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June 26 Alexandra Morton News: We Really Won!Hello Marine Harvest has now filed their Appeal from the BC Supreme Court decision of Mr. Justice Hinkson and they conceded the main issues in our case – that Provincial regulation of fish farms is unconstitutional! Thank you to all who made this happen, there are not many success stories in this saga. Please go to “updates” at www.adopt-a-fry.org for more information. The Province has no mandate to protect wild fish and this is the crux of the mismanagement that both the industry and the rest of us in BC have faced for 20 years. The farms are now sited in the wrong places, ensuring social conflict and degradation of our wild salmon. To fix this the industry will have to down-size at the very least and be removed from the crucial wild salmon migration routes. Federal Fisheries Minister, the Honourable Gail Shea, will need all the support we can give her to deal with this monumental mess that she inherited. Please do what you can to let people know about our letter in case they want to sign. In response to all of you who have written asking “what can I do” I have posted a new page on our website “Actions.” Please go there if you can and consider the very important request by my colleague Michelle Young, who grew up in the Broughton Archipelago before fish farms and knows personally what is at stake. Two gigantic fish farms are attempting re-zoning right on Johnstone Strait, guaranteeing all wild salmon that travel that route will be traveling through fish farm effluent. Given what we know now if these two farms go in we can know wild salmon are no long a priority in BC waters. Thank you all for your hundreds of messages and best of all your great ideas! alex SAYWARD REGIONAL BOARD DECISION ON GRIEG CO. APPLICATION FOR FISH FARMSFrom Deb McBride re: The Vote On The Grieg Co. application to the Sayward Regional Board for 2 fish farms. Response from Jeff Long Hi Deb,
I don’t have the official resolution of the regional board available however, that will become available on the website in the near future.
In a nutshell, the board passed a resolution that has the effect of amending Bylaw No. 29 to eliminate the Yorke Island site that was proposed to be rezoned for use for finfish aquaculture, and gave third reading to the Bylaw as revised with conditions that before the Bylaw will be considered for adoption, that Grieg Seafood make arrangements to include several requirements as conditions in the authorization that would be issued by DFO. In addition, Grieg Seafood must provide an undertaking related to the commitment to using a closed containment system at the Gunner Point site when such systems become commercially available. These conditional matters must be addressed by Grieg Seafood before the board will consider adopting Bylaw No. 29 and are subject to change as part of that consideration.
Jeff Long, BES, MCIP 301 - 990 Cedar Street Campbell River, BC V9W 7Z8 June 18 Climate Action Network Monday MovieWater, our draining habits: Can Squamish face up to the crystalline truths?
Tonight’s documentaries, Land of the Rising Water and Waste not Waste Another refreshing evening dedicated to learning about water: How do we go about conserving it? Do we need water management? Who says, and what does this mean? Is it going to cost me? Isn’t that all that matters?
Come early and take advantage of all the local knowledge in offer! Bring your water; we’ll test it for you! Doors open at 6:30pm – Movie starts at 7pm Our special guests will provide insight and answer our questions; Rod Pleasance – Water Conservation Strategy Project Engineer with the District of Squamish Mick Gottardi – Director of Community Development with the District of Squamish Paul Lalli – Squamish Councillor Glen Hearns – With the Transboundary Water Initiative at UBC Star Morris – Wellness consultant and former health professional Angela Mawdsley – Civil engineer with a passion for environmentally sound water management Hope to see you all at the Adventure Centre!
Ana Santos
Squamish CAN, Coordinator
June 17 RESPONSE TO FISHERIES MINISTER GAIL SHEAHello All, Fisheries Minister the Honourable Gail Shea finally answered us. Please go to www.adopt-a-fry.org “The Letter” to see her response. Here is my answer. Also go to www.farmedanddangerous.org to see that large environmental groups in BC are calling for immediate closure of salmon farms on the crucial Fraser River migration route. June 16, 2009 The Honourable Gail Shea House of Commons Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Parliament Buildings, Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1A 0A6 Dear Minister Shea: Thank you for your response to my letters asking that the Fisheries Act be applied to fish farms, signed by 14,000 people. It is clear I have failed to communicate the scope of the problems we, on the coast of British Columbia, are facing with the fish farming industry. Your reply does not address the relentless state of conflict between fish farmers and many businesses and communities, as a result of the salmon farms being placed on the migration routes of BC’s most valuable wild salmon stocks. Whatever else has harmed, or still is harming wild salmon it is certain that the annual sea lice epidemics, associated with salmon farms worldwide, are contributing substantively to the negative impacts on an extremely valuable public resource. The people of BC are being asked to accept reduced opportunities on our wild salmon, simply to accommodate a fish farm industry that refuses to pay the additional cost of building walls around their livestock. It seems unrealistic for you to write that aquaculture operations are subject to the Fisheries Act when:
