fish farm siting criteria & politics

The Courier-Islander, 16th April 2010

Alexandra's Great "Get Out Migration"

Ray Grigg

Exasperation is often the inventor of heroic enterprises. Maybe this is the most succinct explanation for Alexandra Morton's "Get Out Migration", a trek to Victoria that is protesting the environmentally damaging effects of open net-pen salmon farms on BC's West Coast.

The final louse that seems to have inspired her decision to begin this journey was an innocuous article in the industry's magazine, Intrafish. It contended that the significant infection source for the epidemic of sea lice devastating wild salmon smolts wasn't the gauntlet of farms they must pass on their out-migration to the sea but sticklebacks, little bottom fish that have always been part of the sea louse's life cycle. This contention was so transparently vacuous that exasperation seems to have be Morton's only appropriate reaction. Even worse, as she wrote in her e-mail bulletin of March 15th, "our government scientists appeared to agree", even though "the non government scientific community of BC have thoroughly and repeatedly trounced this, and yet here is it again."

The Intrafish claim is symbolic of the growing fiasco surrounding the industrial farming of salmon along BC's coast. Government scientists and agencies seem to be acting in collusion with the industry against overwhelming evidence from independent scientists and actual historical experience in Norway, Scotland, Ireland and Chile. This evidence concludes that diseases, parasites and pollution from industrial salmon farming are ultimately a disaster for wild stocks.

Indeed, the barrage and intensity of recent criticism levelled at the industry has been withering -- their dogged denials would be farcical if the ecological implications were not so serious. The loss of nearly 11 million out-migrating Fraser River sockeye was just one of a litany of events implicating open net-pen operations with damage to wild fish. The latest scathing condemnation -- not counting the unsolicited warning from Norway's former Attorney General that "if you want to protect wild salmon then you have to move salmon farms away from migration routes"-- comes from the prestigious Salmon & Trout Association of the United Kingdom, a 107 year-old organization with 100,000 members (Globe & Mail, Mar. 29/10).

The S&TA's findings are damning. It reports that a careful examination of peer reviewed scientific studies, "reveals a devastating catalogue of malpractice in the way salmon farming is impacting wild salmon, sea trout and the marine environment, and provides incontrovertible proof that it is a sword of Damocles suspended over some of Scotland's most iconic natural resources." It accuses the salmon farming industry "of precipitating an environmental disaster" because of its sea lice, escaped fish and pollution. "The scientific literature unequivocally demonstrates that fish farms, as presently constructed and operated, are having a disastrous impact on native fisheries, the wider environment, and the many public benefits associated with it." The findings emphasize the importance of the Precautionary Principle and insist on "the government's statutory responsibility, and the industry's moral one, to protect... wild salmon and sea trout -- before it is too late." The solution it recommends is closed containment, precisely what a BC government panel advised to solve the problem here. Because our biologically rich West Coast is at risk of far greater ecological impact, Morton's desperate concern for the safety of wild salmon is more than justified.

Since government inaction here seems to be some combination of stalling, evasion, ineptitude or collusion, Morton has decided to try something even more dramatic than the numerous legal actions she has initiated over the years. "Therefore," she writes, "I have decided it is time to take the issue of industrial salmon farming to the people in an unprecedented way. I have written letters, done the science, met with government and industry around the world, engaged in government processes, talked to thousands of people, been the subject of international media and films, and today I stand facing a vertical wall of impenetrable denial. Nothing has brought reason to this situation. We will lose our wild salmon if government continues to carelessly put farm salmon before wild salmon every time."

Her exasperation is evident. "Because there has been no significant progress in spite of this enormous effort and time spent by many, I no longer feel there is hope of reforming this industry. Government is allowing Norwegian salmon farmers to continue denying even the most basic issues, like sea lice and ISA virus introduction to the North Pacific. If we let this play out our wild fish simply will not survive.

"So it is time for the Get Out Migration. I am not talking about all aquaculture. I am referring specifically to the massive scale Norwegian feedlots. There are Canadian fish farmers who know how to use tanks on land who are not impacting our wild salmon and herring. This is about saving wild salmon and all of us who depend on them."

So, she writes of her march, "I will begin deep in the beautiful Ahta River in mid April with the salmon and move by boat through the Broughton Archipelago to Sointula. On Earth Day, April 22, I will simply start walking to Victoria and ask people to join me to stand up for wild salmon so that our politicians will know we exist. We will communicate our progress and connect the countries facing this industry through the website www.salmonaresacred.org." (See this website for local times and details.)

She and her fellow travellers will reach Heriot Bay on Quadra Island by flotilla and then gather at the Island's Community Centre at 7:30 p.m. on April 27th. They will arrive in Campbell River at Spirit Square off the 9 a.m. ferry on the morning of April 28th and reach Courtenay and Comox on April 29th. Then they trek south to be in Victoria for Mother's Day on May 8th.

Morton's protest is politically risky. But pledged support and participation are burgeoning. Walkers and planned events on Vancouver Island are multiplying. And groups from the Fraser Valley and elsewhere intend to converge in Victoria for the culminating march to the legislature. If enough people join Alexandra, her response to exasperation could become an event powerful enough to bring some sanity to BC's open net-pen salmon farming industry -- before it really is too late.

http://www.canada.com/business/Alexandra+Great+Migration/2912600/story.html
 
The Courier-Islander, 16th April 2010

Environmentalists and scientists paid big money to hurt fish farms, says researcher

Dan Maclennan
BC's fish farming industry is being badly outplayed and losing a public relations battle where huge U.S. foundations are paying environmentalists and scientists to hurt aquaculture in support of the Alaskan wild salmon fishery.

