Aquaculture
Last updated on June 23, 2025Aquaculture contributes significantly to B.C.'s economy. With its mild climate, good water quality and sheltered bays, the province's coastline is well suited to all forms of aquaculture.
Three main groups currently cultured are:
- Finfish (including salmon)
- Shellfish
- Aquatic plants
Aquaculture in Canada is a shared responsibility. Fisheries and Oceans Canada works closely with other federal government departments, the provinces and territories, and the aquaculture industry to support sustainability in Canada’s farmed fish and shellfish sectors.
Finfish aquaculture technical briefing
Licensing requirements for aquaculture
Provincial role
The provincial government's role in aquaculture includes:
- Licensing aquatic plant cultivation and issuing tenures where aquaculture operations take place on Crown land
- Protecting the provincial public interest in sustainable aquaculture development
Federal role - finfish and shellfish regulation
The federal government is responsible for regulating the finfish and shellfish aquaculture industries in B.C.
Fish health
Maintaining healthy stock is essential to sustainable and profitable farming. Aquaculture businesses are required to prepare and submit annual fish health reports to the Province of B.C.
RAS salmon farming in British Columbia
The report RAS Salmon Farming in British Columbia: Economic Analysis & Strategic Considerations was commissioned by the Province of British Columbia in the fall of 2021. The report was initiated in a different policy context when it wasn’t yet understood whether the federal government was seeking to move all open-net pen salmon farms to land-based production within several years. As such, the report may be misaligned with the current policy direction of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the federal 2025 Open-Net Pen Transition Plan development, which is considering a broader range of technology options and implementation schemes.
British Columbia Salmon Aquaculture Land-Based Siting and Alternative Technology Assessment
The report British Columbia Salmon Aquaculture Land-Based Siting and Alternative Technology Assessment was commissioned under a cost sharing agreement between the the Province of British Columbia and Fisheries and Oceans Canada in the fall of 2023. The report was produced by independent contract to give interested parties in land-based salmon farming as well as closed and semi-closed containment technologies the basic blueprint of how operations may be accomplished at various sites and what global producers are using as technologies. This report was initiated in 2023 and as such, may not align with the current policy direction of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the federal government’s 2025 Open-Net Pen Transition Plan development.
This report is strictly for information purposes and represents the views of the authors. The identification of any site as having high-potential for land-based salmonid farming does not mean the Governments of Canada, British Columbia, local communities or First Nations are in favour of any such development.