A spreading scourge of sea lice

More evidence from anti fish farm researchers, that there are problems brewing in our coastal waters.

Biologist Alexandra Morton, Dr. Richard Routledge of Simon Fraser University and Dr. Martin Krkosek of the University of Alberta, released details of their findings and to reduce all that research into a simple statement, which clearly defines their views on the sea lice problem in BC waters. "That if you take away the fish farms the prevelance of sea lice declines, introduce a farm and the sea lice threat reportedly grows."

The report conducted for the North American Journal of Fisheries Management, examined an area near Campbell River, finding that infestations near the Campbell River fish farms have spread to juvenile pink, chum and sockeye salmon, as well as juvenile herring.

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It's the same pattern which they found in the Broughton Archipelago, where infestations of sea lice have been of particular concern for a number of years now.

The Daily News had details of their findings as the front page story in Wednesday's paper.

SEA LICE SCIENTISTS CALL FOR PROTECTION OF WILD SALMON

New report urges government to shield stocks from fish farm sea lice

By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Pages one and three

The latest scientific sea lice report is claiming that infestations near Campbell River fish farms have spread to juvenile pink, chum and sockeye salmon, as well as juvenile herring.

The North American Journal of Fisheries Management report, conducted by biologist Alexandra Morton, Dr. Richard Routledge of Simon Fraser University and Dr. Martin Krkosek of the University of Alberta, examined 4,700 young wild salmon near and distant to fish farms in 2005 and 2006 throughout the Discovery Islands, located 150 kilometres northwest of the city of Vancouver.

"We found four times as many wild juvenile salmon were infected with sea lice near fish farms than distant from the farms," said Morton. "Then, in 2006, when most of the farms were empty, the sea lice declined."

Dr. Routledge says the pattern they found is the same as that in the Broughton Archipelago, where the proximity of wild juvenile salmon to fish farms reportedly correlates to the level of sea lice infestation.

"Where there are farm fish, the young wild salmon are infested with lice," said Routledge. "Remove the farm fish and the sea lice problem disappears."

The recent study was made possible with the help of several commercial fishermen who conducted sampling in the area, and, although pink and chum were the primary focus of the study, juvenile sockeye and herring near the farms were also examined and found infested with sea lice, said the report.

Last summer, the commercial salmon fishery was closed on the South Coast due to low numbers of returning Fraser River sockeye, something the scientists speculate was due to sockeye being infected with sea lice when they migrated out in 2005.

"We did not test the DNA of the sockeye we examined," said Dr. Krkosek. "However, we know that many Fraser River sockeye migrate through our study area."

The report concludes that there is an urgent need to implement policy that protects wild salmon from farmed fish, and that Minister of Agriculture and Lands Pat Bell's solution of using more drugs such as SLICE to control sea lice is not the solution.

"The only measure that is going to work is separating farm and wild salmon. This can only be achieved by completely closed containment technology or moving the farms," said Morton. "If nothing is done now, I worry that Canadian salmon stocks will suffer the same fate as European salmon stocks that have declined dramatically in fish-farming regions."

One country where farmed salmon stocks have been hit recently is Chile, where a virus called Infectious Salmon Anemia is killing millions of salmon destined for export to Japan, Europe and the United States. Many biologists and environmental groups are criticizing the fish farm companies for employing unsanitary practices by breeding salmon in crowded underwater pens, contaminating once pristine waters and producing potentially unhealthy fish. The companies deny that their practices make fish unsafe for consumers, but researchers claim that high levels of antibiotics, pigments and hormones are used in Chilean fish farms, some of which are restricted for use on animals in the U.S.

Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn recently returned from Chile where he attended Aqua Sur 2008, the largest international aquaculture exhibition in the southern hemisphere, the purpose of which was to strengthen collaboration and information-sharing among like-minded aquaculture producing countries and identify innovative solutions to common challenges.

"Canada's and Chile's aquaculture industries share a tremendous potential for sustainable growth," said Minister Hearn. "Like Chile, Canada has an ample coastline and a favourable growing climate for both fish and shellfish. We have both developed innovative technologies and benefit from some of the world's best scientific research. I was very impressed with my experience - aquaculture is a real success story for both countries."