Less Bad

Salmon farming in coastal net-cages dominates Canadian aquaculture. It's a practice that irks critics because of its environmental impacts. Opponents claim that net-cage farming pollutes the ocean floor, spreads disease and could play havoc with wild salmon genetics. The advertised benefits of land-based systems include the fact that fish are isolated from wild populations, and fish wastes and uneaten feed pellets can be collected and treated. As a result, this practice is being labeled as a sustainable food production system. The salmon reared during a recent government-funded pilot study of a land-based facility in British Columbia were sold at retail outlets as "eco-salmon." Similarly, land-based Arctic char farms in Quebec and Nova Scotia claim their harvest comes from sustainable fish production systems. And finally, a new land-based fish farm in Gold River, BC has been described as "eco-friendly" and "environmentally sound."