Federal Court Puts DFO Plan to Phase Out Fish Farms in the Discovery Islands on Hold

A Department of Fisheries and Oceans plan to phase out fish farms in BC’s Discovery Islands has been put on hold.

An order made in 2020 by former Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan would have forced 19 farms to close by the end of June.

In response, three farm operators, Mowi Canada West, Cermaq Canada and Grieg Seafood, applied for a judicial review of the order.

Now, Federal Court Judge Elizabeth Heneghan has ruled that said order violated the farms’ rights to procedural fairness.

In addition, she says that the Minister’s reasons for the order were not justified, nor transparent, and that she failed to adequately consult with or inform the operators prior to issuing the order.

Heneghan supported the operators’ request for judicial review, ruled that the order be put on hold, and that an injunction permitting the restocking of the farms be upheld.