That was the basis of a presentation to Campbell River city council Tuesday night from Vivian Krause, a former aquaculture industry worker with a Masters degree in nutrition.

"(The aquaculture industry is) being outplayed," Krause told the Courier-Islander after her presentation. "Their team's losing. They need to get better performance out of their players, or they need to get better players or they need a better coach.

"The aquaculture industry has got to accept that it's losing this game. If it wants to win it's going to have to play differently."

Krause's allegations brought denials from Alexandra Morton, the David Suzuki Foundation and Dr. Martin Krkosek this week, but first a look at Krause and her presentation.

"We've based our work on peer-reviewed published science and we continue to advocate for changes that will protect wild fish from the effects of farmed salmon."

"Vivian Krause has been on this subject for years," Morton said yesterday. "She should fact-check. I am not receiving money from big US foundations. To suggest that this is all in aid of protecting the Alaskan fishery, when it's an issue that's occurring around the world - is ignoring all of that."

Morton rejected Krause's "fantastic story" about "an imaginary payroll." Morton the science is sound and the extinction warning didn't come true because the research triggered "enormous" changes on the fish farms.

"It caused the province to set a limit on the number of lice that they are allowed to have when these young fish go by," she said.

"That is why we still have some salmon left coming into the Broughton Archipelago. As soon as we shined the spotlight on them, those fish farmers cleaned up their act."

Krkosek said "both the University of Alberta and Science gave serious consideration to (Krause's) allegations and investigated the matter. Both institutions then dismissed the charges."

"My research is not part of a conspiracy to deposition the BC aquaculture industry in favour of wild Alaskan salmon," he said.

"My research program is an objective attempt at understanding and advancing the sustainability of wild and farmed salmon in BC. One outcome of the work is that there are negative effects of farmed salmon on wild salmon, which are now well understood. Another outcome is that the effects may be mitigated via management and policy change, which I am currently working on in collaboration with aquaculture companies, DFO, conservation organizations, and other academics."

Krause's presentation brought qualified support from the aquaculture industry yesterday.

"We find this information very interesting and would like to thank Ms. Krause for her hard work in exposing this," said Marine Harvest Canada communications manager Ian Roberts. "We believe this information is very important for the public to see. Yes, Ms. Krause's findings are certainly concerning to us, but we believe our efforts are best spent providing our customers with a healthy, sustainable product."

Roberts forwarded comment from BC Salmon Farmers Association communications manager Colleen Dane.

"We won't comment on Ms. Krause's presentation to council specifically, but we know that her research is very interesting and brings forward information that is important for the public to hear and consider in the ongoing debate about salmon farming," Dane said. "The protection of our coast is an important and complex debate with many voices weighing in. BC's Salmon Farmers agree that public discussion, including a variety of perspectives, is important. Ms. Krause's work is an example of another factor playing into the already-complex dialogue."

http://www.canada.com/business/Envi...fish+farms+says+researcher/2912588/story.html
 
The Globe & Mail, 14th April 2010

Natives cite science, culture in quest to sue over fish farms



The Kwicksutaineuk/Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation alleges fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago has severely damaged wild salmon stocks. The group is seeking authorization to sue the federal and B.C. governments. Associated Press
B.C. bands seeking authorization to sue province, Ottawa allege fish farms have damaged vitally important wild salmon


Mark Hume
Both the weight of modern scientific research and the traditional cultural importance of salmon have been raised in court by a group of native bands seeking certification to pursue a class-action lawsuit against government .

The Kwicksutaineuk/Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation (KAFN), comprised of several bands from northern Vancouver Island, are trying to get authorization from the Supreme Court of British Columbia to sue the federal and provincial governments for allegedly damaging wild salmon stocks by allowing fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago.

The foundation of the case rests on two key affidavits, which were cited Wednesday in the opening remarks of J.J. Camp, a lawyer for the native bands.

In one affidavit, Chief Robert Chamberlin said salmon are central to the lives of the aboriginal people in the Broughton Archipelago, who share a common language, culture and historical experience.

He said the tribes have village and fishing sites in the area that date to before European contact.

“The traditional abundance of salmon runs is the material foundation for our large winter villages and our winter ceremonies,” stated the affidavit.

Mr. Camp told the court that according to Mr. Chamberlin, “virtually all phases of KAFN members’ lives are marked by ceremonies, called P’asa [potlatches] or Gwi-las [simpler feasts] in which the consumption of salmon is an integral part.”

Mr. Camp said births, the naming of children, coming of age, marriages and other ceremonies marked by salmon feasts have been harmed because wild stocks in the area have largely been wiped out.

He said each household in the Broughton Archipelago got only two salmon last year and the cost of potlatches and other ceremonies increased dramatically because more groceries had to be shipped in by boat.

Mr. Camp said the bands – and science – blame the proliferation of salmon farms and the alleged related spread of sea lice for the collapse of wild stocks.

Lawyers for both the federal and provincial governments have yet to make their arguments.

A second affidavit, which is being challenged by government lawyers, reviewed the scientific evidence.

Fred Whoriskey, vice-president of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and an adjunct professor at Dalhousie University, stated in the affidavit that the decline of salmon runs in the Broughton Archipelago coincides with the growth of salmon farming from 1987 to 2006.

“The research that has come out of the Broughton Archipelago has convinced me that lice from the salmon farms are infecting and killing wild salmon in the region,” Mr. Whoriskey said.

There is some debate over the link between farm lice and wild salmon, Mr. Whoriskey said in the affidavit, but “a mounting weight of scientific evidence points to farm-origin lice” as having an impact on wild salmon.

