This report provides summary fish health data collected by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) from randomly selected licensed marine facilities culturing salmon in British Columbia (BC). Results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening are provided, as well as a list of the bacterial pathogens isolated by culture, and whether a pathogen or disease has been confirmed by histopathology (microscopic examination). DFO veterinarians provide a farm-level diagnosis and identify any conditions of note based on these laboratory findings and any other information collected during the fish health audit or reported by companies as a condition of licence. The terminology used in the report’s column headings can be found in the terminology file below. DFO Science is engaged in numerous active research projects examining issues such as fish diseases, wild-cultured species interactions and habitat impacts related to aquaculture. Information on some of these projects, as well as on aquaculture research occurring in other regions, is available on our [website](http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/science-eng.html"website"). Related links: + Infographic: [Monitoring fish health from hatchery to harvest](https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/about-notre-sujet/publications/infographics-infographies/hatchery-ecloserie-eng.html) + Infographic: [How DFO inspects fish health at BC aquaculture sites](http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/publications/infographics-infographie/health-sante-eng.html)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), in partnership with other government organizations, indigenous groups, and community stakeholders, monitor the migratory return of Atlantic salmon to rivers each season. In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are 15 management areas, known as Salmon Fishing Areas (SFAs), with over 400 rivers containing populations of spawning salmon. Each year, salmon populations are enumerated at monitoring facilities (counting fences or fishways) on several rivers throughout the province. Monitoring begins in April or May for the downstream smolt run and in June or July for the upstream adult run and varies in timing by year and river. Not all rivers are monitored annually and years with incomplete data are often attributable to environmental factors that delay or stop monitoring during a season (e.g. fence washout due to elevated water levels). Days with zero counts can be attributable to no fish and/or closures to the monitoring facility. While monitoring facilities are used primarily to count Atlantic salmon, other freshwater fish may also be enumerated if encountered. The counts from these monitoring facilities, in addition to angling information and other monitoring activities, provide information for estimating returns for the annual stock assessment, which is an important part of conservation and management of Atlantic salmon populations in Newfoundland and Labrador. This data contains information for Atlantic salmon only.

This report provides a summary of fish health events reported by aquaculture companies to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). A fish health event is any suspected or active disease that occurs within an aquaculture facility that requires the involvement of a veterinarian and warrants mitigation measures (e.g., treatment, quarantine, reduction in density). As a condition of licence, company veterinarians must notify DFO within seven days of any fish health event on a farm and provide a preliminary or confirmed farm-level diagnosis as well as details on any sampling, monitoring or mitigation measures planned or performed. Historical data are available from 2016 to the present. Prior to this time, fish health event reporting was not required by conditions of licence. The terminology used in the report’s column headings is defined in the terminology file below. Related links: + Infographic: [Monitoring fish health from hatchery to harvest](https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/about-notre-sujet/publications/infographics-infographies/hatchery-ecloserie-eng.html) + Infographic: [How DFO inspects fish health at BC aquaculture sites](https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/about-notre-sujet/publications/infographics-infographies/health-sante-eng.html)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO’s) Conditions of Licence for finfish aquaculture include requirements to minimize harm to wild fish that swim into facilities. Facility operators must also maintain an incidental catch log, which is a record of wild fish caught at the facility during harvest and transfer events. This information is submitted to DFO and public reports are posted quarterly. The tables provided list the reported incidental catch of dead wild finfish and the year and month in which they were captured from B.C. marine finfish facilities during harvest and transfer events. Data are reported in the quarter in which the harvest activities ended and will not exist for farms that do not have fish on site or where no incidentally caught fish were recorded.

