New paper continues debate over link between lice from salmon farms and B.C. wild salmon

Edzi'u Loverin · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 3:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A caller insubstantial on sea lice from food farms and chaotic salmon successful B.C. shows a important relationship between the 2 and critics accidental that contradicts a study from the national government, which regulates the food farms. 

Bob Chamberlin, elected main of Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation successful B.C. and seat of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance, a governmental advocacy radical connected chaotic salmon protection, said the insubstantial shows manufacture has excessively overmuch power connected subject proposal astatine Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

"It shows that the archetypal enactment by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat hadn't a instauration successful presumption of objectivity, oregon escaped of struggle of interest, and I don't deliberation that the DFO has a limb to basal on," said Chamberlin.

The new paper, published successful Aquaculture Environment Interactions on June 5 and co-authored by the aforesaid scientists arsenic the DFO report, shows a important relationship between oversea lice infestations astatine food farms and oversea lice connected chaotic salmon done a method of statistical modelling.

In January 2023, a study by DFO concluded there was nary statistically important relation betwixt parasitic oversea lice connected salmon farms and oversea lice on chaotic salmon.

Jaewoon Jeong, a probe idiosyncratic with Ohio State University, contributed some to the DFO report and was the caput writer connected the insubstantial published June 5. He said the study and the insubstantial are not the other of 1 another.

He said the involvement connected the narration betwixt infestations astatine food farms and connected chaotic salmon is much astir "the level" alternatively than a "yes oregon no."

"This insubstantial successful a peer-reviewed diary is expected to beryllium much scientific, truthful I explored much statistical investigation betwixt the sea-lice abundance connected salmon farms and sea-lice corruption connected chaotic salmon," said Jeong.

The insubstantial utilized the aforesaid information arsenic the DFO report, helium said, positive 2 further years of caller information and considers different biology factors successful a deeper way.

"The narration betwixt the salmon lice from salmon farms and infestation connected juvenile chaotic salmon rather varies, depending connected the regions and times, truthful it cannot beryllium generalized," Jeong said.

Scientists captious of DFO report

The 2023 DFO report was criticized successful a missive to the curate signed by 16 professors and probe scientists from Canadian and American universities.

Sean Godwin, an adjunct prof astatine University of California, Davis, successful the section of biology science, said the 2023 report underscored already contiguous criticisms of the integrity of DFO's "dual mandate" to safeguard some chaotic salmon and the farmed salmon industry.

"The processes that DFO utilized to nutrient that subject proposal are not up to the modular of the remainder of the world. They're not transparent, they're not grounds based, they're not impartial, and they're not independently reviewed," said Godwin.

DFO did not respond to a petition for comment before clip of publishing.

Open net-pen salmon aquaculture successful B.C. waters volition beryllium banned by 2029, the federal government announced past year.

Wild salmon stocks are in decline across B.C. and Yukon and look important compounding challenges that include aquaculture, clime alteration and concern development, according to a 2024 study by the Pacific Salmon Foundation, a non-profit biology organization.

Causation not proven

The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association said the insubstantial is not impervious salmon farms origin oversea lice on chaotic salmon, and that  determination is no scientific grounds showing that.

"Although this probe concluded a affirmative trend, it does not reason that it is causational," a spokesperson wrote successful a statement.

The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association has said its investigation shows the state could suffer up to $1.17 cardinal successful economical enactment annually and 4,560 full-time jobs if open-net salmon farming is nary longer allowed.

Isaiah Robinson, lawman main councillor of Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation and a spokesperson for the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship (comprising 17 First Nations that person agreements with finfish aquaculture companies), said he hopes Prime Minister Mark Carney's authorities changes that decision.

The First Nation holds six salmon workplace tenures leased and operated by Mowi Canada West, 1 of Canada's Norwegian-based salmon producers, Robinson said.

"People recognize determination needs to beryllium an economy… There needs to beryllium breadstuff successful each household," helium said.

Debate connected inherent rights

Robinson said like different industries, aquaculture is simply a substance of rights and rubric and economical sovereignty for First Nations.

"There's tons of these First Nations that are saying that we shouldn't beryllium doing our ain food farms that are supporting lipid and gas," said Robinson.

"I deliberation there's bigger discussions we should beryllium having connected however we tin assistance rejuvenate the chaotic banal alternatively than looking for a smoking gun."

Chamberlin said "economic reconciliation lies downstream of accommodation of Aboriginal rights."

"If the salmon that were being affected lone stayed successful the territories wherever the food farms are operating, past by each means, they tin marque immoderate determination that they wish," said Chamberlin.

"But the information is, 90 per cent of the Fraser River salmon migrate up the Johnstone Strait past the food farms that are connected the eastbound seashore of Vancouver Island, and that represents an infringement of rights crossed British Columbia."

Chamberlin said he's seen an summation successful salmon returns since the removal of food farms successful the Broughton archipelago.

"We request to look aft salmon, oregon we're going to suffer the spot of familial diverseness from crossed the province," helium said.