Ken S. Coates: Fish farming leads to Canada's economic stability

Dr. Ken S. Coates is one of Canada's leading historians and analysts on the challenges and opportunities facing the country. After his keynote at Cold Harvest 2025 in St. John's, N.L., Ken sits down with host Ian Roberts to talk about how B.C.'s salmon farming industry could benefit Canada by providing economic stability to coastal communities. His thoughts are based on his recently published Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) paper titled, "Swimming against the tide: The case for salmon fish farming in British Columbia."

Ian Roberts travelled to St. John's, Newfoundland and met with Canadian aquaculturists at the Cold Harvest Conference & Trade Fair (Sept. 23-25). He sat down with Keith Sullivan, executive director of Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Industry Association; Joel Richardson, vice-president of public relations at Cooke Aquaculture; Aaron Bennet, development and compliance director at Mowi Canada East; Janice Duggan-Malloy, technical operations supervisor at Cold Ocean Salmon; and Fabian Manning Jr., owner and president of 360 Marine Ltd.

Rochak Sharma, chief product officer at TidalX AI, explores how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing salmon net pen farming. Discover how advanced camera systems and machine learning are improving fish health, optimizing feeding, and tackling sea lice.

Corey Peet has extensive international experience working on seafood sustainability. He started his career working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the David Suzuki Foundation, raising concerns about aquaculture. In this episode, he emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to aquaculture, advocating for solutions rather than outright opposition.

The sea lice debate has been a long-standing and controversial topic surrounding salmon farming in British Columbia. In this episode, host Ian Roberts and biologist Lance Stewardson discuss the latest sea lice monitoring results along the B.C. coast: Has the closure of salmon farms in two distinct regions affected the levels of sea lice on juvenile wild salmon?

Former fish farmer, turned author John Goodlad has a launched a new book, "Food from the Sea: The future of seafood." The book takes the reader around the world, telling stories about the last of the ocean hunters and the first of the ocean farmers. John shares about his early career in fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood, and how it inspired him to write down the untold history of those who work in the ocean.

Petter M. Johannessen has been head of the IFFO The Marine Ingredients Organisation since 2018. IFFO is an international trade organisation that represents the marine ingredients industry, such as fishmeal and fish oil. With 91% of fish meal and 64% of fish oil are used in aquaculture, he shares how the organisation is supporting sustainable and responsible sourcing. 

Sophie Ryan, CEO of Global Salmon Initiative, shares how the organisation's mission for transparent data reporting opens dialogue for the salmon farming industry's sustainability practices.

Christopher Lloyd is the secretary general of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) based in the United Kingdom. In this episode, he discusses the organization's role in promoting best practices across various livestock sectors, including salmon farming.

Dag Sletmo is the senior vice-president and client advisor for DNB Bank - Seafood. In this episode, host Ian Roberts discusses the evolving landscape of salmon farming. They explore the bank's role in financing salmon farming projects, emphasizing the importance of profitability, manageable risk, and sustainability.