Saving the species, one smolt at a time!

Concern over the incursion of fish farms into wild salmon migration routes has wild salmon advocates on the Queen Charlotte Islands demanding that the province take action to protect the wild stocks.

Using a number of recent studies into the issue of fish farms and their impact on wild stocks, the activists have called on the government to move the fish farms away from those migration routes.

Concerns have also been expressed that current fish farm owners may be looking to expand creating larger farms instead of reducing their impact on the coast.

They have also applied to Fisheries and Oceans Canada for permits that would allow them to capture wild salmon fry from the Ahta River and transfer them away from the last fish farm, a form of fishery medevac designed to save the smolts from infection.

They provide more details on the threat to the stocks and their plans to salvage their livelihoods on their website adopt-a fry.org.

The Daily News presented their efforts as the front page story in Tuesday’s paper.

ACTIVISTS READY TO MEDEVAC JUVENILE SALMON TO 'SAFETY'
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Pages one and three

A group of Queen Charlottes businesses people and First Nations representatives has met with the B.C. Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Pat Bell, to demand that the province move fish farms away from wild salmon migration routes.

The group said it was acting on the evidence gathered by recent studies confirming that salmon farms are producing sea lice concentrations that are devastating to migrating juvenile salmon, and they informed Minister Bell that they are prepared to move the smolts themselves if need be.

"Wilderness Tourism pours $1.6 billion dollars into the B.C. economy annually," said delegation member Brian Gunn of the Wilderness Tourism Association.

"We believe the B.C. Government is being reckless, risking B.C.'s wild salmon populations and B.C.'s lucrative $1.6 billion-dollar tourism industry. The B.C. tourism industry relies on healthy wild salmon populations to sustain their businesses, whether they are fishing lodges or wildlife viewing operations."

Broughton-area fishing lodge owner Chris Bennet was one of the first people to notice the sea louse epidemic in the area. He told Minister Bell of the serious decline in salmon populations and the years that he and other stakeholders have been waiting for the situation to improve. Bob Chamberlin, elected chief of Broughton kwicksutaineuk ah-kwa-mish, also told Bell the importance of a sea lice solution.

"My people need wild salmon to survive. Our fates are intertwined," he said. "We consider tourism an industry with important promise for our economy. What do we think will be left if the wild salmon are killed and disappear? Nothing that people will want to see."

Salmon researcher Alexandra Morton has studied fish farms for years, and points out that there are 22 fish farm leases that have expired in the Broughton Archipelago area that are up for renewal. She said many of the companies are applying to the B.C. government to increase their farm sizes, which her research confirms will create more lice and fewer wild salmon.

"We know removing fish farms can save young wild salmon. To date, the only thing that has worked to reduced lice and help wild salmon numbers rebound is when the province ordered the Fife-Tribune migration route cleared of fish farms," she said.

"The province must take similar action now. We need fewer farms, not bigger farms," said Morton.

Members of the Broughton community are also preparing to take "run-specific actions," and have already applied to Fisheries and Oceans Canada for permits that would allow them to capture wild salmon fry from the Ahta River and move them beyond the last fish farm. The delegation has also launched a campaign at www.adopt-a-fry.org, asking people to donate $20 and adopt a salmon fry to fund the relocation effort.

"The time for talk is over, it is time to bring action to this situation," said Morton. "The science is done, we have seen the impacts first-hand. We must not be sidetracked by the Pacific Salmon Forum. A wild salmon cannot compromise or negotiate, they can only live or die. We have just come from asking the minister for assistance. We hope he is with us to help protect the B.C. wild salmon."