30,000 Atlantic Salmon Escape

[Kramer]

Saw this in this mornings news.


30,000 Atlantic salmon escape from a B.C. fish farm
Fewer than 400 of the fish were recovered
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VICTORIA, B.C. -- The escape of 30,000 Atlantic salmon from a B.C. fish farm is under investigation by the provincial Environment Ministry, a spokeswoman confirmed.

The breakout from a net pen at Marine Harvest Canada's fish farm was large enough for the case to be assigned to provincial conservation officers, ministry officials said.

Clare Backman, director of environmental compliance at the Marine Harvest office in Campbell River on Vancouver Island, said the company is cooperating with the investigation.

Company workers found that an anchor securing the net pen slipped on Tuesday, pulling a corner of the pen far enough below the surface for the fish to swim away.

A seiner hired by the company recaptured fewer than 400 of the fish, which weighed about 9 pounds each, Backman said.

"The value of the (lost) fish to the company is just under half a million bucks," he said.

About 450,000 Atlantic salmon remain at the operation in Frederick Arm between the Broughton Archipelago and Desolation Sound.

 

[CoastalGuy]

Just came back from the Broughton's...probably lots of escapes...nobody water. Actually looks like an industrial mall for fish farms up there now. Saw the barge servicing these places...massive and hauled around by a Hecate Tug. Wow... the bucks are being made but Bill Proctor up there quoted in the Vancouver Sun said that the Broughton's for wild salmon are finished. Maybe he is being too pessimistic but he has lived there all his life. Matter of fact all the way down right to Cortez...fish farms or commercial ops of some sort were parked just about everywhere.

 

[Haze]

Please make a difference go to:
http://www.savebcsalmon.ca/
and vote to have fish farms removed.
Recently these have been found spawning in many of our rivers and the last thing we want is that.
thank you

 

[Last Chance]

quote:Originally posted by Haze

Please make a difference go to:
http://www.savebcsalmon.ca/
and vote to have fish farms removed.
Recently these have been found spawning in many of our rivers and the last thing we want is that.
thank you

Which rivers?

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com

 

[Haze]

The Salmon River for one, there's been quite a few in there as well they have been captured in quinsem and the campbell - though much fewer in number than in the Salmon.

 

[KoneZone]

Not quite sure what can be done within the laws of Canada. This should be great ammunition to load into a political cannon though. I hope someone up there gets real loud about this. What a crying shame!

 

[Kramer]

I went to the link Haze posted and sent in my .02, not sure if it will matter or not since I'm a yank. We've had the same issues down here and it is frustrating. Back in 1997 a net pen came unbuttoned and 300,000 fish got loose down in Bremerton.

 

[Mongoose]

has anyone caught any of the escapees??

 

[Haze]

yea they net about 400 of them last I heard and a very small number of them have been caught by sports fishers. However we are experiencing very heavy tides right now and I think that's pushed the fish a long way from their pen. They really could be just about anywhere right now.

 

[tortuga]

Where's 'Handee' when you need him(her)? [:X]
She(he) could assure us all that we're over reacting.

 

[abbyfireguy]

Like I will listen to that slanted view ,,,a tad biased ....
But , far be it from me to know anything. After all, I'm just another dumb schmuck who doesn't know his a$$ from a hole in the ground...[}]