Protest outside of Department of Fisheries and Oceans no April Fools’ Joke Says WCWC : WC Mediawire

Protest outside of Department of Fisheries and Oceans
no April Fools’ Joke Says WCWC

Conservationists demand open net-cage salmon farms be immediately closed in light of ground-breaking scientific report

Vancouver, BC. – The Wilderness Committee protested at noon today outside of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on Burrard Street calling for DFO to uphold its mandate to protect wild salmon by shutting down open-net cage salmon farms in British Columbia.

A recent ground-breaking scientific report which confirmed that sea lice from a fish farm in the Broughton Archipelago resulted in a massive infestation in migrating wild salmon smolts has led to renewed public pressure to close the controversial open-net cage salmon farms that dot BC’s coast.

"All along DFO has been dragging its heels, saying that it needs more science. Well the science is here and denials and stalling just won’t cut it anymore. Everyone seems to know what is happening in the Broughton Archipelago except DFO," commented Barlee. "Everywhere you have open net-cage salmon farms you have sea lice epidemics and collapses of wild salmon. We have seen it in Scotland and England and we are seeing it in BC."

The University of Alberta report published in the prestigious scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, has sent shock waves through the fish farm industry. Where previously there have been numerous studies showing a strong correlation between sea lice infestations on fish farms and infection of wild salmon, the U of A study definitively showed that a salmon farm in the Broughton Archipelago was responsible for an explosion of sea lice which infected wild salmon.

Notably the team of researchers found that the transmission of sea lice from farmed salmon infected wild juvenile salmon migrating past the farm at an intensity that was 73 times higher than natural ambient levels. The infection rate continued to exceed natural levels for 30 kilometres along the migration route.

"If our politicians care about protecting wild salmon they will step in and shut down these farms. We have a crisis unfolding in slow motion right before our eyes, but we also have the power to stop it. Right now our wild salmon need decisive action and political leadership, not excuses," said a concerned Barlee. "We are challenging DFO to uphold the law and protect BC’s wild salmon".

For more information contact:
Gwen Barlee, Wilderness Committee Policy Director at 604-683-8220 (w) or 604-202-0322 (c)

Those U.S. foundations just keep pulling your strings. Look into the issues, especially the report you so fondly speak about. The report states 'no conclusion can be made', but your press release makes a bunch of conclusions. Perhaps Gwen should read past the cover page to read the science - if that's what it can be called. Actually, I keep blaming Gwen, but I know and all her semi-retarded inbred protester groupies couldn't write a press release, yet alone read one.
Yeah, eat more wild salmon, that'll save 'em. Wow, and how much money is Hewlitt Packard and Mrs. Ford paying you to come up with these brainless ideas?

How can WCWC not be aware that the highest return of pink salmon have been in the past few years, when commercial fishing was reduced because salmon farming started? How can WCWC be speaking for wild salmon when they actively encourage people to eat only wild salmon? That didn't work 20 years ago, so why would it work now?

About fifteen years ago I visited a friend who worked as a scuba diver on a fish farm. Although the location of the fish farm was gorgeous, I was appalled by the condition of the farmed fish. In fact, so disgusted was I that, after my visit, I made a vested effort not to eat farmed fish. Since my visit, I’ve often wondered how many people would continue to eat farmed salmon if they knew of the way in which the fish are fed and harvested?
As far as I can tell the WCWC is not suggesting that people eat *more* wild salmon, but rather that we limit our intake of seafood, and while doing so, make considered choices in what kind of seafood we choose to eat.

Only a misguided idiot would ignore the fact that farmed fish are responsible for spreading sea lice epidemics to wild salmon. Come on people, try and take a look at the long-term picture.

Here is the link to the report, Transmission dynamics of parasitic sea lice from farm to wild salmon, showing the relationship between a sea lice infestation on a salmon farm in the Broughton Archipelago and the massive infection of wild salmon smolts who had to swim past the farm.

The paper is peer reviewed and published in a prestigious scientific journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Here is another link providing a more succinct summary of the findings.

To clear up a misconception, I just wanted to clarify that over 80% of the Wilderness Committee's operating budget comes from our 27,000 members and 40,000 supporters. People who feel strongly about protecting our wild places for future generations.

