"The photographs I received on August 28 confirm young salmon migrating through salmon farm waste off Port Hardy are suffering enormous impacts. These young chum salmon are infected with early-stage lice, which tells us the lice became attached in the area where ten Mowi salmon farms are operating," says Hereditary 'Namgis Chief Homiskanis (Don Svanvik).
"I am not one to tell another Nation how to manage their territory, but I am also not going to sit idle while young salmon suffer this fate as soon as they leave the protection we provide in 'Namgis Territory. We have done everything we can to bring back Nimpkish River salmon. This is unacceptable."
Mamalilikulla, 'Na̱mǥis and Ḵwiḵwa̱sut'inux̱w Ha̱xwa'mis First Nations did not agree to allow salmon farms to operate in their territories. Before each farm was removed, their members performed monthly sea lice counts and disease sampling on the fish in the farms. They reviewed all lice treatment schedules, enforced strict limits on total lice per farm, and saw the impacts first-hand. Since removal of salmon farms, wild salmon returns to the Broughton have sky-rocketed. Chum salmon returns to the Viner River jumped 22 times higher than recent years and pink salmon increased in the Ahnuhati River from an average of 12,000 fish over the previous three generations to 106,000 in 2024. But the Nimpkish River on Vancouver Island is much closer to the 10 salmon farms still operating off Port Hardy and is not doing as well.
(Fish farm operator) Mowi's most recent reporting states five out of their six active farms off Port Hardy were over the lice limit DFO considers safe for young wild salmon in July.
"We are well aware of the so-called debate over the impacts of salmon farms, but remember that we were on the farms, did the research, we are collaborating with many scientists – we know what is going on in these farms and this is what happens to wild salmon when farm lice numbers go up. This has to stop," Homiskanis says.
On August 6, 2025, in response to Fraser River sockeye numbers rising up to six times higher than DFO forecast, 'Na̱mǥis issued a statement thanking the federal government for their role in closing the salmon farms south of the Broughton off Campbell River. Homiskanis stated at the time, that while the high Fraser River sockeye numbers were welcomed, salmon returns to the local Nimpkish River were still nowhere near where they should be. He made the point that young Nimpkish salmon migrating to sea are too small when they are exposed to the lice and pathogens from the salmon farms situated in the waters off Port Hardy. The photos he received on August 28, confirmed his concerns.
'Namgis First Nation remains vigilant in the protection of salmon health in their territory, with several scientific research papers in progress, and two court cases pending regarding the survival of wild salmon. The Ḵwiḵwa̱sut'inux̱w Ha̱xwa'mis are also going to court to defend wild salmon. At the same time, the salmon farming industry works to overturn the closure of their farms and the 2029 federal ban on open net pen salmon farms throughout British Columbia.
"We will not cease our efforts to protect wild salmon. They are essential to us. Open net pen fish farms are killing wild salmon and must be removed," Homiskanis said.
SOURCE Namgis First Nation
For more information and for more photos: Chief Homiskanis Don Svanvik, 250-974-7506, [email protected]; Media support: Emilee Gilpin, [email protected], 514-701-9093
Share this article