Mowi, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood now have two more years to operate their netpen salmon farms in British Columbia thanks to a federal ruling delivered Wednesday by Canada Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray that extended the farmers licenses while the government continues efforts to transition away from netpen farming by 2025.

But what realistically can be accomplished over the next 24 months?

"Salmon farming has about a five to six-year production cycle so we needed a six-year license term to reflect that," Michelle Franze, manager of communications, partnerships and community at the BC Salmon Farmers Association, told IntraFish.