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](http://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/c1a54a0c-4eb0-4b50-be1f-01aee632527e "Results of DFO benthic monitoring audits 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)

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’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)

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.

For health auditing purposes, a farm is considered active once three pens of fish have been present for 30 days, following entry of the first pen of fish at the farm. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) applies a computerized selection system to randomly select active salmon farms within the fish health zones of the British Columbia. coast. All farms within a zone are assigned a random number and a computer selection of the farms within that zone is weighted (based on the fish species and the number of “active farms” operating in that zone as a percentage of the total number of active farms in the province). In other words, if a zone contains 30 percent of the farms then 30 percent of the farms selected for audit would be randomly chosen from that area. This ensures equal probability of each farm being selected for sampling. To ensure confidence in the sample results, Fisheries and Oceans Canada endeavours to conduct fish health audits at 30 active farmsites per quarter, or approximately 120 each year. Farm audits are conducted in conjunction with the farm’s regularly scheduled carcass collection, allowing Fisheries and Oceans Canada staff access to the freshest of the dead fish. This approach of targeted disease sampling on recently dead fish increases the likelihood of DFO veterinarians finding disease, if present, and attributing an accurate “cause-of-death” diagnosis to each carcass gathered. The summary tables are updated quarterly to reflect Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s fish health monitoring activities. For the purpose of fish health monitoring, a site is considered “active” if the facility holds any salmonid for at least 30 days, and has a minimum of three fully stocked pens during the quarter in which sampling is to occur.

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

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been conducting surface water trawl surveys since 1992 in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Alaska and in the high seas of the Gulf of Alaska. These surveys initially focused on determining the migratory patterns (1992-2002) and on the growth and physiology (2003-2016) of juvenile Pacific Salmon. Since 2016, these surveys have been broadened to monitor the whole pelagic ecosystem, retaining a focus on juvenile Pacific Salmon. Surveys have been conducted on the continental shelf of north and west Vancouver Island, included associated sounds and inlets since 1992 and are ongoing. These data are for tows conducted in the continental shelf area for depths shallower than 400 meters.