Please find enclosed a press update including:
"Commerce vs Wild Salmon" (Alexandra Morton, 20th December):
http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2011/12/the-re-opening-of-the-cohen-inquiry-on-isa-virus-provided-an-opportunity-to-see-past-the-pr-machine-that-protects-salmon-farm.html "Getting facts straight on fish farming risk in B.C" (Alberni Valley Times, 20th December):
http://www2.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/story.html?id=28fac580-b41f-4f17-86f1-b7aea8608fae "Fish protest pays visit to MP's office" (Chilliwack Times, 20th December):
http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/news/Fish+protest+pays+visit+office/5886042/story.html "Cohen Aquaculture Daily – December 19, 2011" (Watershed Watch, 20th December):
http://www.watershed-watch.org/2011/12/cohen-aquaculture-daily-december-19-2011/"Hardest work still to come as Cohen hearings conclude" (The Globe & Mail, 20th December):
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/hardest-work-still-to-come-as-cohen-hearings-conclude/article2277224/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2277224 "Salmon disease is caused by many factors: Nofima" (FIS, 20th December):
http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=20&id=48613&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target= "U.S. smoked fish crackdown hits hard: Recalls skyrocket as FDA increases investigations into smoked salmon companies" (Intrafish, 20th December):
http://www.intrafish.com/global/news/article1263281.ece "‘High levels’ of Listeria trigger UK salmon recall" (Food Production Daily, 19th December):
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/High-levels-of-Listeria-trigger-UK-salmon-recall "Damien Gillis on the salmon inquiry" (CBC Early Edition, 19th December):
http://www.cbc.ca/earlyedition/past-episodes/2011/12/19/lillooet-flood-beauty-nights-salmon-inquiry-missing-womens-inquiry-political-panel-kim-jong-il-go-pu/ "Critics say email shows salmon inspectors' bias" (Surrey North Delta Leader, 19th December):
http://www.surreyleader.com/news/135887038.html "SALMONGATE: ‘Joe’ at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says: “It is clear that we are turning the PR tide to our favour… and we will win the war, also.”" (The Salmon Guy, 19th December):
http://www.salmonguy.org/?p=4717 "Responsible approach to GM fish is to assume escape: Committee hearing" (Food Navigator, 19th December):
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/Responsible-approach-to-GM-fish-is-to-assume-escape-Committee-hearing "Speed up the process is salmon farmers' Christmas wish" (Campbell River Mirror, 19th December):
http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/135884028.html "BC Salmon Farmers mark one-year anniversary of Pacific Aquaculture Regulations" (BC Salmon Farmers Association, 19th December):
http://salmonfarmers.org/bc-salmon-farmers-mark-one-year-anniversary-pacific-aquaculture-regulations "It’s a small science world" (Salmon Farm Science, 19th December):
http://salmonfarmscience.com/2011/12/19/its-a-small-science-world/ "High-speed evolution: Study shows salmon can change their genes in a single generation" (The Daily Mail, 19th December):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2076275/High-speed-evolution-Study-shows-salmon-change-genes-single-generation.html?ito=feeds-newsxml "Aquaculture could help feed rising world demand for protein: Fish farming needs fewer resources than raising livestock and can be more environmentally sound than open-water fishing" (Christian Science Monitor, 19th December):
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2011/1219/Aquaculture-could-help-feed-rising-world-demand-for-protein "Salmon Wars: Cohen & Attack of the PR Flacks" (Pacific Free Press, 18th December):
http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1-/10469-salmon-wars-cohen-a-attack-of-the-pr-flacks.html "Fish Flu Found in Clayoquot Salmon: ISA Virus Creative Salmon Farms" (Friends of Clayoquot Sound, 16th December):
www.focs.ca "Begich Chairs Hearing on Genetically Engineered Salmon" (Alaska Public, 16th December):
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/12/16/begich-chairs-hearing-on-genetically-engineered-salmon/ "Australia grows as roe supplier in Chile" (Fish Farming Xpert, 16th December):
http://www.fishfarmingxpert.com/index.php?page_id=76&article_id=93412 "An academic pissing match" (Salmon Farm Science, 16th December):
http://salmonfarmscience.com/2011/12/16/an-academic-pissing-match/ "If they’re not detecting ISA, what are they detecting?" (Salmon Farm Science, 9th December):
http://salmonfarmscience.com/2011/12/09/if-theyre-not-detecting-isa-what-are-they-detecting/ Includes from today's Chilliwack Times:
"A spokesperson for Mainstream Canada, the second largest producer of farmed salmon in B.C., said there is no proof ISA is in B.C. and even those scientists debating the presence of the virus agree it's not killing the fish. "This could be some totally different virus, which has been in the Pacific Ocean as long as the salmon have been here," communications officer Grant Warkentin told the Times. "There's no hard evidence to suggest there really is a virus, and certainly not to conclude that it must be coming from salmon farms and killing wild salmon."
And from a letter in today's Alberni Valley Times from Richard Robinson:
"How embarrassing for James Costello, sustainability officer, Mainstream Canada Tofino, to have two blatant piece of lies and propaganda published at the exact same time as the Cohen Commission contradicts his ludicrous claims by finding a concerted effort of the Harper government, the DFO and salmon farm industry lobbyists to hide the fact that the imported ISA virus is in fact widespread on the B.C. coast. The laughter and ridicule he would be faced with if he continues with this current career choice I would guess would be forevermore unbearable....Good luck, Mr. Costello. I hear Afghanistan and Iraq are both looking for new Ministers of Information, perhaps you could send them your resumé. You seem quite qualified."
From the Surrey North Delta Leader reporting on the Cohen Commission:
"Joseph Beres wrote to CFIA colleagues Nov. 9 to praise their "very successful performance" in briefing the media on their findings refuting the independent tests. "It is clear that we are turning the PR tide to our favour," Beres said in the email. "One battle is won, now we have to nail the surveillance piece, and we will win the war also." Dr. Kim Klotins, the acting national manager of disease control contingency planning at the CFIA, said staff can get "a little bit exuberant" in internal emails. "I really can't speak to what he was thinking," she said under cross-examination."
And from Alexandra Morton in her blog today:
"We heard again and again that trade partners with the Norwegian salmon farming companies in BC were notified and kept informed about the ISA virus tests, but there was NEVER any mention of informing First Nations and other Canadians. Salmon farmers were in attendance at meetings on this virus, but not First Nations, commercial fishing organizations, NGOs or anyone else!"
Read the leaked a transcript of Day 1 and other exhibits including ISA in Creative Salmon and AquaBounty farmed salmon - online via 'Fishyleaks'
More details via "Chronology of a Cover-Up in Canada: ISA in British Columbia" and "What's Cohen On?"
For background on the global spread of ISA read "ISA: Diary of Disease Disaster" and "Fish Farmageddon: The Infectious Salmon Aquacalypse" – online via:
http://www.wildsalmonfirst.org/fish-farmageddon-infectious-salmon-aquacalypse Best fishes,
Don