First Closed containment Salmon Farm pen

[cuttlefish]

Looks like an outfit in Chile has the same idea.... and at only US$14 million. Good luck to these guys too.

http://www.fishfarmingxpert.com/index.php?page_id=76&article_id=90590

First attempt to complete life-cycle in inland pens

Chile: The salmon producing company Salmones Río Coihue plans to build an inland facility intended to farm Atlantic salmon during its complete life-cycle, from eyed eggs to harvest size. This project expects to annually produce around 3,120 tonnes.

Christian Pérez

According to the information provided by Salmones Río Coihue to the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA), this project considers usage of a freshwater recirculation system for the fish life stages that go from eyed eggs to 100 gr. smolts; and a sea water recirculation system during the farming stages that go from there up to an average harvest weight close to 4.5 Kg.

The company detailed that this project requires an investment of close to USD 14 million and integrates different technologies already in use within the salmon industry and other industrial production activities. According to the company, this convergence of technologies should reach at least the same production indexes, costs and profitability margins than conventional farming systems.

Three months ago, the chairman of Salmones Río Coihue, Oscar Oyarce, commented that this plan is aimed to produce fish intended for an elite market without the usage of antibiotics, vaccines or even chemicals.

This project –unprecedented in the country- is planned to be built nearby Puerto Montt in a coastal area which would provide enough sea water to fulfill the requirements of the recirculation system (432.5 liters per second).

Publisert: 27.01.11 kl 07:00

 

[profisher]

The best way to force a worldwide change to an environmentally safe way of raising framed seafood is an effective boycott campaign. Once sales drop and profits dwindle the companies will be motivated to look at better technologies.

 

[profisher]

Cuttlefish..I know they are multi-national companies...but if Canada alone forces just the BC farms to invest capital in a system that makes them less competitive in the world market they will simply move. Now that may sound good, but all we would be doing is dumping the problem on the next country they set up shop in.

 

[cuttlefish]

So we should let them to stay here and continue to pollute our waterways, incubate parasites and diseases that impact our wild salmon and other sea life because, if we don't, they will just go do that somewhere else? I don't quite get that. Sorry.
I agree with your boycott, though. I've been boycotting farmed salmon, but not all farmed fish, my whole life.

 

[profisher]

Not much to get...I agree the present practices are not acceptable here or anywhere. I would rather see a boycott start here and spread worldwide, forcing worldwide ocean farming change. Simply having our government force CC systems on them will more than likely have them pick up shop and continue the present methods everywhere, but here. Not the best possible outcome. I too never buy farmed salmon.

 

[wolf]

And moving them out of canada and our waters is bad how?????? buisnesses start and move all the time losing them from our water wouldnt hurt my feelings at all along with MANY others who really cares anyways......For god sakes the way things are going a charter guy and a loadge are going to be things of the past too.........

Wolf

 

[cuttlefish]

It looks like cost of production is going up in Chile....

http://www.fishfarmingxpert.com/index.php?page_id=76&article_id=90607

High costs threaten sustainability of the industry

Chile: The former managing director and consultant of Marine Harvest Chile, Álvaro Jiménez, expressed his concern about the increased production costs of the local salmon industry caused by the new regulatory framework.

Christian Pérez

Jiménez commented that given the important and necessary changes to the production model, the Chilean salmon industry has significantly increased its production costs which have matched or even surpassed those of other salmon producing countries, putting the sustainability of this activity at risk.

According to the financial journal Estrategia, Jiménez compared the production costs in Chile and Norway. He said that the average Norwegian production cost is around NOK 20 per kilo of gutted head-on Atlantic salmon FOB in Oslo while just a few Chilean companies achieve that cost, he added.

Finally, he said that Marine Harvest Chile will continue moving its smolt production to farming systems with a higher control over sanitary and farming conditions, such as recirculation water systems. Moreover, he commented that they have plans to double the production of their Rauco hatchery and build another hatchery.

