B.C.'s environment ministry is facing an investigation by the ombudsperson following revelations disclosed in a warning letter from its own government branch about the "bloodwater" discharge released by an Atlantic salmon processing plant in 2017.
The document states the ministry did not require the processing plant near Campbell River to reduce the volume of liquid waste, known to be carrying a contagious and potentially lethal fish virus, from flowing into a crucial salmon migration route in the ocean via an underwater pipe.
Brown's Bay Packing Co., about 30 km north of the city, was also out of compliance with several of the province's environmental laws. This is according to the warning letter issued to the plant by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy’s Compliance and Environmental Enforcement Branch, dated Oct. 5, 2023.
Photographer uncovers bloodwater flowing into Campbell River bay
In 2017, Quadra Island investigative photojournalist Tavish Campbell released underwater footage of plumes of red water flowing from the fish processing plant's discharge pipe into Brown's Bay. The bay connects to Discovery Passage, part of the Fraser River salmon migration route.
Following the release of the controversial video, biologist and longtime fish farm critic Alexandra Morton said she sent samples of the effluent for analysis to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The testing was done by Fred Kibenge, a virology professor, who has worked with animal viruses for over 35 years. Kibenge found evidence of piscine reovirus, or PRV. While it has been described as a globally contentious virus, PRV is linked to HSMI, a serious disease that can lead to heart lesions and organ hemorrhaging in fish.
READ: 'Blood water’ video shows bloody effluent emitting from farmed salmon processing plant
READ ALSO: ‘Blood-red’ discharge treated to higher standard: fish processor
A government-issued study in 2017 also detected PRV in samples of the effluent. Because PRV in farmed Atlantic salmon is well-documented — it's estimated to impact 80 per cent of B.C. salmon farms — the "presence of the virus was expected," the study states.
The video of the red effluent lead to a provincial Ministry of Environment review in 2018 that found most fish processing plants that discharge waste into B.C. waters violate provincial regulations. It concluded that stricter rules are needed to protect wild salmon from disease-causing pathogens.
According to an Oct. 4, 2024 media release from Morton, longtime Environment Minister George Heyman — who did not seek re-election in the 2024 provincial election — was sent the lab results. In 2017, Heyman told reporters the ministry's primary goal was to ensure: “... anything being dumped into our oceans is free of contaminants, free of pathogens and not a threat to wild salmon."
No tests or measures taken to reduce pathogen release: document
Seven years later, following an inspection of the fish processing plant from December 2019 to October 2023, investigators found the ministry "did not require Brown’s Bay to test for pathogens in the effluent or take action to minimize discharge of pathogens,” according to the warning letter.
Additionally, despite requests to address the infected liquid waste, the ministry, through an amendment to the plant's B.C. government discharge permit, authorized a twentyfold increase in the effluent output in 2019 — from 28 to 600 cubic metres.
“While the federal government and eight First Nations have worked hard to remove half the salmon farms from B.C. waters to save plummeting wild salmon stocks, Minister Heyman increased the discharge rate, with no effort to clean it up," Morton says in the media release.
“This type of flagrant breach of trust and duty regarding one of B.C.’s most treasured natural resources is frankly dangerous and has no place in the future of this province.”
Ombudsperson office contacts fish farm critic in June
After years of corresponding with Heyman about the issue, Morton said she contacted B.C.'s Office of the Ombudsperson. Following a review period of several months, Morton said she received a call in June, informing her that the office planned to investigate Heyman's ministry about an alleged breach of claims made in 2017. The details disclosed in the warning letter are what spurred the investigation, she told the Mirror.
Morton said she wants the government to require the fish processor to pull its effluent pipe out of the ocean and divert it into a tank. This action will significantly help boost the survival of wild salmon, she said.
The Campbell River Mirror contacted the Ombudsperson's office to confirm the investigation. In an email, Julie Pollock, the communications lead, said the office cannot "confirm or deny" whether an investigation is taking place. Under provincial laws, investigations are usually private unless public knowledge is needed to advance the investigation.
The Mirror contacted the environment ministry for a statement, but, during the election, government communications are restricted to health and safety information.
In an email, a spokesperson with the B.C. NDP told the Mirror that over the past several years, the provincial NDP government has issued directives to Brown's Bay Packing Co. about the effluent. The government has also updated and strengthened provincial effluent permits with more rigorous discharge requirements, increased monitoring, and requiring the use of new technologies.
"John Rustad and the B.C. Conservatives have been clear there is too much conservation in B.C.," continued the spokesperson. "They would reverse our progress to protect wild salmon and critical marine areas."
'Significant capital investment' made: Fish processing plant
The Mirror reached out to Brown's Bay Packing Co., but did not receive a response.
Last year, the fish processor published an update on its website titled, "The activists are at it again!", about a $1.5 million enhancement to its wastewater treatment facility.
"We have made a significant capital investment to have a cutting edge water treatment system built, which was installed and went online in May," reads the website.
READ ALSO: Campbell River fish processing company says no blood-red effluent is being emitted from their plant
The fish processor sent a diver down to the discharge pipe in December 2019 to capture video of the effluent. In a website post, it described the current underwater discharge as a "fairly clear liquid that resembles lemonade" that looks grey in the lower light conditions under the water.
Additionally, the fish processor said the blood plume video from 2017 does not accurately reflect the recent technological advancements at its plant. The wastewater treatment system, installed between 2018 and 2019 and since enhanced, "meets or exceeds" Ministry of Environment permit standards, it says.
Despite this, the ministry's warning letter states an "inspection determined that Brown's Bay Packing Co. is out of compliance with its permit."
Increased need for disinfection of wastewater: 2023 research
A recent Fisheries and Oceans Canada study also indicates additional measures are needed to protect wild salmon from the virus carried in the effluent.
A 2023 study by researcher Kyle Garver evaluated a dissolved air flotation treatment system at the processing plant to assess its effectiveness in reducing PRV levels in effluent from farmed Atlantic salmon.
The treatment system revealed a hundredfold decrease in the PRV load when compared to untreated bloodwater, states the report. However, it still contained infectious PRV, as Atlantic salmon exposed to effluent — either through a two-hour static immersion or via injection — developed PRV blood infections.
"The treatment process installed at Brown's Bay processing plant will require additional disinfection processes to eliminate infectious PRV in blood water generated during the processing of PRV-infected Atlantic salmon," reads the study.
Ombudsperson investigations are confidential with no legal power to compel action. Morton said she was told a report will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in approximately three months. It will be up to the sitting government whether to respond.