“Considering the evidence for wild salmon population declines in the Broughton Archipelago, and the links to sea lice from salmon farms that have been and are being established, the present [government regulated] management regime does not in my opinion provide adequate protection for wild salmon,” stated Mr. Whoriskey.

Government lawyers have already challenged Mr. Whoriskey’s credibility, saying he is an expert on Atlantic salmon, not Pacific salmon, and they have asked the court to dismiss his affidavit.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-quest-to-sue-over-fish-farms/article1534906/
 
quote:Originally posted by agentaqua

Seafood Intelligence, 14th April 2010

BC FOI farmed salmon health data: Industry concerned data will be manipulated to “create undue fear”

Okay, I guess I have to throw-in my 2 cents?

I don't think that data will have be manipulated at all to "create undue fear"? I don't see any reason to manipulate anything, the numbers speak for themselves. All one has to do is compare those Virus outbreaks, numbers, and results with something more familiar? Say using the human population of The Greater Victoria region – with a combined population of 330,088? That would be enough to create a little concern.

The results would look like this:
• Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus (ISAV) – none detected from 1326 fish equals “0” cases
• Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) - none detected from 1326 fish equals “0” cases
• Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) - 27 positive detected from 1326 fish, representing the end of the 2001-2002 outbreak. That is 20% would equate to 66,017 outbreaks on a human population of 330,088?
• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHSV, Pacific strain) - 11 positive from detected from 1326 fish, and there only 8% or 26,477 outbreaks of this?
• Piscirickettsia salmonis - 9 positive from detected from 1326 fish so only 23,106 have this one?

These are “all” an infectious disease. Meaning out of a total population of 330,088 Victoria would have 115,600 outbreaks of the flu… in the case of salmon, they will “die”! And, how many millions of salmon are we referring to?

Now for their good news… Of the infectious disease found in some carcasses, the main diagnoses were bacterial kidney disease (8% - equates to 35,655 people in Victoria died from – breast cancer) and mouth myxobacteriosis (6% or 19,805 people died of – prostate cancer). For farmed Pacific salmon carcasses tested, 66% of the audit cases found ‘no infectious disease’ (at the farm-level) – “meaning” died from other causes – than a virus, and the main disease diagnoses were bacterial kidney disease (32% - back to died from – breast cancer) and the gill parasite Loma (4% died from “other reasons”).

All-in all, it’s okay, don’t worry – none of this is in proportion of “The Influenza Epidemic of 1918” and no one has AIDS, “yet” – So, there is nothing to worry about!

This might sound a little or harsh or radical putting these numbers to humans, but it is “exactly” what they are stating is the health of “farmed salmon”!
 
good post charlie.

The thing that gets me is the audacity of industry hacks like walling.

She is, in fact, trying hard to take all our democratic and human rights away by attempting to promote her legitimacy to become "Big Sister" and poo-paaing anyone else's legitimate concerns about our collectively-owned public resources by assuming she has somehow more rights to speak for risks to those resources than us - and then explaining industry attempts to hide info away and others to bring it to light as "fearmongering" or that her industry's right to hide sh*t is somehow justified by claiming "profit margins", "intellectual property", or "undue fear".

By stating somthing as "due" or "undue", that person is trying to illegitimize other's opinions, as is stating that: "it's important that those numbers are explained responsibly” - as if her interpretation is the only "responsible" one.

It's paternalistic as h*ll, as well as desperate and sad.
 
November 13, 2009

Salmon & Trout Association, Association of Salmon Fishery Boards, Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland

Response to Draft Indicators for environmentally, socially and economically responsible salmon farming


General Comments

This is a disappointing and ultimately frustrating draft. It seeks only to set standards over existing practice, rather than demand action which would develop the aquaculture industrial towards environmental sustainability. It would pass as the industry’s internal standards document, merely proposing monitoring protocols for analyzing sediment and water quality, and for half heartedly addressing parasite and disease transfer and location issues.

However, there is a feeling of déjà vu to the content, and the fact that we have moved little further forward over the past two decades. It threatens to standardise flawed operating procedures, rather than tackling the deep rooted problems associated with salmon aquaculture.

This response is made on behalf of the Salmon & Trout Association, Association of Salmon Fishery Boards and the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland, and so is inevitably focussed on Scottish salmon farming, although the issues are mostly generic. Our comments are made with the knowledge that the Scottish industry intends to significantly increase production to fill the void left by deteriorating operating conditions in other countries – without first addressing its existing impact.

Specific Issues

Official denial – there is little in these draft standards that alludes to the severe impact salmon aquaculture has inflicted on wild salmon and sea trout and the surrounding freshwater and marine aquatic environment. Governments and industry are still in public denial, despite the wealth of peer reviewed scientific literature confirming the devastating effects of parasites and disease transferring from farms to wild salmon and sea trout; biological and chemical pollution emanating from farm units; and fish farm escapees adversely interacting with wild salmonids.</u>

There are serious paradoxes in both Government, agency and industry positions on this with respect to the inspiration of and participation in initiatives that are overtly established to relieve these problems and the public positions and statements of these organisations on this matter (NASCO / TWG / Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture / SNH policy statements etc). We believe that for an environmental NGO of WWF’s stature and reputation to engage in discussions about mitigation of impacts of this nature without a clear recognition and articulation of these problems is untenable.

7 Point Plan – is vague and fails to show any teeth. Its underlying principle seems to be the need to prove parasite and disease impact on wild salmonids against ambient natural levels before any action is required. This is further proof of official denial, and completely ignores the precautionary principle. The plan also suggests that impacts can be ‘minimised, but this is an illusionary target impossible to achieve under current open system management. Wild fish, especially juveniles, can only be protected if there is no interaction with farmed fish.

