Salmon Farm Health and Transfer Monitoring in British Columbia

Fish health and transfer data from licensed salmon aquaculture facilities in British Columbia, managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The dataset includes mandatory reports on sea lice abundance, antimicrobial use, mortality rates, and causes of mortality. It supports compliance monitoring and biosecurity oversight through the Fish Health Audit and Surveillance Program.

Use Cases

• Analyze monthly sea lice abundance reports to monitor compliance with DFO thresholds and assess infestation trends.
• Investigate patterns in antimicrobial use data across farms to evaluate treatment practices and potential resistance risks.
• Model mortality rates and suspected causes of mortality to identify common health events and risk factors.
• Audit fish transfer applications and associated veterinary attestations to track biosecurity measures during stock movements.

Strengths

• Data originates from mandatory reporting required under aquaculture licence conditions, ensuring regulatory coverage.
• Includes multiple health metrics such as sea lice counts, antimicrobial use, and mortality causes for integrated analysis.
• Oversight includes routine DFO inspections and independent audits to verify data accuracy.

Limitations

• Specific data volume, row count, and column structure are unknown, limiting assessment of analytical scope.
• Potential geographic bias as data is limited to licensed salmon farms in British Columbia, Canada.
• Relies on industry self-reporting for routine metrics, which may introduce reporting inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Mandatory reports submitted by aquaculture licence holders, supplemented by DFO audits and inspections.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-03-24, indicating regular maintenance.

Geography

British Columbia, Canada