Ecological Criteria Used to Help Site Fish Farms in Fjords

Abstract

We reviewed the biological and oceanographic data used to help decide on the siting of salmon farms in Canada (British Columbia and New Brunswick), Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, United State (Washington and Maine). The LENKA program in Norway and a ranking technique based on biophysical features in British Columbia are examples of semi-quantitative approaches. A zoning system partially based on detailed data on fjord oceanography has been initiated in Scotland. Guidelines to protect critical fish habitat, especially for wild salmon, have been developed in each of the jurisdictions. Models to help predict sedimentation, hypernutrification, and dissolved oxygen levels have been used in Norway and Washington. Siting criteria need to be supplemented with these models, which consider cumulative effects and predict the carrying capacity of key fjord areas where farms are likely to cluster. Coordinated and comprehensive research programs are needed which consider salmon production in the context of the oceanographic regimes within fjords. For site-specific evaluations and as communication methods, referral systems and guidelines are relied on extensively in site evaluations in the various jurisdictions.