Safe distance location - the draft discusses what might be a safe distance for salmon farms to be located away from wild salmonid migration routes. It is impossible to make a generic prediction of a safe distance, given the site specific nature of these impacts. The location of salmon farms must be established on an individual site basis, taking into account specific local issues and reliable lice dispersal models – not stabs in the dark.

Non natives - The draft suggests that non native species can be introduced if they are assessed to pose an acceptable level of risk.

This is totally irresponsible and unacceptable to wild fish interests – non native control is impossible under an open system management.

Freshwater smolt units – there is little mention in the draft standards covering smolt producing units in freshwater where the risk of introgression due to serial escapes is higher than from marine cage sites given the life stage at which escapes will occur. This is an extremely serious omission, particularly as Norway, the world’s largest producer of farmed salmon, already prohibits smolt units on rivers containing wild salmonids. This should be the basic standard and targeted aspiration across all Atlantic salmon producing countries where there is conflict with wild stocks

Action

To remain credible in this debate, WWF must make clear recommendations to move the industry towards environmental sustainability. Without this, the document is worthless.
It must be made clear that the Precautionary Principle is the overriding concern of these standards.

WWF must also commit to the principle that economic issues can never be allowed to override environmental protection.

Relocation – It is clear that, under current available technology, there is an inherent incompatibility at many sites between intensive farmed cage units and sustainable wild migratory salmonid fisheries. This problem will only be relieved through the strategic relocation from sensitive sites. If WWF is looking for common ground with the industry, then there could be no better and more credible short to medium term strategy than the pursuit of the objective of actively encouraging the development of large offshore sites where impacts are likely to be manageable, to allow the relief of pressures on sensitive inshore sites. This may allow the industry to expand but, whilst doing so, could create opportunities for the relief of pressures in certain locations and in so removing these farms allow for targeted monitoring and research to start to quantify the nature of these impacts.

Triploids – in the medium term, the safest way to protect wild salmon gene pools is to make the stocking of triploid salmon mandatory – within agreed time scales - on all salmon farms. WWF should include this issue as an industry target.

Enclosed systems – the only long term solution to making aquaculture secure and environmentally sustainable is to move to totally enclosed systems, whether on land or at sea. Such installations would genuinely minimise escapes (rather than providing lip service to the issue), prevent transfers of parasites and disease, and allow waste effluents and chemical treatments to be collected and treated in order to avoid environmental pollution. The industry must research the necessary technology as a matter of urgency, and within time scales set by the Scottish Government after consultation with aquaculture and wild fish interests.

Summary

As an environmental NGO, WWF MUST be prepared to target, articulate and address some of the obvious problems associated with negative interactions between wild and farmed fisheries, whether in the Atlantic or Pacific. Without that overt commitment, this document will fail totally to attract support from the main wild fisheries bodies. WWF should clearly identify solutions such as the relocation of sites away from sensitive areas, but even these must be seen purely as short to medium term remedies. The overwhelming view of the reactions to this paper, and similar initiatives in other countries, is that both marine and freshwater salmon aquaculture must be separated from wild migratory fish.</u> With evidence of unnaturally high lice drift over more than 70 miles in some locations, this is the only way to stop parasite and disease transfer, and guard in any credible way against fish farm escapes interacting with wild fish.
 
The Globe & Mail, 16th April 2010

B.C. asks court to deny class action certification in fish farm dispute

While agreeing ‘is is a serious issue,’ lawyer for government says it can be dealt with in ways other than class action

Mark Hume

The provincial government has asked the Supreme Court of British Columbia to deny a collection of aboriginal groups the right to launch a class action suit over the way fish farms are managed on the West Coast.

James Sullivan, a lawyer representing the B.C. government, urged the court to reject the certification application filed by Chief Robert Chamberlin on behalf of members of the Kwicksutaineuk/Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nations, saying a class action suit is the wrong tool to address the complaint.

Mr. Chamberlin alleges that the provincial and federal governments have so badly mismanaged fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago, off northeast Vancouver Island, that they have damaged the fishing and ceremonial practices of the native people there. The bands allege that sea lice epidemics have been caused by the salmon farms, leading to the decline of wild salmon stocks.

Mr. Chamberlin has said if certification under the Class Proceedings Act is granted, individual members of the first nation will be allowed to opt in or out before the proposed suit against the government proceeds.

Mr. Sullivan told Mr. Justice Harry Slade, however, that the question of fish-farm management and its impact on aboriginal rights is not a matter that should be dealt with by class action.

“I think everyone agrees it is a serious issue, but it’s not one where this is the only realistic forum to resolve it,” he said.

Mr. Sullivan said aboriginal people can and have joined together in class action suits before, such as when a group sued the government over residential school abuse, but those cases involved the violations of individual rights, which were best put forward by a group.

In this case, he said, “no matter how you dice or slice it … we are talking about fundamental aboriginal rights” and not individual rights.

Mr. Sullivan referred the court to Section 41 of the Class Proceeding Act, which states that the legislation does not apply to “a proceeding that may be brought in a representative capacity under another Act.”

He said the claim should be brought as an aboriginal rights and title issue, not as a class action suit.

But Judge Slade questioned the argument, saying that while Mr. Chamberlin “is bringing this proceeding to vindicate a collective right … [he is not] seeking to vindicate the rights of all individuals.”

The case is set to continue through next week.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...fication-in-fish-farm-dispute/article1536309/
 
BCSFA, 16th April 2010

BC Salmon Farmers granted standing in Fraser Sockeye Commission

The BC Salmon Farmers Association has been granted standing for the Cohen Commission - a judicial inquiry set to investigate the decline in wild Sockeye salmon and failure of the 2009 return.

