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[Geff_t]

Hopefully the voters this spring will be smart enough to give this Campbell government the boot they deserve .

Campbell's doomed policies on fish farming will be a tough sell to voters
 
MARK HUME

mhume@globeandmail.com

E-mail Mark Hume | Read Bio | Latest Columns
December 26, 2008

VANCOUVER -- Will 2009 be the year that salmon become a pivotal political issue in British Columbia?

It is shaping up to look that way, as a large number of groups are focusing on the collapse of salmon stocks on the West Coast as the most important environmental issue of the year.

With killer whale populations dropping in the Strait of Georgia, in a large part because of a lack of salmon to feed on, with grizzly bears starving because salmon spawning runs have failed to materialize, and with sports, commercial and native fisheries largely closed coast-wide, there can be little doubt that B.C. is experiencing an environmental crisis.

Salmon are a federal issue and as such have not played a key role in provincial elections before.


 But that will change this spring when Premier Gordon Campbell goes looking for his third mandate.

The salmon crisis will come to rest at Mr. Campbell's feet because of the way his government has embraced salmon farming, promoting an industry that scientific research is increasingly blaming for damaging wild stocks by causing sea lice epidemics.

Mr. Campbell has made a practice of turning to science when faced with complex environmental problems. But when it comes to fish farming, he is blind to a growing body of scientific evidence that shows raising salmon in open-net pens is environmentally a very risky business.

The fish-farming industry has argued it can contain the sea-lice problem through the use of chemicals such as emamectin benzoate, marketed under the trade name Slice{sbquo} which is extremely effective in killing the parasites.

Salmon-farming advocates argue that with the use of such controls fish farming is essentially no different than land-based farming. Raising millions of chickens in confined cages is the same as raising millions of salmon in pens, they say.

But a recent essay by Neil Frazer of the School of Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Hawaii, argues that the comparison is dead wrong.

"Sea lice epidemics, together with recently documented population-level declines of wild salmon in areas of sea-cage farming, are a reminder that sea-cage aquaculture is fundamentally different from terrestrial animal culture," Dr. Frazer states in the journal Conservation Biology.

"The difference is that sea cages protect farm fish from the usual pathogen-control mechanisms of nature, such as predators, but not from the pathogens themselves. A sea cage thus becomes an unintended pathogen factory."

Dr. Frazer explains how the natural spawning cycle separates wild adult salmon from emerging young salmon, thereby protecting the juvenile fish from coming into contact with mature fish that might be carrying sea lice.

Fish farms, on the other hand, ensure that millions of adult fish, which carry and shed lice, are encountered by migrating young fish.

The farms not only disrupt the natural system but in effect set a sea-lice trap for the young salmon, infecting them at their most vulnerable life stage.

Dr. Frazer states that by medicating farm fish, by shortening farm growing cycles and by keeping stock levels low, fish farmers could reduce the impact of sea lice on wild stocks.

But he says that as long as fish farms are located on wild salmon migration routes, they will infect young wild salmon at an unnatural rate, making the eventual collapse of wild stocks a mathematical certainty.

"Declines [of wild stocks] can be avoided only by ensuring that wild fish do not share water with farmed fish, either by locating sea cages very far from wild fish or through the use of closed-containment aquaculture systems," Dr. Frazer says.

In other words, the current government policy dooms wild salmon on the B.C. coast.

With that kind of science against him, Mr. Campbell is going to have a hard time selling his government's fish-farm policies to voters in the spring.

[chris gadsden]

Thanks for posting. This and other environmental issues I feel have just been given lip service by this government and should make voters very concerned.

I know this as after being involved with the gravel mining issue on the Fraser River for the last couple of years we are not provided with information we have asked for.

When we met with some government bureaucrats last Summer they said they would provide the environmental studies they say have been done but we are still waiting. We also meet with The Environment Minister and some of his staff a few months ago and once again we asked for written answers to some questions, once again still waiting.

I know they just play a waiting game just hoping we will give up and disappear. I hope we make them disappear come next May.

[troutbreath]

Farmed Salmon have been devastating other fish stocks for decades in other Countries as well. But to think that people who go fishing will vote out a party that their pappy has endorsed is wishful thinking. Sometimes fishers  just are there own worst enemy. Fishing has nothing to do with conservation anyways in most top rods minds. I say vote the bums out but oh well.

