Shea: In addition, Economic Action Plan 2013 included three major measures that are directly addressing Cohen Commission recommendations. First, the Government committed $57.5 million over five years that will help bolster environmental protection in the aquaculture sector through science, enhanced regulatory regime and improved reporting. Second, it contained a new program to support recreational fisheries conservation activities through partnerships with community groups. Third, all revenue collected from the Salmon Conservation Stamp will be dedicated to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, which will mean approximately $1 million more in revenue every year to support the Foundation’s great work.
Reid: Well, no, putting $57.5 M into fish farms is not the same thing as addressing the Wild Salmon Policy, enhancement and habitat restoration for wild, native Pacific salmonids.
I actually agree with Reid's frustration (first time). Those things that Shea mentioned are not necessarily bad, but it is not the same thing as addressing the Wild Salmon policy. Folks out here saw quite a few changes over the past year with the department so I can definitely see the scepticism people like Reid and others can have with Shea's comments.
Also, you may recall that your own scientist, Kristi Miller, found the exotic disease, ISA, back to 1988 in Fraser sockeye and both ISA and HSMI, also an exotic Norwegian disease, in the Creative chinook farms – roughly 125,000 diseased fish per farm – in Clayoquot where your own estimate is only 501 wild chinook remaining in 6 streams. And didn’t they just win one of your ‘awards’ for being environmentally sustainable?
Not true. Reid needs to read the Cohen Final Report for clarification on what was said and what was not said. Miller found PRV - not HSMI.
Although they (Dr. Miller, Dr. Nylund, Dr. Kibenge and Nellie Gagne) did not agree on whether ISAv or an ISAv-like virus was present, all agreed that more research was necessary and that, whether ISAv is present or not, there had been no confirmation of ISA in any of the Pacific salmon tested by the time of the December hearings. As stated in Volume 1, Chapter 9, Fish health management, I find that the evidence does not allow me to conclude whether ISAv or an ISAv-like virus currently exists in Fraser River sockeye. However, I accept the opinion of the expert panel (Dr. Kibenge, Dr. Nylund, Ms. Gagné, and Dr. Miller) that, as of December 2011, there was no evidence that fish tested for ISAv (the virus) suffered from ISA (the disease) as that disease was then understood. - Justice Bruce Cohen; Vol. 2, Ch. 4, pg. 60
You will be aware that the Cohen evidence found an inability for DFO’s Moncton Lab, the CFIA and BC to find ISA disease. And now Miller and Riddell will be doing such work, which sounds good, but you have only allowed this with DFO, CFIA, and fish farms parsing the news releases. I’d say this is a ‘no’ as well.
The Moncton lab can find ISAv and ISA because they already detect it in farmed Atlantic Salmon in eastern Canada. During the inquiry the methodology between the different labs was brought up which Reid has translated into "Moncton lab can't detect ISA" which is not true. Miller was using different methodology; however, these methods were also critiqued by Dr. Nylund. The quote from Cohen tell exactly what the panel of experts thought about ISAv and ISA here in BC. As for the Salmon Health Study, the proponents and the groups involved in this study have been clearly stated:
http://www.genomebc.ca/media/news-releases/2013/salmon-health-past-present-and-future/http://www.salmonfarmers.org/bc-salmon-farmers-sign-transfer-agreement-genome-bc-studyWork like this is going to take collaboration, so he shouldn't start some sort of conspiracy before the study even starts; however, I can certainly understand his concern about "news releases" from governments.
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Topic: So Much For The Cohen Report (Read 8969 times)