"We're looking forward to the opportunity to clarify much of the misinformation that is being spread about salmon farming and its impact on wild salmon stocks," said Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association.

The federal government announced the creation of the commission in November 2009, naming Supreme Court of British Columbia Judge, the Honourable Bruce Cohen as commissioner.

Fifty applications were received by individuals and groups seeking standing on the commission - significantly higher than usual for such inquiries. By grouping some applicants and turning down others, a final tally of 20 representative groups have been given standing for the inquiry.

The BC Salmon Farmers Association will represent the 6,000 people employed directly and indirectly by the industry. Association representatives at the commission will provide accurate insightful information about farm operations, regulations, research and the environment.

The goal of the association is to answer any questions about the industry and its operations, as well as offer the extensive research and knowledge of B.C.'s coast.

"B.C.'s salmon farmers recognize that to be successful, we have to be accountable to the environment and our communities," said Walling. "Our participation with the commission is an example of the increased transparency we're committed to."

The BC salmon farming industry directly and indirectly employs 6,000 people and contributes $800-million to the economy each year. For more information, visit www.salmonfarmers.org - a special page addressing the Fraser River Sockeye commission has been created under In the News in the top menu bar

For more information
Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director
BC Salmon Farmers Association
(250) 286-1636

http://www.salmonfarmers.org/bc-salmon-farmers-granted-standing-fraser-sockeye-commission
 
The Vancouver Sun, 15th April 2010

Cohen Commission names 20 groups to Fraser sockeye salmon inquiry

Rio Tinto, salmon farmers get full standing

Scott Simpson

The Cohen Commission announced Thursday that 20 groups have been awarded standing for its inquiry into the decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River.

In all, some 52 groups have unique or shared standing to make oral submissions to the commission, propose and cross examine witnesses.

The governments of Canada and British Columbia, Pacific Salmon Commission, BC Salmon Farmers Society, Seafood Producers Association of B.C. and Rio Tinto Alcan have individual standing to make oral submissions to the commission, propose and cross examine witnesses.

Others including aboriginal tribal groups and fishing societies along the Fraser, environmentalists and sport and commercial fishers, have been awarded shared standings under titles such as First Nations Coalition and Conservation Coalition and will have to share funding resources available through the commission.

Sto:lo Tribal Council, the largest aggregation of aboriginal fishers in the lower Fraser, will share standing with Cheam first nation of Chilliwack.

Senior commission counsel Brian Wallace said in a press release that it appears the sockeye inquiry received more applications for standing than any prior federal commission of inquiry.

"Commissioner Cohen determined that several applicants with similar concerns should share in single grants of standing, bringing us down to 20.

"Those who did not receive standing can still be involved in the Commission's process by attending public hearings and making written submissions, which will be posted on our website."

The commission's task is to attempt to determine potential causes for the decline of sockeye in the Fraser and make recommendations "for improving the sustainability of the sockeye salmon fishery in the Fraser River, including, as required, any changes to the policies, practices and procedures of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in relation to the management of the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery."

In a written ruling, Commissioner Bruce Cohen said that although the inquiry terms of reference suggest a focus on recent sockeye returns, "this is not a commission of inquiry arising from a single factual incident."

"As a result, I view it as appropriate, and necessary, for this commission

to hear from a wide range of voices. This number is significantly greater than for other federal commissions of inquiry. For example, the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 received 21 applications for standing," Cohen wrote.

He said he was "heartened" by the willingness of many applicants to share standing with those holding similar interests – in light of his concern that "too many participants could make the process unwieldy and expensive."

Cohen said he awarded individual standing to salmon farmers on the premise that they are likely to face "adverse comment" from "researchers, environmentalists and fishers [who] have pointed to the aquaculture industry as a major cause for the decline."

Rio Tinto Alcan received individual standing because it anticipates that "it may be subject to adverse comment from other participants" due to its operation of a hydroelectric reservoir on a major tributary of the Fraser, the Nechako River.

Commercial fisherman David Ellis of the Fish For Life Foundation, was critical of the commission's selection methods.

"The process that was started with a short, poorly advertised deadline, and with a flawed premise based on a 'direct interest' in the Fraser River, a common property fishery, leaves in serious question the structural integrity of the Commission, and its ability to spend taxpayers money wisely," Ellis said in an e-mail.

He said the selection process "quickly became, and will remain, a tar pit of industrial interests with the most lawyer-power, positioning one against the other."

"Cohen set a short deadline, then let in only the most powerful and legal-savvy, scaring away most of those who could really solve the many problems that must be solved, if the river is to get through the present time of great crisis."

ssimpson@vancouversun.com

http://www.vancouversun.com/Cohen+C...ser+sockeye+salmon+inquiry/2911786/story.html
 
Note on the news article below, Walling quotes beamish`s work without mentioning size of smolts, and also brings-in the stickleback red herring, as well. Remember from earlier on this forum, we discussed the sink vs source argument - and that stickleback don`t have egg-bearing lice.
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Comox Valley Record, 16th April 2010

Salmon farmers say protesters are 'oversimplifying issues'

Philip Round

The challenges faced by the province's wild salmon population need attention - but shouldn't be oversimplified by targeting one unconfirmed linkage, the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association said this week.

"B.C.'s wild salmon are a marvel of nature and an important cultural symbol," said Mary Ellen Walling, executive director of the association.

"We want to see them protected and their populations enhanced as well."

She was responding to a new 'salmon are sacred' campaign calling for the elimination of fish farms in B.C. waters because of the alleged threat of sea lice.

