A Court Win For Wild Salmon, And Why Momentum Still Matters

(Photo credit: Brandon Deepwell c/o Pacific Salmon Foundation. Image: Open Net pens, BC)

If you’ve met me or heard me speak, you know I’m passionate about supporting independent fishers and building sustainable fisheries and robust local food systems. I also love wild salmon.

Late January of 2026 brought welcome news for everyone who cares about wild salmon and the future of independent fishing on BC’s coast. Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by the multi-billion-dollar Norwegian salmon farming company Mowi. This latest step in over a decade of ongoing legal battles shows a continued commitment to working toward the planned 2029 ban on open-pen farms on BC’s southern coast.

This news gave me hope that we’re on the right track and that the transition away from open-pen salmon farms still carries real legal weight. But experience has shown that progress doesn’t sustain itself. After I wrote about this issue nearly two years ago, the transition timeline was pushed from 2025 to 2029. If we want that 2029 date to hold, we have to stay engaged. Public pressure and momentum matter.

Why Wild Salmon Are Central To Coastal Communities 

Skipper Otto exists because we care about the future of fishing as a way of life passed down through families and coastal communities. The idea for a Community Support Fishery (CSF) was born when we had our first son and were worried that the fishing way of life might disappear for our family, just as it has for many BC fishing families. The first product we offered our members was wild salmon caught by my father-in-law, Otto, onboard our family fishboat. 

In addition to my day job as CEO of Skipper Otto, I spend significant time advocating for sustainable fisheries and a dignified way of life for fishers. Sometimes I’m asked why I’m so opposed to open-pen salmon farms on our coast. One reason is that over a decade of independent research and more than 60 peer-reviewed publications have shown that pathogen transfer from farmed to wild fish threatens wild Pacific salmon populations. 

When wild salmon populations are at risk, the impacts are felt across ecosystems, communities, and livelihoods:

• Ecosystems suffer, as declining salmon stocks disrupt both marine and terrestrial food chains and biodiversity.
  
• Fishing livelihoods are affected, including fish harvesters and thousands of others working in seafood processing, tourism (including whale watching), fish offloading, marine repair, net mending, and related industries tied to healthy salmon stocks.
  
• Indigenous cultures and food systems are put at risk, along with the traditions and livelihoods that depend on salmon.

What This Court Decision Means (And Doesn't Mean)

The Federal Court of Appeal decision doesn’t introduce new policy on its own, but it reinforces the existing commitments to remove open-pen salmon farms from BC waters by 2029.

The court confirmed that federal decision-makers must properly consider the risks these farms pose to wild salmon. When governments are required to take science and precaution seriously, it becomes harder to quietly reverse course under industry pressure.

Independent fishers are entrepreneurial, resilient, and deeply rooted in their communities. They play a vital role as stewards of the ocean. As policies are shaped around the future of aquaculture, it’s essential that they reflect the knowledge, values, and livelihoods of small-scale and Indigenous fishers, whose fishing rights, food systems, and stewardship traditions are inseparable from the health of wild salmon.

I’m genuinely encouraged to see Mowi’s appeal rejected by the courts, and to hear continued signals from the federal Minister of Fisheries that keeping salmon farms out of our waters remains a priority. Watershed Watch Salmon Society has been closely following this case, and their coverage is worth reading if you’d like more background and legal context.

Listening To The Science

Skipper Otto fishing families have fished wild salmon for generations, but we’re not scientists or experts on the science of salmon farms and the harms they can cause local wild salmon populations. That’s why we look to independent scientists, First Nations leaders, and conservation organizations that have spent decades studying these impacts, including researchers and groups such as biologist Alexandra Morton, the First Nations Salmon Alliance, Pacific Wild, and the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

Their research consistently shows that BC’s wild salmon population is dwindling, and that, according to the First Nations Salmon Alliance, “parasites, pathogens and pollutants from open-net pen salmon farms directly threaten the survival of wild Pacific salmon.”

If you want a deeper understanding of the challenges facing wild salmon, I encourage you to learn directly from their work.

Let's Keep The Momentum Going

One court ruling won’t guarantee the 2029 ban will take effect. Industry lobbyists continue to pressure the government, and the transition timeline depends on political will, which is shaped by public pressure.

If you feel strongly about protecting wild salmon and the future of independent fishing, here are a few meaningful ways to help:

• Write to your Member of Parliament and ask them to support the transition away from open-pen salmon farms.
• Add your voice to campaigns led by organizations like Watershed Watch and others working on wild salmon protection.