It's always been obvious what your opinion is with regards to Morton. While that matters to you and probably most of your pro-feedlot buddies, it matters nothing to the general public.
You and I can argue forever and it won't change anything about the feedlots staying in the ocean. However when it comes to the public, they will always support the little guy who is attempting to protect the environment. While government and the feedlots are working hard to hide the risks of both farming in ocean pens and eating the feedlot product, Morton is working hard to make the public aware of the risks. Without folks like Morton, corporations would do whatever they wanted..... they have no conscience.
In the end the public alone will decide the fate of the feedlots, by buying the product...... or not.
Well….I would think it would be obvious because I never tried to hide it. I agree that when it comes down to it many people do not really care whether Ms Morton releases these lab results or not. They are likely more concerned about whether they are going to make their mortgage payment or passing that slow vehicle on the highway on their way to the lake; however, for those that follow this more closely than others it is important.
I think it depends who the listening audience is. Some people are more actively involved in this issue while others are just indifferent to fisheries in general. Some people might have more of appreciation of the actual science and would like to see the actual data or report themselves while others rather have someone else do the interpretation. Some like to ask questions of those making the conclusions while others rather have someone else do it or have that information delivered to them through a filtered source. If people are concerned about transparency in science then they should try to see this objectively (pro or con) and ask themselves if Ms Morton actions are what you would expect from a professional biologist. If Morton is confident about her conclusions from these lab results then it should be no problem. Morton has constantly criticized government labs as being inferior and claimed that the the non-governmental labs she has endorsed are far superior. If this is indeed the case I am surprised she would not take this opportunity to show the results. However, in my opinion, she knows there is a public relations problem for her if she shows them. This was the case with the Superstore and T&T Supermarket test results where the results clearly did not fit the conclusions. Because of this, I believe the lab she is using might be expressing this concern to her.
The only one to really clear this up and explain the real reason is Ms Morton herself. She had numerous opportunities on the thread she started on SSBC to address these questions about these lab results. Instead, people like Chris and you are left to defend her decision in this matter on internet forums as to why this has not been released. To me, this is wrong and unbecoming of a professional biologist who is supposed to be making the public aware. She should be standing by her results and fielding the questions instead of having someone else doing it for her. It is also quite telling and should be a red flag to those that believe that Ms Morton is being totally forthcoming.
People may not take a great interest in these lab results; however, I believe that many in the general public are growing tired of Ms Morton’s actions also and not following her as closely as before. I do not think it is just one-sided. Ms Morton is hardly in the mainstream media anymore. If people did not follow the blogs on the internet they would likely never know much about what she is doing or finding. A Chihuahua stuck in a storm drain likely gets more attention in the news than Ms Morton does; however, fisheries in general does not seem to be in the minds of the public these days unless you are directly involved in it.
I do agree that the “little guy” is seen in much better light than governments or industry these days (includes Enbridge…lol), but if people look critically at what Ms Morton says and does they will see that even the “little guy” needs to be held accountable….and lead by example if they believe the other side is not.
I realize that governments do not always make the right decisions or see what some members of the general public see; however, Morton has created this myth that governments and fish farms are working hard to hide the risks of ocean pens or the product itself. If you look at what has been provided to the public before (i.e. provincial annual reports…like the one I posted before) and during the Cohen Commission it was very extensive – involving many hours of searching databases, emails, documents, and studies. Perhaps you should make yourself more familiar with the current Federal regulations that apply to the industry before making such a bold statement. If you did, you will find that government employees are not working hard to hide anything. Right now, the only one working hard to hide anything is Ms Morton.
Recently, it seems like some environmental activists do not have to follow this transparency because they should be seen as more trusted than those “evil governments” and “money-hungry industries”. However, the motivation to gain public opinion goes both ways. It is not just government or industry that does it. I believe it is naïve to think that ENGOs and other independent activists are not trying to put their best foot forward in these situations and do their own manipulation. In my opinion, this is a slippery slope for those activists like Ms Morton and will affect her credibility; if not with the public right away it will be with her peers in the scientific community who like to see the published results.
As for the public buying the product…..I believe they will continue buying the product (much of it likely exported), but the long term viability of the industry in BC will likely depend more on economic competitiveness with other countries raising the same product rather than the fear mongering that is currently being used by activists.
Author
Topic: Another Fisih Farm Problem (Read 29487 times)