Escape Prevention Introduction

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Preventing the escape of farmed fish is a priority for the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), provincial/territorial governments, the aquaculture industry, commercial fishers and environmental advocacy groups. Escaped fish can present risks to wild stocks, and with good quality management, can be controlled.

Escaped farm fish can be a significant economic loss to the individual fish farm operator. The goal of both governments and industry is to minimize escapes to zero. While escape prevention and mitigation is a provincial regulatory responsibility, DFO’s role is to use a variety of regulatory, monitoring and scientific research tools to safeguard wild stocks and the marine or freshwater environment.

Scientific information on the potential effects of escaped salmon indicates there are presently low levels of interaction between farmed and wild fish, either through competition for habitat and food or as predators. Escaped farmed fish pose a low risk to the overall health of wild fish populations, provided the number of escapes remains low relative to the number of wild fish with which they interact.

Please visit the links below to learn more about what DFO is doing to ensure that the aquaculture industry is managed in a responsible way.

• Escape Prevention Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions
• Management Tools
• Monitoring
• Scientific Research

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Management Tools

There are a number of legislative, regulatory and licencing measures in place to prevent farm fish escapes. Aquaculture operators are also bound by industry codes of practice, both at the national and provincial level, aimed at preventing escapes from occurring.

Escape Prevention Policy in British Columbia and BC Fisheries Act: Aquaculture Regulations

BC Salmon Farmer’s Association Code of Practice

New Brunswick Salmon Growers Association’s Environmental Policy and Codes of Practice

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Monitoring

Atlantic Salmon Watch Program – Joint Program between the Government of BC and DFO

Escape Statistics – Government of British Columbia (1987 - onward)

Collaborative Monitoring between DFO and the Atlantic Salmon Federation in Atlantic Canada

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Scientific Research

Below are links to federal and provincial research studies of the effects on the marine and freshwater environment from escaped farmed fish.

DFO

First Nations Atlantic Salmon Watch Program – 2001 Results

Atlantic Salmon Watch Program 1997 Review

Atlantic Salmon Watch Program 1996 Review

Otolith (inner ear bone) analysis for determination of feral versus escapee Atlantic salmon in British Columbia

Provincial

Escaped Farmed Salmon: A Threat to BC’s Wild Salmon?

• A Fraser Institute study released in July 2006 draws on information from a team of scientists, from BC and Europe, to present the facts behind the claims that escaped farmed salmon threaten wild stocks.

Salmon Aquaculture Review (1997) – Government of British Columbia and DFO

• Update to Salmon Aquaculture Review Recommendations (March 2006)
• Update to Salmon Aquaculture Review Recommendations (April 2003)
• Update to Salmon Aquaculture Review Recommendations (January 2002)

Technical Review of the Minimum Net Strength Standards (December 2001)

• Report to B.C. government and used in review of Aquaculture Regulation and escape prevention regulation.

A Comparison of Finfish Farming Regulatory Requirements in B.C. with Other Jurisdictions; summary table available in PDF version only

• Four key areas addressed by finfish regulators world-wide are escape prevention farm siting; fish health; and waste management.

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