Exercise 4

August 2, 2026 By: Kayla Wassen

I chose to examine opposition to open-net salmon farming in British Columbia, beginning with the 2017 occupation of the Midsummer Island salmon farm in the Broughton Archipelago. CBC and The Tyee reported that Indigenous protesters occupied the farm for approximately 81 days, arguing that open-net farms threatened wild salmon and were operating in their traditional territories without their consent. The occupation disrupted the farm’s operations and prevented the company from restocking some of its pens. Although the B.C. Supreme Court eventually ordered the protesters to remove their structures, their actions brought greater public and political attention to both the environmental effects of salmon farming and questions surrounding Indigenous rights and authority.

The occupation also appears to have contributed to positive change. In 2018, the provincial government and three First Nations reached an agreement concerning salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago. Under the agreement, ten of the seventeen farms would be removed, while the remaining farms would require agreements with the affected First Nations to continue operating. This connects strongly to How to Change the World, which shows how Greenpeace used nonviolent direct action and media attention to make environmental issues difficult for governments and the public to ignore. Similarly, the Broughton protesters placed themselves directly at the site of the conflict, disrupted regular operations, and pushed the issue into public and political discussion. Their actions suggest that civil disobedience can bring positive change, particularly when it is nonviolent and connected to clear demands.

What I found especially interesting in my research was seeing how this specific occupation fits within a much larger and continuing debate.Trudeau’s government later promised to phase out open-net salmon farms throughout B.C. by 2029. However, recent reporting from The Tyee shows that the federal government continues to face pressure from opposing sides, and Carney’s government may now be reconsidering that commitment. In 2024, Pacific Wild’s FOFF campaign had already argued that waiting five years for the phase-out was too long. This connects to the urgency expressed in How to Change the World: “We have to make the right decision now.” That warning feels even more meaningful because the five-year transition has not even been completed, yet a change in government may already be placing the commitment in doubt. 

Overall, this issue shows that civil disobedience can attract attention and contribute to measurable change, but environmental activism cannot necessarily end once a government makes a promise. Governments and priorities change, so continued public pressure may be necessary to ensure that promised action actually happens.

 

 

Sources:

CBC News, “B.C. Supreme Court Orders Protesters to Leave Fish Farm,” November 15, 2017.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fish-farm-occupation-1.4401678

Andrew Nikiforuk, “BC Supreme Court Orders End to Fish Farm Occupation,” The Tyee, November 15, 2017.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/11/15/BC-Supreme-Court-Orders-End-Fish-Farm-Occupation

Government of British Columbia, “Government, First Nations Chart Path for Aquaculture in Broughton Archipelago,” December 14, 2018.
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0151-002412

Pacific Wild, “Fish Farms Out.”
https://pacificwild.org/campaign/fish-farms-out

Sarah Cox, “Feds Won’t Recommit to the BC Salmon Farm Ban,” The Tyee, May 8, 2026.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/05/08/Feds-BC-Salmon-Farm-Ban