Alex: Cohen Commision touching base.

[Little Hawk]

Again, thanks Alex for standing up and making herself heard over our corrupt and unexcuseably incompetent government.
We all owe you a debt of gratitude Alex.


Hello
I spent the past few weeks pouring over the Cohen ISA virus hearings.

That all the lawyers were called back for three days, speaks to the significance of ISA virus to BC.This hearing made it clear the salmon farming industry has grown beyond the control of government. DFO is mandated to protect salmon, but when a virus concerns trade partners, the CFIA takes over.

The CFIA has never heard of the Wild Salmon Policy.

DFO closed commercial fisheries to protect Cultus Lake sockeye. They have the power over us. 100% of the Cultus sockeye died just before spawning in 1999, 2000, 2001. When they were tested in 2002, 2003 - 100% were positive for ISA virus which is popping up everywhere there are salmon farms.

DFO did nothing, no one breathed a word about this, not then, not now to this federal Commission into the fate of these sockeye and not ever to the First Nations of the Cultus Lake Region.

It was a federal secret... why?

The CFIA said if the ISA virus is really in BC, markets could close permanently..... and this is the heart of the beast.

One of the strangest pieces of evidence was an internal CFIA email complaining that the Minister of Fisheries "may not understand that ISAV is no longer theirs." Undaunted the Minister's offices dictates precise, but inaccurate, wording for a letter to U.S. Senators that the "official" DFO lab has confirmed all ISAv tests were negative.

But no one in the "official" lab actually said the tests were negative.

Words like inconclusive and unconfirmed were used.

We learned the machine the "official" lab uses is notorious for lack of sensitivity. We heard the scientists who did get positive results, found their reputations and labs threatened with ruin.

Dr. Jones, a DFO sea lice scientist, is inexplicably put in charge of the study that detected ISA virus in US and Canadian wild salmon in 2002/3 and he becomes the gate-keeper on that information.

It would never have seen the light of day, if it were not for Dr. Kibenge. Dr. Miller a DFO researcher using cutting edge science, learns the hard way that “research must not fog policy” but she does not back down. Dr. Kibenge – one of two world reference labs for ISA virus thanks his university for fending off the attacks to his reputation, as a result of his diagnosis of ISA virus Pacific salmon. Dr. Nylund, present from Norway via video feed, just recently survived an industry "misconduct" attack for reporting that ISA virus traveled to Chile from Norway via farm salmon eggs.

The federal Minister of Fisheries describes independent reporting of ISA virus tests a needless risk to Canada’s reputation. Really! That’s pretty huge. It looks like the whole problem is some deal out there where some country is paying for ISAv-free salmon and they might not be getting it.It is that simple.

Our governments can't afford to protect wild salmon in the face of global fish farm market pressures. I don't know exactly when this slipped out of their control, but my overall impression is WHAT A MESS.

They have no idea what they are doing.

It is time for us to move on, we have been knocking on the wrong doors. It is not against the law for us to respect wild salmon and their health cannot be a federal secret anymore. To be continued..... If you want to read their own words see my blog. http://alexandramorton.typepad.com

Alexandra Morton

 

[Clipper]

I think that Alex has touched on a more effective way to get salmon farms out of our waters - eliminate the market for this product by informing the buyers that it is NOT disease free. If no one wants to buy BC farmed fish then there will be no reason to raise them. Remember what happened to the Alberta beef industry after ONE 'mad cow' was found?

The industry is reducing staff right now because they say there is an oversupply of product on the market. Maybe that oversupply is caused by a reduction in sales. If this trend continues because consumers are better informed then salmon farms will no longer be cost effective and will disappear.

Where do most of these farmed fish go? That's who we need to be talking to.

 

[fish4all]

I think that Alex has touched on a more effective way to get salmon farms out of our waters - eliminate the market for this product by informing the buyers that it is NOT disease free. If no one wants to buy BC farmed fish then there will be no reason to raise them. Remember what happened to the Alberta beef industry after ONE 'mad cow' was found?

The industry is reducing staff right now because they say there is an oversupply of product on the market. Maybe that oversupply is caused by a reduction in sales. If this trend continues because consumers are better informed then salmon farms will no longer be cost effective and will disappear.

Where do most of these farmed fish go? That's who we need to be talking to.

Staight across the border to the usa.

 

[Clipper]

Then that's where we need to concentrate our efforts. There appears to be no point in pursuing DFO, CFIA or any other Canadian government agency. All they seem to care about is $$$ so hit them where it hurts.

 

[tofinofish]

Good Thread....

Keep up the very good and diligent work Alex!

 

[searun]

Clearly makes you wonder and consider those who say DFO has a gag order that is politically and economically motivated. What ever happened to protecting and enhancing WILD salmon. Looking a lot like those conspiracy theories may have a ring of truth. Smoke = Fire

 

[Whole in the Water]

I agree with the posts above. The best way right now to get net pens out of our waters is to focus on the markets. Arguing the science will get us nowhere as it is one group's set of data and interpretation against the next. This type of agrument can go on for years.

We need to work with Alex and others using their data to inform the buyers of net pen salmon of what they are doing to themselves and the environment by eating these fish. This type of campaign worked very well for Greenpeace and others in trying to protect old growth forests in the 1990's. They went to Europe (Germany in particular) and informed the newsprint buyers that their newspapers and wood products where coming from pristine, endangered, old growth forests. Over time the demand decreased, and the Prov. Govt. started to take action to protect more old growth to mitigate these concerns to increase sales.

We can do the same thing with the lice farms!

 

[Englishman]

Cool it Little Hawk. You are letting your passion run away with you again.
Gotta fight these guys with publicity, lobbying and science based efforts through the organisations we have available to us such as PSF, Alexandra Morton's organisation, Ecojustice and even our MP's/MLA's.
Besides, smashed pens would just result in thousands of nasty farm escapees, not to mention creating backlash and sympathy for all those "lost jobs", however misguided and ill-informed such a sentiment might be........