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. In addition to the monitoring and reporting required of licence holders, DFO staff biologists conduct field audits to collect and assess sediment samples and take video of the seafloor. This information is used to determine compliance and learn more about benthic impacts during different times of the production cycle. Further review and action may be required for sites with poor environmental performance or issues with non-compliance. For the results of benthic monitoring activities conducted by the industry, see [Results of industry benthic monitoring of BC marine finfish aquaculture sites](http://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/7e76fdc8-c36a-491a-9afb-4f9280c929e8 "Results of industry benthic monitoring of BC marine finfish aquaculture sites"). Related links: + Infographic: [Monitoring benthic impacts at BC aquaculture sites](https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/about-notre-sujet/publications/infographics-infographies/benthic-benthique-eng.html) + Graph: [Benthic performance at marine finfish aquaculture sites in BC](http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/reporting-rapports/benth/index-eng.html)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO’s) conditions of licence for marine finfish aquaculture contain monitoring and intervention requirements to minimize the potential exposure of wild and farmed fish to sea lice. Licence holders must submit a Health Management Plan to DFO that includes sea lice management. The results of industry’s sea lice assessments of Atlantic salmon are provided to DFO monthly and posted to this website quarterly. DFO biologists and veterinarians conduct regular assessments throughout the year to verify the accuracy of licence holders’ procedures and reporting. The DFO Sea Lice Audit Report shows the results of DFO’s random quarterly lice audits, which coincide with one of the licence holder's numerous scheduled counts. To assure quality, farm staff count lice on 50 per cent of the selected fish and DFO staff count lice on the other half. Related links: + Infographic: [Sea lice management at BC salmon farms]( https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/about-notre-sujet/publications/infographics-infographies/lice-pou-eng.html)

This data documents fish response to fish passage and instream habitat restoration treatments. Juvenile salmonid snorkel surveys are conducted pre-treatment and post-treatment. Pool dimensions (length and width), maximum residual pool depth, temperature, flow, and water quality data are also recorded. Minnow traps are deployed in the vicinity of restoration treatments when stream conditions or hazards prevent snorkel observations or where additional monitoring methods are deemed necessary to determine juvenile salmonid presence. Winter Salmonid spawner surveys of potential redds, adult spawners, and carcasses are also performed. Survey data includes a 0.038 MB Snorkel Survey database and a 0.043 MB Spawner Survey database. This data and metadata were submitted by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Staff though the Data Management Plan (DMP) framework with the id: DMP000237. For more information, please visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/Sci-Data.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) National Biofouling Monitoring Program (BMP) has conducted annual field surveys to monitor the introduction, establishment, spread, species richness, and relative abundance of native and non-indigenous species (NIS) since 2006. Standardized monitoring protocols employed by DFO-Maritimes, -Gulf, and -Quebec Regions include biofouling collector plates deployed from May to October at intertidal and shallow subtidal, geo-referenced sites, including public and private docks, aquaculture lease sites, public and private marinas and yacht clubs. Initially in the Maritimes Region (2006-2017) collectors consisted of 3, 10 cm by 10cm PVC plates deployed in a vertical array and spaced approximately 40-cm apart with the shallowest plate hung at least 1 m below the surface to sample shallow subtidal and intertidal species (Sephton et al. 2011, 2017). Two replicate arrays were deployed at least 5 m apart per site. Since 2018, collector arrays were modified to enhance statistical replication, including 10 individual collectors deployed per site at 1 m depth and at least 5 m apart (as above) from May to October. The percent cover of AIS on all collectors was determined by visual examination and scored as follows; (i) ‘0’ = absent, (ii) ‘1’ = ≤25 % cover, (iii) ‘2’ = 25 to ≤50 %, (iv) ‘3’ = 50–75% , and (v) ‘4’ = >75%. Average percent cover is provided for all NIS observed annually per site. Presence-absence indicates that an NIS was observed on at least one collector plate. One additional rocky intertidal species (Asian shore crab; Hemigrapsus sanguineus) was assessed via beach surveys as permitted by time and resources following its initial siting in St Mary’s Bay (Nova Scotia) in April 2020. Rapid assessment surveys conducted in the Fall of 2020 and 2021 were employed to delineate H. sanguineus’ distribution and relative abundance. Areas deemed suitable and at high risk for spread were targeted, including exposed rocky intertidal habitat in southwest regions of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Each rapid assessment consisted of 30-minute beach surveys per site conducted by 2 or 3 people (modified from Stephenson et al. 2011). During each survey, crabs were collected under rocks and seaweed in preferred cobble/boulder habitat (Lohrer et al. 2000). Count data was standardized for each site as the number of crabs collected per 30-min search per person. Cite as: DFO-Maritimes Biofouling Monitoring Program. Published October 2018, Updated December 2023. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, NS Citations: Sephton D, B Vercaemer, JM Nicolas, J Keays (2011) Monitoring for invasive tunicates in Nova Scotia, Canada (2006-2009) Aquatic Invasions 6: 391-403. Sephton D, B Vercaemer, A Silva, L Stiles, M Harris, K Godin (2017) Biofouling monitoring for aquatic invasive species (AIS) in DFO Maritimes Regions (Atlantic shore of Nova Scotia and southwest New Brunswick): May-November, 2012-2015. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 3158: 72 pp. Stephenson EH, RS Steneck, RH Seeley (2009) Possible temperature limits to range expansion of non-native Asian shore crabs in Maine. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 375: 21–31. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2009.04.020

