Don't mask farmed salmon with greenwashing

The Canadian Government and the salmon farming industry want you to believe that their open net-cage farming practices are "environmentally-responsible." They're creating a certification to convince you.

Last year Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Association (CAIA) for a "market access" initiative to create a certification system "for use across the Canadian aquaculture sector", including farmed salmon.

This "industry-led" certification is mere greenwashing of status quo farming practices, with no intention of driving change or addressing key environmental impacts.

Send an email to federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Keith Ashfield and Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry Ritz as well as CAIA to let them know you won't be fooled. Tell them to clean up the open net-cage industry and support the growing movement to more responsible closed containment salmon farming.

Ministers Keith Ashfield and Gerry Ritz

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Dear Minister Ashfield, Minister Ritz and the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Association (CAIA),

As a concerned Canadian citizen and consumer, I do not believe the government funded and "industry-led" Canadian Aquaculture Standard certification should be allowed to falsely claim open-cage farmed salmon as "responsible".

It would allow the certification of salmon open net-cage practices that have been scientifically shown to negatively impact marine ecosystems.

In particular, it does not set standards in key environmental impact areas, including:

-The use of synthetic parasiticides and chemicals
-The continued, uncontrollable spread of disease and parasites to wild fish
-Uncontrolled disposal of fish feces into the ocean
-Escapes of farmed fish that compete or interbreed with wild fish
-Entanglement , drowning deaths and licensed killing of marine mammals
-The use of wild fish in feed which contributes to a net loss of marine protein and a drain on already strained global fish stocks

Given the environmental issues associated with open net-cages, certification that labels them as "responsible" is irresponsible in itself.

Any certification model that relies on status quo conformity to current conventional practices is a mere greenwash.

Any Canadian-industry certification must reflect practices that address the well-researched impacts of aquaculture and must strive for continuous improvement. Such a standard would support producers that are using innovative practices to deliver truly sustainable 'responsible' products, such as closed containment farmed salmon.