When the 4-year-old Fraser River sockeye went to sea in 2005, they were heavily infected with sea lice around the Campbell River fish farms. So few of these salmon returned that the entire south coast commercial fishery has closed. Today, young wild BC salmon all the way from the Fraser River to Cape Caution are exposed to fish farms and infected with sea lice. This is high-risk management, or in our view, mis-management
Do not pretend to us that sea lice are not a problem.
In Europe, billionaire John Fredriksen (the largest shareholder in international aquaculture giant, Marine Harvest, which owns 56% of BC fish farms) stated, "I am concerned about the future for wild salmon. Fish farming should not be allowed in fjords with salmon rivers."
Minister Bell, the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture in its May 16, 2007, report has recommended that farm fish be removed from open net pens into closed containment within 5 years. You responded by granting four new open pen ocean sites.
Minister Hearn, is Fisheries and Oceans Canada going to protect our wild salmon? BC science is reporting that in some areas up to 95% of young wild salmon are killed by farm-lice. This is unacceptable.
These are rich waters. Humpback whales and vast shoals of sardines have recently returned to BC waters. Wild salmon feed bears, whales, eagles, forests, villages and fishermen, and lure 1.4 billion wilderness tourism dollars into BC. By contrast, fish farming is worth $600 million. Why isn’t your government supporting businesses that depend on wild salmon?
Ministers Bell and Hearn you are in the hot seat. We can have wild salmon and farm fish, but unless you fix what is broken, you will extinguish BC’s greatest renewable resource. One of earth’s largest migrations passes through the waters of the city of Vancouver, host of the 2010 Olympics. Salmon are the life-blood of British Columbia.
You can give Broughton and Fraser River salmon immediate sea lice relief. Remove fish farms from Broughton and Discovery Island wild salmon migration routes and halt their spread to the north coast. You must act now to save our salmon,
We await your timely reply to this urgent matter.
SaveBCsalmon.ca
