Salmon Aquaculture Lessons from New Brunswick Inka Milewski

Salmon Aquaculture: Lessons from New Brunswick Inka Milewski, Science Advisor Conservation Council of New Brunswick Port Mouton, Nova Scotia November 15, 2006

Salmon Aquaculture: Lessons from New Brunswick • Economically sustainable? • Ecologically sustainable? • Well-regulated?

Economically Sustainable? “mom and pop” to Multinational 1986 1996 2006 28 74 98 727 mt 16, 300 mt 35, 000 mt 7, 000 70, 000 300, 000 – 400, 000 $12. 82 CND $7. 55 CND $2. 50 CND Value of salmon sales $9. 2 million $122. 5 million $200 million Number of Companies 28 45 12 Number of Farm Sites Production Number of fish per farm Price per pound (wholesale) (1 corporations control 1 (3 corporations control 53 farm) farms) (1 corporation controls and/or contracts from all farms)

2006 Salmon Farm Sites

Economically Sustainable? : Government Driven and subsidized • From 1985 to 1996, ACOA pumped over $34 million into NB’s salmon aquaculture; 60% was direct contributions and grants • In 1987, NB Salmon Grower’s Association formed; the Association received $4. 3 million from government for their work between 87’-96’ • Beginning in 1996, outbreaks of ISA resulted in the slaughter of millions of fish; in 1997 - 98 federal government paid out $32. 5 million and the province $8 million in compensation • In 2000 DFO launched Program for Sustainable Aquaculture and dedicated $75 -million over five years with $15 -million per year thereafter • In 2004, DFO Minister, Gerald Regan, creates Aquaculture Management Directorate within DFO “to ensure aquaculture is more of a priority”

Ecologically Sustainable? Impacts of Salmon Farms • Environmental impacts are associated with net pens, fish feed and use of chemicals and drugs • Many effects still not studied – impacts of net pens structures on the behaviour of migratory species – loss of foraging, spawning and/or nursery habitat for wild species as a result of waste accumulation – sub-lethal effects of pesticides on non-target species

Ecologically Sustainable? Waste Impacts of Farms • By volume, largest component of waste discharges from finfish aquaculture operations are fecal wastes • 95 -98% of wastes deposited on the bottom are re-suspended in days and transported elsewhere

How much Fecal waste is released from salmon farms? 1 salmon farm 1 200, 000 fish 1000 mt 182 mt of fecal waste/year 1 93 salmon farms in S. W. N. B. 33, 600 mt in 20012 6115 mt of fecal waste/year 1 Source: 2 NB. Equivalent to fecal wastes from 2667 people 1 Equivalent to fecal wastes from 89, 611 people Hardy 2001 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Changes in Benthic Diversity with Increased Organic Loading

Animals and bacteria in sediments produce H 2 O and C 02 More nitrogen compounds like ammonia (NH 4 ) are produced More sulphur compounds like H 2 S are produced More methane compounds (CH 4 ) are produced O 2 levels drop, C 02 levels increase, Redox values drop Ammonia and sulphide levels increase Microbial community changes to bacteria tolerant of low 02 Animals diversity decreases, pollution tolerant species increase Organic loading

Area of seafloor potentially impacted by wastes 1 salmon farm (200, 000 fish) 2 X 10 net pens 9680 m 2 ~ 2. 5 acres Each net pen is 22 m in diameter + 30 m Mixing Zone 29, 120 m 2 ~ 7. 5 acres 104 m 44 m 220 m 280 m

Former Fish Farm Control or Reference Site

N

Mean Redox -154. 38 m. VNHE Mean Sulphides 1308 µM Mean no. of species Species diversity 14 2. 58 Crow Harbour Samples Mean Redox 34. 92 m. VNHE Mean Sulphides 29. 73 µM Mean no. of species 31 Species diversity 3. 85 Control Site Samples

Control site sediment core (2003) Farm site sediment core (2003)

Mean sediment Eh at a former fish farm in Crow Harbour and a Reference Site (2002 -2004) Sediment Depth

Mean Surface Sediment Sulphides at a former fish farm in Crow Harbour and a reference site (2002 -2004)

Crow Harbour (CH)farm vs reference site (RS): Species Numbers and Diversity 2002 -2004

Well-Regulated? • the first 10 years (1979 -1989) salmon aquaculture was virtually unregulated • Province signed an MOU with DFO in 1989 which gave province development and licensing responsibility • DFO and EC still retained responsibility for enforcing section 35 (prohibits a HADD - harmful alteration, degradation or destruction of fish habitat) and section 36(3) (prohibits release of deleterious substances) of Fisheries Act • Monitoring of farms sites by province began in 1989 as a pilot project • First monitoring report in 1992 found 37 or 48 farms had moderate to high environmental impact ratings

Well-Regulated? • In 1991 New Brunswick gets an Aquaculture Act that sets site allocation rules (by then there already 57 farms); confidentially provisions of the Act prevent public release of monitoring data • By 1997, disease and sea lice outbreaks, conflicts with local fishermen over allocations of farm sites prompt a review of the Site Allocation Policy – “moratorium” on new sites imposed • In 2002 environmental monitoring transferred to provincial Environment Department and environmental performance guidelines are finally established; annual monitoring results are finally made public • In 2003 Provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture finally establishes a Compliance and Enforcement section

Well-Regulated? • In 2005, DFO Regional Director General (Atlantic Region) finally requests DFO Science Branch prepare an expert opinion on the effect of sulfides on diversity of benthic community • According to expert opinion: – 60 -70% of biodiversity is lost when sulfides are 1500 – 3000 µM, – 70 -90% of biodiversity is lost when sulfides are greater than 3000 µM, • 2006, province changes environmental rating system for sulfide levels that constitute a HADD under the Fisheries Act (from 6000 µM to 4500 µM) – the level is set higher than the expert advice provided by a DFO scientist in 2005

Well-Regulated? Annually, 25 -30% of farms are allowed to operate even though sulfide levels in sediments are in the high impact category and would likely be in violation of section 35 of federal Fisheries Act.

New Brunswick’s Salmon Aquaculture Industry • Economically sustainable? – not without government subsidies • Ecologically sustainable? – not without environmental subsidies • Well-regulated? – not for ecological impacts

2005 Nova Scotia Industry Consultation • Complaints by industry that application and approval process was too burdensome and too long • Federal EA process was viewed as a problem • Scarcity of suitable inshore sites, federal restrictions on movement of eggs and fish, public opposition on sites, lack of government support to reduce financial risk of disease other “catastrophic” problems and lack of direction from government seen as problems by industry

2005 - 48 salmon sites - 16 in Gulf of Maine Region - Rest along the South Shore and Bras d’Or Lakes