In January 2026, the Federal Court of Appeal upheld the federal government’s decision to phase out open-net salmon farms in the Discovery Islands. The court dismissed an appeal by Mowi, the world’s number-one supplier of farmed Atlantic salmon.
The ruling reinforces the government’s authority to act cautiously when ecological risks are uncertain – a decision that will have major benefits for wild salmon, Indigenous communities, and the future of aquaculture in British Columbia.
The court’s decision
The case, Mowi Canada West Inc v Canada (Fisheries and Oceans), challenged the federal government’s 2020 decision not to renew salmon farm licences in the Discovery Islands.
Since 2020, aquaculture companies – led by Mowi – launched multiple appeals, winning some early procedural rulings.
The court has now ruled the fisheries minister has authority under the Fisheries Act to decline renewals and apply the precautionary principle, allowing protective action where activities could cause ecological harm. This marks a huge win for wild salmon and strengthens the legal footing for Canada’s planned 2029 phase-out of marine open-net salmon farming.
