routes.