As reported in Tuesday's Echo, the campaign includes a 'human migration' protest walk led by Alexandra Morton covering the length of Vancouver Island, passing through Courtenay on April 30.

Walling said the campaign was misdirected. B.C.'s wild salmon were facing many challenges - particularly climate change and rising water temperatures, urbanization and habitat loss.

While studies had shown there was a relationship between sea lice on farmed and wild salmon, a clear impact had not been proven, she insisted.

She cited a study by Dr. Richard Beamish, published last year, which showed that sea lice numbers on wild salmon were the same, and in some cases higher, in areas far away from salmon farms as those counted on wild salmon near farms.

Sea lice were a naturally occurring marine parasite found on wild salmon, herring, stickleback and other fin fish, and introduced to farmed salmon that are put in the ocean lice-free.

B.C. Salmon Farmers insist they don't want sea lice to be a problem - and companies continue to contribute to research on the topic, monitor their farms regularly with reports audited by government agencies, and treat when required under the guidance of a veterinarian.

Getting rid of salmon farms might seem like an easy answer, said Walling, but it wasn't a solution to the bigger issue of wild stock protection.

"We believe that salmon farming is a sustainable source for the world's increasing demand for fish," she added. "We're serious about making the right environmental choices and protecting the wild fish population</u>."

pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

http://www2.canada.com/business/story.html?id=2915068
 
Coalwatch Comox Valley, 16th April 2010

Apr 30 - Alexandra Morton rally at Cowie Creek & Fanny Bay
Renowned biologist Alexandra Morton is walking the length of Vancouver Island in the coming weeks to draw attention to the plight of wild salmon.

Her focus is on ending the massive open-pen salmon farms that threaten wild salmon, but while she is in Fanny Bay she will join us to express concern about the impact a coal mine could have on sensitive salmon habitat in Baynes Sound.

Please join us Friday, April 30

3 p.m. – those that wish to join Alexandra Morton for a walk to the Fanny Bay hall will meet her at Cowie Creek.

4 p.m. – rally at the Fanny Bay hall.

We’re encouraging folks to bring their own hand-made signs.

Sign-making workshop Friday, April 16

If you want to help make signs and socialize at the same time, please join us in the dining area of the Fanny Bay hall from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, April 16. We’ll have some supplies on hand, but if you can please bring your own sign-making materials.

Courtenay events April 29

Alexandra Morton’s migration will arrive in Courtenay on the afternoon of April 29th. We will provide full details of her schedule in a future post.

For details about Alexandra Morton’s migration, check the following link: http://www.salmonaresacred.org


http://www.coalwatch.ca/apr-30-alexandra-morton-rally-cowie-creek-fanny-bay
 
Whether or not funding about the harmful impacts of net pen fish farming comes from competing fisheries in Alaska, the Vatican, or the killers of Jimmy Hoffa and JFK, it still doesn't deny the fact that this type of fish farming is:
- unsustainable (known fact that it takes more fish to feed each farmed fish then what you get to harvest out of the farm )
- polluting the environment (lots of reaerch on this.)
- spreading disease and sea lice to wild fish and destroying wild slamon runs (growing evidence of this)

The bottom line is this. Fish farms need to be in closed containment systems like other dangerous, polluting industrial process. My 2 cents.

Long live wild salmon!!!
&gt;&lt;))))&gt;
 
The Globe & Mail, 19th April 2010

Activist's long journey to save wild salmon


Alexandra Morton canoes with Ahta the dog in the Ahta River in the rain. Last month Simon Fraser University awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Science, stating her "work linking sea lice infestation in wild salmon to fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago has drawn international attention and challenged both the salmon farm industry and the government officials who regulate it."She is walking from her house in Sointula, near Port McNeill on Vancouver Island to Victoria, more than 400 kms away, where, on May 8th, she will hold a rally with whatever supporters she's managed to gather along the way, in an attempt to get the provincial government to pay attention.Ms. Morton wants fish farms in B.C. to move out of the open net sea pens where they now raise millions of salmon, to transition to land-based, contained systems. Alexandra Morton/ The Globe and Mail
Alexandra Morton plans to walk more than 400 kilometres to Victoria



Mark Hume



Alexandra Morton has been to court, winning an action last year in the Supreme Court of British Columbia that forced the provincial government to turn over the regulation of fish farms to the federal government.

She has been to Ottawa repeatedly, most recently a week ago to testify before the standing committee on fisheries and oceans about the impact salmon farms are having on wild stocks.

She has been to Norway, to lobby the fish farming industry there, which owns most of the fish farming companies here, in an unsuccessful attempt to get them to change their practices on the West Coast.

She has been on the water in the Broughton Archipelago, off the northeast shoulder of Vancouver Island, for nearly 30 years, and for the last decade has been doing field research on sea lice that has resulted in the publication of papers in 17 journals.

She has been vilified by her critics, who dismiss her as an environmental zealot who has a thing about bashing fish farms. But last month, Simon Fraser University awarded her an honorary doctorate of science, stating that her “work linking sea lice infestation in wild salmon to fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago has drawn international attention and challenged both the salmon farm industry and the government officials who regulate it.”

It has been a long journey for Ms. Morton – and she’s not done yet.

Later this week, she will leave her home in Sointula, on Malcolm Island, near Port McNeill, and start south.

The plan is to walk all the way to Victoria, more than 400 kilometres away, where, on May 8, she will hold a rally with whatever supporters she’s managed to gather along the way, in an attempt to get the provincial government to pay attention.

Ms. Morton wants fish farms in B.C. to move out of the open-net sea pens, where they now raise millions of salmon, to land-based, contained systems. The idea is to separate farmed salmon from the migratory routes of wild fish. She believes that farms are causing lice epidemics that are killing wild fish.