[dennisK]

from another guy but mirrors my cynical view:


Sadly, fish farms have long been a part of the DFO and Provincial agenda.

Fishfarms don't need thousands of km of protected rivers and estuaries where wild salmon do.

Fishfarms don't need herring stocks protected, melamine tainted fishfeed from China will do, they can always grow talapia and shrimp in their sewage settlement ponds and grind them up for the fish farms, not so much for wild salmon.

Fishfarms co-exist perfectly well with log dumps, untreated effluent and offshore oil and gas, even inshore oil and gas. Wild salmon, nope.

Wild Salmon are bad news for mines, logging, pulp mills, lumber mills, real estate developers, tourism, munincipalities, transportation companies, railroads, highways and even Starbucks. The politicians are well greased and know where their money and votes come from.

The only way to hurt in any regard salmon farms is to not buy farmed fish and convince everyone you know not to buy farmed fish. Once the flatlanders start to understand that farmed fish is a key source of lead, heavy metals, mercury, antibiotic resistant bacteria and melamine, that it causes mental retardation in children, birth defects in pregnant women, loss of erectile function and tastes like crap, then you will see a loss of fish farms.

But don't expect a recovery for wild salmon. They are an anacronism.

[Morty]

OK we've pointed out numerous times that the government isn't doing the best job in protecting our rivers and fish.  I don't see how it helps anyone (or the fish stocks) by finding fault with what someone else didn't do when we're not doing what WE can.

We should all be convinced by now that the needed change must be driven at a grass roots level.

If in fact salmon stocks become even a whiff of an issue it will be up to each and all of us to keep the topic alive.  We'll need to attend debates and town hall meetings and at least ask the question.  We need to tell our friends, relatives, and business contacts how we feel about the issue.  Don't debate it with them - tell them your experiences and explain what you believe to be true about the situation.  Everyone reading this knows how to use the internet - search out some sites and take on a niche that appeals to you.  Whether it's writing letters, volunteering at hatcheries, starting a river watch program, do something.  \

Somewhere near 50,000 anglers bought recreational licenses in the Lower Mainland alone
 - that should be a big voice
 - that's a lot of voting power!

[chris gadsden]

OK we've pointed out numerous times that the government isn't doing the best job in protecting our rivers and fish.  I don't see how it helps anyone (or the fish stocks) by finding fault with what someone else didn't do when we're not doing what WE can.

We should all be convinced by now that the needed change must be driven at a grass roots level.

If in fact salmon stocks become even a whiff of an issue it will be up to each and all of us to keep the topic alive.  We'll need to attend debates and town hall meetings and at least ask the question.  We need to tell our friends, relatives, and business contacts how we feel about the issue.  Don't debate it with them - tell them your experiences and explain what you believe to be true about the situation.  Everyone reading this knows how to use the internet - search out some sites and take on a niche that appeals to you.  Whether it's writing letters, volunteering at hatcheries, starting a river watch program, do something.  \

Somewhere near 50,000 anglers bought recreational licenses in the Lower Mainland alone
 - that should be a big voice
 - that's a lot of voting power!

Its an on going battle something many of us have been working on for many years, around 28 for me and many others have been working on the behalf of anglers and the well being fish and their habitat for a lot longer than I have.

You can well imagine of course we would be a lot worse off if countless people have not given so freely of their time in the past. It unfortunately will continue for many years to come so everyone should try to do what you have mentioned above.

[Morty]

I do admire and appreciate your efforts Chris 

[alwaysfishn]

Hopefully the voters this spring will be smart enough to give this Campbell government the boot they deserve .

In other words ......  "Hopefully the voters this spring will be dumb enough to elect the NDP.   

Prime example of throwing out the baby with the bath water I'm afraid. I've never heard anyone from the NDP commit to getting rid of the fish farms, have you?

[Geff_t]

Hopefully the voters this spring will be smart enough to give this Campbell government the boot they deserve .

In other words ......  "Hopefully the voters this spring will be dumb enough to elect the NDP.   

Prime example of throwing out the baby with the bath water I'm afraid. I've never heard anyone from the NDP commit to getting rid of the fish farms, have you?

