Fisheries and Oceans Canada requires operators of active marine finfish aquaculture sites in British Columbia to monitor for benthic (seabed) impacts. The benthic monitoring program is designed to limit the location, area and intensity of impact created by fish farms to the seabed and to support sustainable aquaculture by maintaining healthy ecosystems.
All operational sites must be monitored at peak production, when the greatest environmental impact is most likely to occur. If the thresholds outlined in Aquaculture Activities Regulations are exceeded, the site must be fallowed (left empty) until further monitoring shows the seabed has sufficiently recovered.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada assesses industry reports and video data for compliance and uses the data to better understand benthic impacts. See Results of DFO benthic monitoring audits of BC marine finfish aquaculture sites.
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