Then there are the enormous issues of “release of deleterious substances” and habitat alteration. Can you explain what you mean by “the Province will continue in the role it has been assuming to this day in managing aquaculture within the province”. How long will they “continue”? The Province has no mandate to protect wild fish and it is unconstitutional as per the Supreme Court of BC for the Province to regulate salmon farming after February 2010. From my perspective, it is Provincial regulation that got us into this mess simply because they have no legal mandate to protect wild fish in the ocean. The result of this regulatory mismatch is the Province can do their job of regulating the “farm” component of fish farming while largely ignoring the ocean component where we all know the “farm” effluent, including parasites, viruses, bacteria, escaped Atlantic salmon and drugs go. I know the Province does check some ocean parameters outside the pens, but not outside the leases and that is where all conflicts with the public resource exist. I think it is time to reevaluate where we are at with this issue. No responsible person can look at salmon farming from a global perspective and say there are no problems. You cannot say the problems have been resolved, nor can anyone say farm fish benefit the public more than wild fish and should thus receive the preferential treatment that they do. You cannot even say they are going to feed the world as they catch fish to feed to their fish. As I write, a neighbor watched young wild Broughton pink salmon spilling onto a road as farm fish were transferred out of boat into a truck. What right do fish farmers have to possess wild juvenile salmon in their pens, boats and trucks? How many herring, salmon and black cod are destroyed in this manner? Minister Shea, there is something very wrong with the way salmon farming is being handled in BC. In the past, DFO ignored disastrous impact on an extremely valuable fishery and that management regime continues to cause economic hardship in east coast towns, as well as, depriving the world of a large food resource. I would argue the same management regime is well underway in British Columbia affecting wild salmon, the BC economy and the eastern Pacific. When I met with the executive officers of the largest fish farm companies Marine Harvest and Mainstream, last month in Norway, I heard them say repeatedly that they would only adhere to the laws of each country, not bring their best practices with them from Norway. But what I see are the laws of Canada not even being enforced. Minister Shea, you are faced with a clear legal decision. Either bring the fish farming industry into compliance with the laws of Canada or call on Parliament to change the laws to bring them into compliance with the fish farming industry. You cannot leave this in a state of perpetual lawlessness. When I began my work on juvenile salmon and did not realize I needed a permit, DFO investigated me and said if I ever retain juvenile salmon without a permit again I would go to jail. Since then I have made sure I have a permit to handle young salmon. I want to know what permit and legal possession limit you will be issuing to Marine Harvest and the others for possession of wild salmon, and other wild fish in their pens, boats, trucks and fish? You cannot know the scope of this problem without placing observers on fish farms and farm fish vessels as you do with commercial fishermen and this is one of the requests made by the 14,000 people who signed the letters to you. Thank you again for your reply. I know this is a difficult issue that you have inherited. However, you accepted this role and now the ability of the eastern Pacific Ocean to support life and the BC economy rests with you. Warmly, Alexandra Morton June 16 CLEAR: BC WILD SALMON NARROWS CAMPAIGNSubject: FISH FARM UPDATE: Wild Salmon Narrows Must Be Cleared of Fish Farms
Reply-To: michelle@georgiastrait.org
Dear supporter of wild salmon, Your help is needed to provide emergency protection to wild salmon! As a partner in our work, you know how damaging open net-cage salmon farms are to BC’s wild salmon and the marine ecosystem. Years of scientific research has built a global body of evidence, and our understanding of the impacts continues to grow. Recent research suggests that the critical Fraser River sockeye as well as other runs of wild salmon are being infected with sea lice as they migrate past net-cage farms in the northern Georgia Strait.
One of the narrowest pathways in the Georgia Strait is the Okisollo Channel — east and north of Quadra Island – where all five species of Pacific salmon swim and feed alongside herring, harbour seals, and orcas. This channel, this Wild Salmon Narrows, has been choked with open net-cage salmon farm sites for far too long.
As a member of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, we are launching a new Wild Salmon Narrows campaign! We’re calling for emergency protection for wild salmon migrating through the northern Georgia Strait. While we continue to work towards a coast-wide transition to closed containment aquaculture, we are demanding the removal of the five active fish farms in Okisollo Channel. Clearing a critical migration route of open net-cage salmon farms is an emergency measure needed to reduce the pressure of sea lice infection on wild salmon.
Thanks for getting involved and spreading the word to your friends! Take Action! Learn more about the Wild Salmon Narrows and watch our Fraser River sea lice infection video by filmmaker Twyla Roscovich.
Send an email to Premier Gordon Campbell urging him to clear the Wild Salmon Narrows of fish farms.
http://www.georgiastrait.org/urgent-action-message- form.php?urgent=migration_route
In addition to receiving GSA’s Fish Farm Updates, you can become more involved in the Wild Salmon Narrows Campaign, by joining the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform email series. You’ll learn more about what’s at stake in this biologically and culturally rich area of the Pacific coast, and will have many opportunities to help protect the Wild Salmon Narrows.
http://farmedanddangerous.org/page/safesalmonroute For the Wild Fish, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Support GSA, the only citizens' group focused on protecting the marine environment in and around the Strait of Georgia Receive Strait Up, our e-newsletter Thank you for your interest in, and support for, Georgia Strait Alliance’s Salmon Aquaculture Campaign. As a subscriber to Fish Farm Update, you will receive periodic emails on breaking news and urgent actions you can take. Your support is greatly appreciated. |
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