Publisert: 28.01.11 kl 07:00

BTW: C$1 = NOK 5.81

So the average cost of production in Norway (with high labour costs and tax structure compared to Canada) at NOK 20/kg. = C$3.44/kg. and that includes gutting.

 

[profisher]

Well if YOU have a conscience you would understand that simply dumping a problem on some one else's front step isn't right! Really caring means fixing the problem, (once and for all) not dumping it elsewhere. One possible start to a fix is forcing the government to make it mandatory for a warning to be a fixed to all ocean farmed salmon products. Something similar to cigs warnings. Warning, this products production poses a risk to wild salmon, Grizzly Bear and Killer Whale populations.

 

[Charlie]

Are we talking “conscience,” “competitive,” “cost,” “ecosystem,” “environment,” “wild salmon,” “Norwegian,” “fish farms” all in the same sentence? I do not think it is wise to use those terms. even in the same thought process?

Those are publically traded and privately held companies, traded on the open stock exchange. Why should any individual be concerned if they are making money or not, which making money happens to be their sole goal. They historically have a history of destroying any and all ecosystems and environments their "fish farms" are in, this just happens to be yours! BTW, this choice is indeed, YOURS?

So, if I figure this right, the cost is CAD$1.56 per pound – FOB Norway? So what? What does that really mean, NOTHING! Let’s see, THEY, are destroying your ecosystem, THEY are destoying your environment, for THEIR gain... and, THEY don't care! What is that really worth to YOU?

How far back does one need to go, to prove history will repeat itself? This actually should not be about “fish farms” or “closed containment.” it is how “they” are allowed to operate, in YOUR COUNTRY. It is the ecosystems and environmental issues that need addressed. The wild salmon are your Canary in the coalmine, and that is what needs immediate protection. The current operating procedures allowed by fish farms are killing your wild salmon… Your Canaries are dying!

The message is simple and needs to remain the same, CLEAN-UP YOUR ACT or, GET OUT!

 

[profisher]

Charlie, I'm not an NDP'er so I do care if a business makes money or not! I've opposed the farms right from the start, even more so once the Atlantics showed up. I still do and for all the same reasons you mentioned. I think my statement speaks for itself...I don't pick up dog **** in my yard and toss it over the fence into the neighbors.
Unless the world human population nose dives in the next few decades...fish farms aren't going away. There will be many times more. That is where all our problems stem from, but not going there. Simply kicking them out of here won't solve sh%t. Its all the same ocean and eventually whatever disease, parasite, virus..whatever will be transported back here. That is why you need a worldwide solution, not just a local one.
For now here is another thought...down the road we can pretty much guarantee that there will be an environmental mess to clean up. No different then mopping up after a gas station closes shop. So why not force a per pound levy on their product to offset the future costs of such a clean up? We already pay a levy on big screen TV's, batteries, oil filters etc. How much fish crap are we going to have to scoop out of these inlets and bays down the road to clean up and who is going to pay for that?

 

[Charlie]

Good analogy concerning picking up your dog ****. If a dog owner doesn’t clean up after their dog in any major city, they will receive a ticket, are fined, and required to pick up their dog’s mess! You, as a normal citizen don’t even want to think about getting caught dumping a marine head in Victoria Harbour, or throwing any (dog or otherwise) anywhere in Puget Sound! You wouldn’t be able to afford the fines, but yet that is exactly what British Columbia (and you) are letting those companies do?

Those companies are letting their dogs **** in your yard and you aren’t making them clean it up. I don’t recommend throwing it in your neighbors, either as they are also sh!ting in his yard. Personally, I think it is time to clean it all up and throw it back in the originator’s FACE, along with a very nice bill for the cleanup and a large fine tacked on top! Your yard has big brown spots and it is dying from all that “dog ****,” and YOUR government not only knows, they aren’t making anyone clean up the mess!

Straight from the mouth of babes, you want an example? As you are reading the below, remember 100 meters is over the length of a football field and that’s in all directions! These pens are constantly moving and polluting. 15 years might be a blink of the eye to some, but to me it is still a long time for an area to recover and who is paying for that? I can tell you who should be – Marine Harvest!

