On December 17, 2020, Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Minister Bernadette Jordan ordered all salmon farms in the Discovery Islands removed by June 30, 2022 and that those farms not be re-stocked starting immediately.
If the decision is left unaltered it will shut down more than 24% of BC’s farmed salmon production, resulting in hundreds of job losses, euthanization of millions of fish, and the loss of millions in annual GDP. A substantial number of jobs will be lost in Surrey as salmon farmers attempt to adapt to the impacts of the federal government’s Discovery Islands decision over the next year.
“The Surrey Board of Trade is very concerned about the impact of this decision on Surrey’s workforce. What the Surrey Board of Trade will do immediately is contact relevant federal government contacts to ask for a pause on this decision,” said Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade. “A Digital Town Hall event is also planned shortly with the BC Salmon Farmers to educate the public on the matter.”
The BC Salmon Farmers Association released a report today prepared by RIAS Inc., an independent economics firm, analyzing how the federal government’s decision to close salmon farms in the Discovery Islands area will put jobs and economic development at risk in Surrey. This analysis (the “Surrey Supplement”) is a companion to a larger report by RIAS Inc. released February 23, 2021 titled, ‘Consequences of the Decision to Shut Down Salmon Farming in the Discovery Islands.’ Discovery Islands farms produce a quarter of the farm-raised salmon in BC.
In this report it was found that salmon farming companies have direct economic impact in Surrey from fish processing, feed milling, truck transportation, packaging, and warehousing and distribution operations in that municipality. Direct impacts within Surrey attributed to salmon farming companies include:
$220 million in annual revenue;
$46 million in GDP;
344 full-time jobs; and,
$24 million in annual salaries.
Province-wide indirect and induced economic impact generated by Surrey’s salmon farming hub include:
Over $363 million in annual revenues;
$122 million in GDP;
1,189 full-time jobs; and,
$65 million in salaries.
The BC Salmon Farmers Association is calling on the federal government to consider a more responsible path forward to minimize impacts on British Columbia’s coastal communities.
To read the report visit http://bcsalmonfarmers.ca/surrey/
Watch the Surrey impact video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lreMU9RyJHM
-30-
Anita Huberman, 604-634-0342, anita@businessinsurrey.com