Fish health on British Columbia salmon farms is managed throughout the production cycle to maintain healthy fish populations and to identify and address disease occurrences as soon as they arise. Aquaculture licence conditions set out mandatory monitoring and reporting requirements to ensure any potential impacts are appropriately mitigated at salmon farms. A central component of on-farm fish health management is a Fish Health Management Plan (FHMP). FHMPs are approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and describe the fish health principles that the licensee must follow to maintain fish health and biosecurity at the farm. Both DFO and aquaculture companies have veterinarians on staff (or available on contract, for some companies) to monitor fish health on farms. Company veterinarians oversee routine health screening and ensure appropriate husbandry in day-to-day operations and identify appropriate management measures if fish health concerns arise. Licence holders must routinely submit a variety of fish health data to DFO. Routine reports include monthly sea lice abundance, antimicrobial use and information on [mortality rates](https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/85986a45-b71d-4380-8990-d5763fdf19a5"mortality rates"), including the suspected [cause of mortality](https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/0a8c5505-ecb3-4d8b-8120-462bd7def6bb"cause of mortality"). Additional reports are submitted if there are elevated mortalities, a fish health event that requires the involvement of a veterinarian or sea lice abundance over the DFO determined threshold. Through the Fish Health Audit and Surveillance Program, DFO oversees the health of cultured salmon to minimize fish health and disease risks to wild and farmed fish and publishes [reports](http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/regs-eng.html"reports") on regulation and monitoring of BC’s marine finfish aquaculture facilities. Sites are [routinely inspected](http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/reporting-rapports/health-compliance-conform-sante/index-eng.html"routinely inspected") to ensure compliance with licence conditions and FHMPs, to verify the accuracy of industry reporting, and to collect samples for [independent](https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/6c891715-317c-4d4d-9fe8-ea425e01d9d2"independent") fish health and disease screening. All salmon aquaculture transfers require authorization under section 56 of the Fishery (General) Regulations. Movements of fish to and from farms may be required to introduce new stock, facilitate growth at different life stages or optimize production. All transfer applications are accompanied by a signed veterinary attestation which details the health status of the fish to be transferred and attests to their health. DFO reviews these applications to determine whether the movement may adversely affect local aquatic species and habitats. DFO veterinarians and biologists assess the information gathered by DFO audits and inspections, as well as that submitted by industry to gain a complete picture of the health status of the fish to be moved. Occasionally a fish health concern will be identified during the review conducted by DFO fish health staff. Most often, clarification with the industry’s fish health staff will be sufficient to address the concern; however occasionally additional mitigative measures are deemed necessary to address potential risks. Animal welfare and ensuring humane treatment of the fish are an important consideration when choosing the most appropriate mitigation option. Common mitigation measures include: • Pre-transfer grading to select the healthiest fish within the age class • Humane culling to remove affected fish or “poor performers” that are most likely to harbour disease or unlikely to ingest medicated feed. Poor performers are fish that fail to thrive, stop or reduce feeding, and may be emaciated (long and skinny). There are various reasons a fish becomes a poor performer, including failure to adapt to salt

Annual data are collected as part of smolt trapping operations using fish trapping methods. Traps collect emigrating salmon smolts to identify cohort bio-characteristics, run timing information, as well as enumerating migrating fish.