I don’t know if any of you saw the documentary yesterday on global (11) regarding the sea lice effect on wild Salmon population up in an area close to knights inlet and Broughton Inlet. I unfortunately did not get any details on scientists names etc, but what I did realise that there is a huge issue up there with the effects of the salmon farming.
The basic highlights of the documentary is the scientist is doing research on the effects of salmon farming on the wild salmon population. There were fingerlings caught that are not even 6 inches long, but they had aprox. 63 lice on them. The mortality rate of these fish is high, and in the beginning of the research, the morality rate was estimated at around 80%, at the end of the day, when the salmon arrived the following year, there was a mortality rate of over 90%. So this is how the research started..
She was researching Orca Wales, and when they stopped entering the area, she found that the salmon farms were using sound devices that would stop them from coming close to the pen’s. She then did studies on the salmon and noticed that the fish that had passed the salmon farm were riddled with lice, and the fish that had not reached the farm were ok, with a average of only 3 lice per fish, instead of the average 63 on the fish that had passed the farm.
As usual they had the farm guys pleading there case, saying that the farmed fish get there lice from the wild stock, etc, etc….. sounded like a bunch on bogus to me.
The effect on the environment is huge. They showed how the bears are waiting in the rivers for the salmon to return….. But nothing……..
I have found some articles on the web , and it seems like these guys need our support as sport fisherman.
Something to take note of....
There was a 98% decline (from five million) in the number of fish returning to eight rivers geographically linked in the marine environment, but isolated in freshwater. This decline was "hugely significant" and epicentered over the Broughton Archipelago. There has been no equivalent decline since DFO began record keeping in 1953.
http://naturalscience.com/ns/cover/cover17.htmlhttp://www.salmonfarmers.org/media/05_12_04.htmhttp://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/mehsd/sea_lice/2004/2004_intro_e.htmhttp://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/salmon.htm