British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association | 3
Salmon farminghas its early roots inhatch-
ery programs established by the Canadian
government. As early as the 1850s, the
federal government had established aqua-
culture programs compelling the growth
of a number of hatcheries who respective-
ly focused on distinct species which were
bred and then released into the ocean. Yet,
having only achieved limited success,
by the 1930s, a number of the govern-
ment hatcheries would cease operations,
yet the potential to develop a flourishing
business model had already spawned in
the minds of entrepreneurs. By the 1970s,
a variety of salmon farms could be found
operating off the southern mainland coast
of British Columbia. These endeavors,
mostly family-owned and small-scale op-
erations, would ultimately hone expertise
in breeding cycles, feeding processes and
optimum operational practices which not
only contributed to the growth of salmon,
but the growth of the industry through the
1980s on through the 1990’s. This was an
era which saw increasing company con-
solidation and increasing government
regulations, but in this same timeframe,
an association emerged which is posi-
tioned squarely at the intersection of in-
dustry and government, but to be sure, it’s
an association that serves farmers in Brit-
ish Columbia, Canada.
Since 1984, the British Columbia
Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA)
has provided a forum for communication
and cooperation within the salmon farm-
