INFORMATION BULLETIN

2010AL0038-001114 Sept. 22, 2010

Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

 

2009 FISH HEALTH AND INSPECTION REPORTS RELEASED

 

VICTORIA – The Province released its 2009 Fish Health Report and Aquaculture Inspection Report today as part of the annual disclosure of information collected through B.C.’s fish health audit and surveillance program.

 

The annual Fish Health Report, which included 116 random health audits and an additional 74 sea lice audits, is part of the Province’s management plan to closely monitor aquaculture operations, ensuring a safe and sustainable industry that protects both wild and farmed salmon. This includes a science-based, comprehensive fish health management program comprised of on-farm health management plans, mandatory monitoring, reporting of disease events and an audit of industry reported information. The report shows that antibiotic use is at a new record low, and sea lice abundance in the Broughton Archipelago has declined overall for the fifth consecutive year.

 

Laboratory tests for data in the Fish Health report are performed at the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands’ Animal Health Centre, which is one of only two labs in Canada accredited as a full-service diagnostic laboratory that meets all the requirements of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.

 

During the 2009 inspection cycle, 92 operational sites were inspected for regulatory compliance. This is the tenth year that a comprehensive Aquaculture Inspection report has been released. The Province remains responsible for monitoring, inspecting and enforcing aquaculture license requirements while a new federal regulatory framework for marine finfish aquaculture in B.C. is created. The federal government will assume regulation of aquaculture by Dec. 18, 2010.

 

The aquaculture industry provides an estimated 6,000 jobs and over $224 million in wages for British Columbians. Half of all aquaculture jobs are held by women and First Nations. In British Columbia, salmon farming has grown to take its place as the province's largest agricultural export, generating $800 million in economic output according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

 

Further details of the reports are available at: http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/ahc/fish_health/index.htm

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/fisheries/aqua_report/index.htm

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Media Contact:

Caroline McAndrews Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Agriculture and Lands 250 356-1674 250 208-3254 (cell)

 

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