|
Inquiry must not impede immediate action to protect wild salmon
As many of you have heard, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called for a judicial inquiry into the recent collapse of the Fraser River sockeye salmon. While news of the inquiry is positive, it should by no means preclude the implementation of immediate measures that can be taken to protect wild salmon and ocean ecosystems now.
This includes emergency protection for out-migrating wild salmon from existing net-cages, a moratorium on new open net-cage salmon farms in BC, as well as funding and development of closed containment technology.
It is also important to note that this is not the first investigation to be done concerning Pacific salmon declines. In fact, this inquiry is the fourth in addition to reviews done in 1994, 2002 and 2004. Yet here we are, still in crisis! Inquiries can reveal critical information, but also tend to stall any other actions until the results of the inquiry come in. We don’t need to wait nearly two years for a judicial inquiry to confirm what scientists around the world already know: wherever salmon farms are located, they contribute to the decline of wild salmon.
Send a fax to Stephen Harper to remind him that the verdict is already in on open net-cage salmon farms and their destructive effects. As the judicial inquiry investigates what happened to the Fraser River sockeye, the removal of open net-cages from the water (beginning with the five key farms in the Georgia Strait’s Okisollo Channel, BC’s ‘Wild Salmon Narrows’) and investing in the development of closed containment technology are decisive, logical, and attainable steps towards the overall goal of protecting wild salmon and the marine environment.
The Global Week of Action a success!
Thank you for helping make this year’s Global Week of Action a success! During the week of November 9th to 14th, people across BC, the US, Chile, Norway, Scotland and Ireland took part in an international effort to create awareness and take action around the destructive effects of open net-cage salmon farming.
 
|
Vancouver Rally
|
CAAR’s Wild Salmon Narrows supporters sent daily emails to Minister Shea, Premier Campbell, their MP and/or MLA, asking them what they’re doing to address the various impacts of open net-cage aquaculture.
MP Jean Crowder (Nanaimo-Cowichan) informed the House of Commons on October 23rd of the Global Week of Action and asked what Canada’s federal government will do to protect wild salmon from the adverse effects of open net-cage salmon farming. CAAR member group the Georgia Strait Alliance helped organize a town hall meeting in Nanaimo with MP Jean Crowder and local citizens to discuss salmon farms and their potential role in the Fraser River sockeye crash.
Many of you attended screenings of the new documentary 'Farmed Salmon Exposed: The Global Reach of the Norwegian Salmon Farming Industry' by Damien Gillis.
With the help of other concerned politicians and citizens calling for government action, an inquiry into the Fraser River sockeye crash was called for by the federal government. (More on the inquiry in the next story.)
Through these achievements it is clear: citizens can stand together, make their voices heard and attain results! Thank you for your participation in this event and your continued efforts to speak up for BC’s wild salmon.
Credibility of “eco-certified” farmed Atlantic salmon falls short
Cooke Aquaculture, the largest farmed salmon producer on the east coast of Canada, is promoting itself as the first company in North America to offer so-called “eco-certified” farmed Atlantic salmon. While some supermarkets and restaurants are now selling this salmon in an effort to meet consumer demand for sustainable seafood products – the credibility of this eco-certification does not stand up to scrutiny.
Cooke does employ some alternative methods to raising farmed salmon that may lessen environmental impacts at a few of their sites, though by how much we do not know as assessments and comparisons have not been made public. Alternative methods include a three bay rotating management plan and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) which integrates raising plants and/or animals (which are usually lower on the food chain), with salmon in the same enclosure in an attempt to reduce organic waste. Species like mussels, seaweeds and other invertebrates can feed off and potentially remove some of these nutrients. However, key environmental impacts such as sea lice, disease and escapes are not addressed in a sustainable way on their farms.
To date, there has been no formal, independent or transparent assessment of the overall sustainability of Cooke’s IMTA farms. The few efforts to give “eco-certification” labels to IMTA farms have been industry-developed programs that do not meet the minimum requirements for credible certification set out by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization or the global association for standards setting, the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) alliance. The absence of critical elements such as transparency, multi-stakeholder engagement, and public comment periods mean Cooke's eco-labelling efforts fall short on credibility.
Cooke salmon farms are still heavily dependent on pesticides to control sea lice levels. SLICE is most commonly used and in July a different pesticide called deltamethrin was tested on nearly two million farmed salmon on Cooke farms in New Brunswick. The fish were bathed in this chemical, which is highly toxic to crustaceans, and it was then released into the marine environment. Dumping toxic chemicals into the open water? Hardly an environmentally friendly or sustainable way to raise farmed salmon. (For more information check out CAAR’s Cooke Aquaculture fact sheet.)
Although IMTA and other measures to improve current net-cage practices may be a small step in the right direction, the major environmental impacts of salmon farming are still present due to the continued use of open net-cages by Cooke, and the vast majority of commercial-scale salmon farms. The first step towards real sustainability is the transition to closed systems that separate farmed salmon from the marine environment.
But there are reasons for hope. An increasing number of innovators are looking to closed containment systems as a way to grow salmon and meet rigorous sustainability criteria. This proves farmed salmon could have a place on sustainable seafood connoisseur’s plates in the near future.
Closed containment technology in the news
Global News BC did a great story on contained fish farming a few weeks ago. The story reviews the problems with farming salmon in net-cages and covers progress being made in the development of closed containment technology.
The story also shows examples of closed containment facilities in BC as well as the new solid wall floating containment system installed two months ago in China, also using BC technology. In case you didn’t catch it, here is a link to the video.
If you like this story, send an email to BC Global news thanking them for covering this important issue, and to ask them to continue keeping British Columbians informed of the progress of closed containment technology.
|
