By Vivian Krause
Canada has the largest coastline in the world and we’re right next door to the world’s largest seafood market: the United States. If there’s one industry that Canada should be developing, it’s aquaculture. Northern B.C. and Nova Scotia, the places where fish farming could provide hundreds of jobs, are some of the poorest parts of Canada.
Aquaculture avoids the worst risks of commercial fishing, such as over-fishing and by-catch. Yet, ironically, the biggest obstacle facing the aquaculture industry is opposition from environmentalists. In British Columbia, a “war on fish farmers” has been declared. More than 20,000 people signed a petition to close salmon farms.