Chemical and Biological Remediation of Marine Sediments at a Fallowed Salmon Farm, Centre Cove, Kyuquot Sound, B.C.
Nicole Obee
Environmental Protection, Vancouver Island Region
Ministry of Environment
Province of British Columbia
August 2009

Many of the stations at Centre Cove have sulphide concentrations above these limits. On the northwest transect in 2008, the only stations with sulphide concentrations below 775 μM are the edge of tenure and edge of tenure (2). The 0 m, 30 m and 100 m stations had values from 1258 to 3871 μM and thus the sediment at these stations still remains inhospitable for many organisms that would normally exist there. On the southeast transect, the 0 m and 30 m stations remain elevated about 775 μM (1551 μM and 1187 μM, respectively) and the 100 m station is only slightly below (772 μM), so sediment at these stations also likely remains inhospitable for many organisms.

In conclusion, after six years of fallowing, the biological community at Centre Cove is still recovering from the impacts of organic enrichment. At distances of at least 100 m from the net pens, sulphide concentrations remain elevated such that species diversity and abundance remains lower than background conditions and typical members of the macrofaunal invertebrate community are excluded. At and beyond the edge of tenure on the northwest side of the farm (>294 m from net pens), diversity and abundance are higher than other stations and sulphide-sensitive species dominate.

Based on the estimates of the linear regression, the Centre Cove farm site could take up to 15 years of fallowing to return to background conditions of sulphide and oxidation reduction potential. Metal remediation may take even longer.

Although the conditions at Centre Cove have improved over the course of the study, the benthic impacts from finfish aquaculture at this site are severe compared to other farm sites in British Columbia. It is estimated that a full remediation to background sulphide conditions could take 15 years from the time that fish were last on site. The persistence of impacts and the slow remediation time at Centre Cove is likely due to the site’s slow current speeds and the fine sediment grain size.

And, I just had to separated and highlight this:
The MoE study at Centre Cove lends support to the idea that low current and fine-grained sediment sites in British Columbia are not well suited for intensive open net cage finfish aquaculture.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/industrial/aquaculture/pdf/remediation_aquaculture.pdf

 

[wolf]

Ineteresting info thanks Charlie.
I personally have seen enough of this crap they do!!! I have seen all of the areas in the broughton and knight inlet area , im sure some on here have never been to where they are or even been to where the grizz are but im sure some on here are expersts at it.
This has gotten so out of touch comparing picking up dog crap to the real fact CC!!!!!! just get them out of our waters already enough is enough IT can be and should be done..

Wolf

 

[profisher]

Charlie, you got my point!! lol All I'm saying is that it is a worldwide issue and the solution (CC) has to be forced on them every where at the same time. Otherwise they just pull up shop and the dog **** pile becomes bigger somewhere else. Eventually in a common ocean the problem would just find its way back here, kinda like the Ballard lock Sea Lions.

 

[sockeyefry2]

World wide ban on net pens??? Ain't gonna happen Pro. Other countries are not going to follow BC. Too much of their economies, especially in rural areas are tied to salmon farming.

I am not trying to convince you that the net pens should be kept. I do not care if they stay or go. I am saying that a move to CC's will make BC economically unattractive for the companies to continue operating and they will move elsewhere.

That's why I am suggesting a compromise in which the net pens are kept, but where they can locate is more strictly regulated. Adopt mandatory fallow periods, eliminate any sites which are marginal, such as areas which require alot of compressors and generators to be viable, eliminate sites on migration routes. For example there are sites on the west coast of VI that cannot be farmed without the use of generators and compressors pretty much all summer. Think of the carbon footprint!! These I would close.

 

[cuttlefish]

Some more info and numbers on that new Campbell River venture. Fish now in the tank.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-developer-touts-salmon-rearing-tank-over-fish-farms/article1892501/