What is Salmon Farming?

Salmon farming, or salmon aquaculture is the industrial mass production of salmon. Most farmed salmon are raised in open net-cage pens, which allow for waste to fall directly into the surrounding ocean. The pens are on average 30mx30m (322x322 square feet) and each contains approximately 50,000 fish. On average one farm will contain 14 pens. This means that over 700,000 fish can be raised in an area covering 12,000 square meters (129,167 square feet).

In Canada, fish farms are primarily found in New Brunswick and in British Columbia with recent expansion in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Globally, Norway and Chile lead farmed salmon production with Scotland, Ireland and Canada  being significant producers. New Zealand and the United States both have relatively small farmed salmon industries. Click here to view maps.

Conservationists, fishermen, and First Nations have many concerns about the impacts of fish farms on the environment and coastal communities. These concerns include the escape of farmed salmon into the wild, disease transfer from farms to wild salmon, pollution and human health risks from antibiotic and pesticide use. As a result, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) is encouraging people to stop buying farmed salmon until it is safe for us and safe for the ocean.

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