The last comments by dumb and dumber show the intellectual,moral and scientific deficit of the fish farm industry and its irrelevant washed-up mouth piece pay me big money from the fish farm industry Patrich Moore.The science is overwhelming against open net fish farms.The latest report on sea lice from the Royal Society proves without a doubt that fish farms are destroying the wild salmon.This peer reviewed report vindicates Alexandra Morton John Volpe and numerous scientist from around the world.Gordon Campbell who receives campaign donations from the fish farm industry can no longer ignore the science and the fish farm indusrty can no longer hide behind Gordon Campbell.The public now knows your dirty secrets.Fish farms if done right can take the pressure off the wild stocks only if there is closed containment tanks,no escapements,non medicated non colored non toxic and the feed must not destroy fisheries from third world countries.Then and only then will I support Fish Farms.

http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/images/graph_02.gif

Gwen, this peer reviewed study only shows that both farmed and wild salmon have sealice. It doesn't seem to address whether there are other hosts that carry sealice or whether the sealice is even causing mortality in wild salmon smolts. If the study was really looking for answers, don't you think they would have looked to see if the nearby salmon farm even had gravid females (egg bearing) sealice (this is available on the web)? If they didn't have gravid females at the time the study was done, then the source must have come from somewhere else. I don't doubt that some sealice is shared between farmed and wild, but this doesn't necessarily mean it's causing mortality. In addition to this, the Pink returns have been the highest since salmon farming has been in the area, so it would be just as easy to conclude that the sealice are beneficial. Sounds silly I know, but is based on about as much science as this 'peer reviewed' study. Thank goodness there is some good science happening, which is looking at lethal loads and identifying where each louse may be feeding through it's life cycle. Perhaps you should wait until we can speak through science and not through emotion and politics.

Here is some more interesting information on the connection between sea lice and salmon farms in Scotland.

Considering what's at stake, I would think it prudent to err on the side of safety. I, too thought that aquaculture was a good thing - that it would take some pressure off of the wild salmon. I'm older and wiser now. I don't need science to know that this situation is screwed up. When has humankind EVER successfully managed nature? Never, I think. Although I guess it depends on your point of view. If the wild salmon are wiped out, sales of the farmed atlantic type will undoubtedly increase. As for myself, I'll eat nothing-but-beets before I'll eat the freaky farmed fish.

Farming salmon IS erring on the side of caution. You mention that you don't want wild salmon wiped out - then why would this website and many others suggest that eating wild salmon is the vogue thing to do. You're right on one comment though - we don't seem to be able to manage nature - buffalo, Atlantic cod etc. But those were wild animals and we were attempting to manage their populations and it didn't work. So why would wild salmon be any different? - the wild fishery attempts to manage the population and it probably won't work given the greed of many to make a lot of bucks in their generation. So enter aquaculture, a way to lessen the pressure on nature to provide for humans. Brilliant idea, but too bad a bunch of well paid environmental groups have been paid by a bunch of Americans to fight it tooth and nail so they can protect an apparent 'wild' U.S. fishery that is based on hatcheries and pellet fed fish............phew, that was a mouthful, but someone has to say it!
Imagine if we farmed cod a few years ago? Enjoy your beets.

I came across this information on a website that was discussing salmon and sealice. I thought it was interesting as the authors of these studies had led most people to believe that it was conclusive evidence that farmed salmon is to blame for any variation in wild salmon returns. A prominent radio host (now fired) even fell into this trap.
Here are 3 direct quotes from these studies. Doesn't sound conclusive at all.

"This study cannot provide a causal link among salmon farms, sea lice, and juvenile wild salmonid infection rates", (Alexandra Morton, 2004)

"No direct evidence of a causal link between L. salmonis on farmed salmon in this area and mortality of wild juvenile salmon. These data have lead us to believe that high spawner densities contributed to the low survival of the 2000 brood year", (Ian V. Williams, 2002 submitted to the David Suzuki Foundation).

"No general conclusion can be made on the transmission dynamics of lice from farm to wild salmon based on this study alone", (Krkosek, Lewis, Volpe 2004)

Western Canada Wilderness Committee

Western Canada Wilderness Committee