  Actually yes they have publicly said to get rid of the fish farms. The NDP chair the committee that Gordo set up to look into fish farming. Gordo was hoping for a positive outcome in their final report but it back fired on him and like any negative report he does not agree with he buries it in hopes no one will remember. Same thing happened with the reports with the gravel removal.

[bbronswyk2000]

Hopefully the voters this spring will be smart enough to give this Campbell government the boot they deserve .

In other words ......  "Hopefully the voters this spring will be dumb enough to elect the NDP.   

Prime example of throwing out the baby with the bath water I'm afraid. I've never heard anyone from the NDP commit to getting rid of the fish farms, have you?

  Actually yes they have publicly said to get rid of the fish farms. The NDP chair the committee that Gordo set up to look into fish farming. Gordo was hoping for a positive outcome in their final report but it back fired on him and like any negative report he does not agree with he buries it in hopes no one will remember. Same thing happened with the reports with the gravel removal.

Are you forgetting that the NDP are politicians just like the rest of them? They will say anything to get your votes. The NDP will not get rid of fish farms. Wanna make a wager on it? I bet you a $20 Tim Hortons card they dont get rid of them if they get in power. If they get in power and get rid of them I give you a $20 Tim Hortons card.

[Geff_t]

Ok deal  but only if they get rid of open pen fish farms. If they make them change to closed pen that counts too.

[alwaysfishn]

Hopefully the voters this spring will be smart enough to give this Campbell government the boot they deserve .

In other words ......  "Hopefully the voters this spring will be dumb enough to elect the NDP.   

Prime example of throwing out the baby with the bath water I'm afraid. I've never heard anyone from the NDP commit to getting rid of the fish farms, have you?

  Actually yes they have publicly said to get rid of the fish farms. The NDP chair the committee that Gordo set up to look into fish farming. Gordo was hoping for a positive outcome in their final report but it back fired on him and like any negative report he does not agree with he buries it in hopes no one will remember. Same thing happened with the reports with the gravel removal.

Are you forgetting that the NDP are politicians just like the rest of them? They will say anything to get your votes. The NDP will not get rid of fish farms. Wanna make a wager on it? I bet you a $20 Tim Hortons card they dont get rid of them if they get in power. If they get in power and get rid of them I give you a $20 Tim Hortons card.

That's a very safe bet if I ever saw one!   

[bbronswyk2000]

Ok deal  but only if they get rid of open pen fish farms. If they make them change to closed pen that counts too.

Yup thats fine. Deal

[VAGAbond]

This is sooo frustrating.  Every year the salmon seems to have another crisis or six and we have governments (most of them) that just don't seem to care.   

The present crew in Victoria keeps dropping the environment ball and either don't understand or don't care.   And when they drop the ball their friends in the media hide it.  I had hoped the NDP would pick up these balls (fish farms and run-of river power plants) and make an issue of them but they seldom even seem to recognize them as a dropped balls or can't find them after the media has hidden them.

Ever notice how bad news damaging to the crew in Victoria disappears from the media after one day?   Web sites like this are the only means of creating and promoting an election issue.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue, the environment should be everybody's issue.  We cause the problems ourselves by continuing to vote for politicians that think the outdoors is a golf course and the wilderness is a ski chalet and heaven is a new shopping mall.

[chris gadsden]

This is sooo frustrating.  Every year the salmon seems to have another crisis or six and we have governments (most of them) that just don't seem to care.   

The present crew in Victoria keeps dropping the environment ball and either don't understand or don't care.   And when they drop the ball their friends in the media hide it.  I had hoped the NDP would pick up these balls (fish farms and run-of river power plants) and make an issue of them but they seldom even seem to recognize them as a dropped balls or can't find them after the media has hidden them.

Ever notice how bad news damaging to the crew in Victoria disappears from the media after one day?   Web sites like this are the only means of creating and promoting an election issue.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue, the environment should be everybody's issue.  We cause the problems ourselves by continuing to vote for politicians that think the outdoors is a golf course and the wilderness is a ski chalet and heaven is a new shopping mall.

You got this right as I at one time sat on a Riding Association for many years and in most cases they would not listen to me on environmental issues, they have their own agenda, it is all about big business. Their friends make a lot of money at the expense of our rivers, the environment and our agricultural land base.

The only solution is to change the government and maybe they will learn a lesson, people do care and if you donot listen you can sit on the opposition benches for 4 years.