The government has so far rejected her premise. Despite her work over all these years, provincial politicians have ignored her.

So she’s going to try a pilgrimage in the hope that, if she can get enough boots on the front lawn of the legislature, just maybe Premier Gordon Campbell might finally agree the fish farm file needs to be dusted off and acted on.

Ms. Morton is calling her trek the Get Out Migration, linking the annual spring migration of wild salmon to her goal of getting farms out of the ocean.

“I have decided it is time to take the issue of industrial salmon farming to the people in an unprecedented way,” she writes on her blog. “I have written letters, done the science, met with government and industry around the world, engaged in government processes, talked to thousands of people, been the subject of international media and films and today I stand facing a vertical wall of impenetrable denial. Nothing has brought reason to this situation. We will lose our wild salmon if government continues to carelessly put farm salmon before wild salmon every time.”

She has an invitation for people to join her along the route. It will be interesting to see how many do.

Cosy Lawson and her 11-year-old daughter, Laterra, are planning to walk across from Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, to rendezvous with Ms. Morton.

In an e-mail, Laterra says: “I am doing this walk because I think it is important to have our wild salmon here for many years to come. I want to see what the wild salmon was like a while ago, thriving in the rivers like I have been told. I would like to see that when I grow up.” Her dad, Steve Lawson, says that in 1982, about 80,000 sockeye salmon spawned in the rivers of Clayoquot Sound. Last year, there were just 16.

Mr. Lawson suspects sea lice from fish farms in the area are to blame.

Government and industry would dispute that, saying there is no conclusive scientific proof of such a link.

But Ms. Morton thinks the case has been made. Now, she’s asking those who agree to walk beside her for a while.

Details on the journey, including a day-by-day itinerary, can be found at the Salmon Are Sacred website: www.salmonaresacred.org

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...g-journey-to-save-wild-salmon/article1539181/
 
The Globe & Mail, 19th April 2010

Activist's long journey to save wild salmon


Alexandra Morton canoes with Ahta the dog in the Ahta River in the rain. Last month Simon Fraser University awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Science, stating her "work linking sea lice infestation in wild salmon to fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago has drawn international attention and challenged both the salmon farm industry and the government officials who regulate it."She is walking from her house in Sointula, near Port McNeill on Vancouver Island to Victoria, more than 400 kms away, where, on May 8th, she will hold a rally with whatever supporters she's managed to gather along the way, in an attempt to get the provincial government to pay attention.Ms. Morton wants fish farms in B.C. to move out of the open net sea pens where they now raise millions of salmon, to transition to land-based, contained systems. Alexandra Morton/ The Globe and Mail
Alexandra Morton plans to walk more than 400 kilometres to Victoria



Mark Hume



Alexandra Morton has been to court, winning an action last year in the Supreme Court of British Columbia that forced the provincial government to turn over the regulation of fish farms to the federal government.

She has been to Ottawa repeatedly, most recently a week ago to testify before the standing committee on fisheries and oceans about the impact salmon farms are having on wild stocks.

She has been to Norway, to lobby the fish farming industry there, which owns most of the fish farming companies here, in an unsuccessful attempt to get them to change their practices on the West Coast.

She has been on the water in the Broughton Archipelago, off the northeast shoulder of Vancouver Island, for nearly 30 years, and for the last decade has been doing field research on sea lice that has resulted in the publication of papers in 17 journals.

She has been vilified by her critics, who dismiss her as an environmental zealot who has a thing about bashing fish farms. But last month, Simon Fraser University awarded her an honorary doctorate of science, stating that her “work linking sea lice infestation in wild salmon to fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago has drawn international attention and challenged both the salmon farm industry and the government officials who regulate it.”

It has been a long journey for Ms. Morton – and she’s not done yet.

Later this week, she will leave her home in Sointula, on Malcolm Island, near Port McNeill, and start south.

The plan is to walk all the way to Victoria, more than 400 kilometres away, where, on May 8, she will hold a rally with whatever supporters she’s managed to gather along the way, in an attempt to get the provincial government to pay attention.

Ms. Morton wants fish farms in B.C. to move out of the open-net sea pens, where they now raise millions of salmon, to land-based, contained systems. The idea is to separate farmed salmon from the migratory routes of wild fish. She believes that farms are causing lice epidemics that are killing wild fish.

The government has so far rejected her premise. Despite her work over all these years, provincial politicians have ignored her.

So she’s going to try a pilgrimage in the hope that, if she can get enough boots on the front lawn of the legislature, just maybe Premier Gordon Campbell might finally agree the fish farm file needs to be dusted off and acted on.

Ms. Morton is calling her trek the Get Out Migration, linking the annual spring migration of wild salmon to her goal of getting farms out of the ocean.

“I have decided it is time to take the issue of industrial salmon farming to the people in an unprecedented way,” she writes on her blog. “I have written letters, done the science, met with government and industry around the world, engaged in government processes, talked to thousands of people, been the subject of international media and films and today I stand facing a vertical wall of impenetrable denial. Nothing has brought reason to this situation. We will lose our wild salmon if government continues to carelessly put farm salmon before wild salmon every time.”

She has an invitation for people to join her along the route. It will be interesting to see how many do.

Cosy Lawson and her 11-year-old daughter, Laterra, are planning to walk across from Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, to rendezvous with Ms. Morton.

In an e-mail, Laterra says: “I am doing this walk because I think it is important to have our wild salmon here for many years to come. I want to see what the wild salmon was like a while ago, thriving in the rivers like I have been told. I would like to see that when I grow up.” Her dad, Steve Lawson, says that in 1982, about 80,000 sockeye salmon spawned in the rivers of Clayoquot Sound. Last year, there were just 16.

