Aquaculture Dialogues

Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue

The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue was initiated by the World Wildlife Fund in 2004 with the goal of developing measurable, performance-based standards that minimize or eliminate seven key environmental and social impacts of salmon farming. To gain a better understanding of how to address the impacts, the Dialogue Steering Committee created geographically diverse and balanced technical working groups to research each impact in more detail. Members of the dialogue were actively involved in choosing experts and developing a scope of work for each group.

The goals of the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue are to:

• Develop and implement verifiable environmental and social performance levels that measurably reduce or eliminate the key impacts of salmon farming and are acceptable to stakeholders
• Recommend standards that achieve these performance levels while permitting the salmon farming industry to remain economically viable

The Dialogue ensures open and transparent dissemination of information between the stakeholders participating. 

Each technical working group is responsible for producing a "State of Information Report" that reviews the status of existing research related to the impact, identifies gaps or areas of disagreement in the research, and suggests a process for addressing the gaps.

Click here to read the report about benthic impacts
Click here to read the report about escapes
Click here to read the report about feed
Click here to read the report about nutrient loading/carrying capacity
Click here to read the report about chemical inputs

Click here to go to Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue homepage

The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue welcomes input and comments on any or all of these reports.  To view all of the reports and submit input click here.  

These reports address global aquaculture issues. BCSFA participates in the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue through its board membership in Salmon of the Americas.

June 27, 2008 - Dialogue Update

Jose Villalon, Director of the WWF-US Aquaculture Program, presented information on the dialogues at Capitol Hill Oceans Week. 

Click here to listen to his presentation

Click here to view his presentation

British Columbia Mount Waddington Regional District's Aquaculture Advisory Committee

The British Columbia Mount Waddington Regional District's Aquaculture Advisory Committee brings together representatives from the provincial government, regional district, environmental groups, First Nations communities, salmon farming industry, commercial fishing and tourism industries. The MWRD AAC is the first aquaculture advisory committee in British Columbia and is modeled after committees in the agriculture industry. The goal of the committee is to foster communication, understanding and community-based decision-making relating to aquaculture development in the region.

The Regional District of Mount Waddington encompasses the northern third of Vancouver Island and a large area of the adjacent mainland. Four municipalities, Alert Bay, Port Alice, Port Hardy and Port McNeill are included in the regional district. A population of 12,000 includes people from around the globe as well as nine First Nations. The region includes the Broughton Archipelago –one of the province's largest farmed salmon producing areas.

AAC Guiding Principle – "The concept of sustainability is the foundation for the committee. This concept includes: the economic sustainability of the industry; the environmental sustainability of the region and its marine resources; and the social and cultural sustainability of the people in the region."

The BC Salmon Farmers Association represents the BC salmon farming industry on the committee.