Mr. Lawson suspects sea lice from fish farms in the area are to blame.

Government and industry would dispute that, saying there is no conclusive scientific proof of such a link.

But Ms. Morton thinks the case has been made. Now, she’s asking those who agree to walk beside her for a while.

Details on the journey, including a day-by-day itinerary, can be found at the Salmon Are Sacred website: www.salmonaresacred.org

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...g-journey-to-save-wild-salmon/article1539181/
 
B.C. fish-farming company charged with unlawful possession of wild salmon, herring
Ottawa takes over prosecution
By Judith Lavoie, Times ColonistApril 21, 2010Comments (20)
•Story•Photos ( 1 )
Alexandra Morton: "Now, government is finally doing its job."Photograph by: Debra Brash, Times Colonist, Times ColonistCharges of unlawful possession of wild salmon and herring have been laid against Marine Harvest Canada, the largest fish-farming company in B.C.

A private prosecution, previously laid by biologist and activist Alexandra Morton, was taken over by the federal Justice Department yesterday, said federal prosecutor Todd Gerhart.

"New information charges Marine Harvest with four counts and deals with two incidents," he said.

The first incident involves juvenile wild pink salmon, which were mixed in with farmed Atlantic salmon as they were taken off a Marine Harvest vessel in June.

The second incident involves herring discarded from pens in October.

The charges say the company failed to report incidental catches of wild fish and, having caught live fish, it failed to return them to the ocean in a manner that would have caused the least harm.

Marine Harvest will next appear in court June 22 and Clare Backman, the company's director of environmental compliance and community relations, said no decision has yet been made on a plea.

"We will have to wait until we see the information," he said.

Morton, an unflagging campaigner against open-net fish farms, is jubilant that the Justice Department has taken over the prosecutions. "For decades, we have heard reports of wild fish trapped in fish farms, eaten by the farm fish and destroyed during harvest," she said.

Information about various incidents was passed to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but they refused to act, Morton said.

"Now, government is finally doing its job. This is enormous. We have to know what's going on in these farms if we are going to protect wild fish."

Commercial and sports fishermen have to report bycatch -- that portion of their catch that is discarded -- but fish farms have been allowed a free hand, Morton said.

"There have been rumours for decades about wild fish in pens, as they are attracted by the lights and oily food," said Morton, who believes the number of fish caught in pens could be affecting salmon and herring runs in areas where there are already problems with returns.

"We just don't know, because no one is keeping track," said Morton, who wants independent observers at farms, similar to the placing of observers on fishing vessels.

Fish farms say there is no way to keep wild fish out of pens. But in that case, the answer must be closed containment, Morton said.

Jeffery Jones, Morton's lawyer, said he is pleased her private prosecution has triggered federal enforcement action.

"It is my strong opinion that this industry was given access to the B.C. coast and appears to have been conducting itself as if it were above the law. Today's decision by Mr. Gerhart and the Department of Justice confirms that no corporation is above the law," he said.

Backman said the charges are a surprise because DFO has been aware for 25 years that small wild fish pass through the pens. He said most then continue on their way unscathed.

"We have three studies that say our fish don't consume them. They eat pellets rather than wild salmon," he said.

Also, efforts to monitor wild bycatch have started as DFO prepares to take over regulation of fish farms from the province in December, Backman said.

Permits now require the company to report any evidence of wild fish in pens, he said.

"We are doing that now, but these charges predate those permits," he said.

Meanwhile, Morton is preparing for her "Get Out Migration" -- a walk down Vancouver Island to bring attention to the plight of wild salmon.

The walk is to start Friday morning in Sointula and end with a demonstration on the legislature lawn May 8. Along the route, public events will be held in Tofino, Quadra Island, Campbell River, Comox, Fanny Bay, Big Qualicum River, Qualicum Beach, Nanaimo, Gabriola Island, Ladysmith, Duncan and Sidney.

"This march is going to be Woodstock with feet," Morton said.

jlavoie@tc.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/fish+f...lmon+herring/2932732/story.html#ixzz0llOCjBXZ
 
The Migration Begins!

New video released on CallingfromtheCoast.com






Watch this short film about the beginning of the GET OUT Migration to find out how you can help save our most valuable & delicious resource



Now is the Time!



In a remote river valley off north Vancouver Island Alex Morton begins her migration to Victoria. She will walk and boat the 500 km, hopefully gathering people as she walks, encouraging everyone on Vancouver Island who cares about wild salmon to get out, make themselves seen, and show Ottawa & Victoria how many people want wild salmon.

The short film can also be watched at the following links:

www.CallingfromtheCoast.com

www.vimeo.com/11129261


To find out when the walk comes through your town visit:

SalmonAreSacred.org/itinerary



To read about it in the Globe and Mail:


Activist's long journey to save wild salmon
http://www.benchmarkemail.com/c/l?A3-342931883

For More Information Visit :

SalmonAreSacred.com


Contacts :

Alexandra Morton: at 250-974-7086 / salmonaresacred@gmail.com
Filmmaker : Twyla Roscovich at twyla@oceanfilms.net

If you are media who wishes to download a high resolution version of the video for news
http://www.benchmarkemail.com/c/l?A3-342931886
 
i was watching 'the fishing network' TFN last night and there was a spot aired on the netpen/sea lice issue. interesting interviews with several bios who said that the cause and effect are well known, have been so for a decade, and if this is not stopped, we should all expect the free swimming pacific salmon to go extinct in this comind decade. sobering statement, to say the least.

they also posted the 'callingfromthecoast' URL at the end of that segment.
 
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