Technology is in place, it's the political will that's missing

The Fisheries critic for the NDP Skeena's Robin Austin has seen the future for salmon farming, but he's wondering if Premier Campbell will ever share the vision.

Austin is singing the praises of closed containment technology, but is finding frustration at the slow pace of change that the Liberal's have shown as 2009 moves into its second month.

His frustrations were highlighted in a Tuesday article in the Daily News

New self-contained salmon farming is lauded
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Page one

The development of a new closed-containment salmon farm has New Democrats excited about the future of the aquaculture industry in British Columbia, and disappointed that the Liberals don't see it.

Skeena MLA and fisheries critic Robin Austin is upset that 2009 has arrived without any move from the provincial government to migrate salmon aquaculture operations from open net-cage farms to closed-containment technology, even though the technology is now available.

"Gordon Campbell is too arrogant to admit that moving to closed-containment would protect jobs and wild salmon," said Austin.

"I'm glad that some members of the industry can see the advantage in being ahead of the pack in developing this technology. It's a shame that the Campbell government is too short-sighted to see the same benefits in helping our province lead the world in sustainable aquaculture practices.
"The technology exists, and the dire need to protect wild salmon exists. All that is missing is the political will of Gordon Campbell."

Austin was chair of the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture that, in May 2007, recommended the salmon farming industry in British Columbia transition to closed-containment within five years.

The escape of 43,000 Atlantic salmon from a Marine Harvest farm near Klemtu on Dec. 20 was the most recent incident in a year filled with industry scrutiny by fish farm opponents. The incident was particularly troubling given that even fisheries personnel were skeptical about how such a large number of salmon could escape through a hole the size of a sea lion, and commented that a faulty pen should not be in the path of winter outflows and in a bottleneck that ensures direct contact with all wild salmon in the area.

"The Agrimarine model fits well with the recs from the Aquaculture Committee, and hopefully we can eliminate escapes like the one last December with the ocean-based closed-containment model that will be launched this July," said North Coast MLA Gary Coons.

"We need a commitment from the provincial government and Premier Campbell that environmental protection is a priority, and we need investment in closed containment. We can lead the world in this technology if we have the desire and the aspirations to truly lead the world in fisheries management."

Fish farm opponents cast a wary eye on industry plans

With the province's major fish farming companies making ambitious plans for the near future, tripling their current levels of production.

It's a move that those that are against the expansion of the aqua culture industry are particularly concerned at the fast pace and rather secretive nature that the provincial government has embarked upon in relation to the to the proposals from Marine Harvest and Mainstream.

North Coast MLA Gary Coons and Skeena MLA and fisheries critic Robin Austin have both asked Minister Stan Hagen to delay the expansion plans and to follow through on recommendations from the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture.

The Daily News outlined the controversial moves in Monday's paper.

Huge fish farming ramp-up worries opponents
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, November 24, 2008

Pages one and three

The recent revelation that fish farm companies in British Columbia are seeking to increase production levels by as much as 600 per cent has critics furious.

Last week, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform discovered Ministry of Agriculture and Lands documents that show Mainstream and Marine Harvest Canada, the two leading salmon farm companies in Canada, are both seeking to triple their current licenced production on farms in the Broughton Archipelago and Discovery Islands. CAAR also learned that the province has already approved amendments to two of Marine Harvest's five applications, without public notice or consultation.

"An increase in production of this nature will place tremendous pressure on already imperiled wild salmon stocks and the marine ecosystem around these salmon farms," said Catherine Stewart, of Living Oceans Society. "Mainstream's proposed production increases in the Broughton are outrageous, given the company has been violating licenced production limits for years."

CARR member organizations, including the Georgia Strait Alliance and the David Suzuki Foundation, conditionally agreed to several amendments proposed by Marine Harvest Canada as part of an emergency plan to give immediate relief to wild fish through increases in farmed production.

However, the groups have said the level of increase being applied for is too large to justify, especially given that the province recently imposed a moratorium on farm expansion into northern B.C.

"To put forward applications to increase production at a time when there is much controversy is a move that needs to be questioned," said Coons.

"We know there is inadequate funding to monitor sites, we know there is inadequate safeguards to ensure finfish aquaculture is done in an environmentally sound way.

"Any move by Minister Stan Hagen to allow any approvals of these applications would seem very 'George Bush-like' - ramming through controversial legislation prior to your departure to benefit your friends."

Coons and NDP fisheries critic and Skeena MLA Robin Austin, are calling on Minister Hagen to delay any moves for fish farm expansion and push for implementation of the recommendations made by the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture.

"There should be no question about expanding aquaculture when we have runs in the Broughton Archipelago that plummeted by as much as 90 per cent this year," said Austin, who chaired the bi-partisan SCSA.

"The B.C. Liberals are more interested in maintaining the flow of aquaculture dollars to their party than in protecting a lynchpin of our coastal ecosystem and economy. We need to act now to save these runs, before it is too late."

Living Oceans work on their version of observe and conserve

Frustrated at what they see as the Provincial governments inadequate regulations on the fish farm industry in coastal waters, The Living Oceans Society is asking fishermen to act as their eyes on the water this summer.

They are concerned that full and true environmental impact of the farms on the sustainability of the resource isn't being taken seriously by the government.

So with that issue high on their agenda, fishermen across the province are being recruited as intelligence operatives of sorts to help make their case for more proactive regulations out of Victoria.

The organization launched it's campaign on Friday with a press release outlining what it hopes to achieve and what they have in mind for the province's fishermen as they take up their challenge of observation.

The Daily news featured the controversy over fish farm regulations as the front page story in Monday's paper.

FISHERMEN URGED TO KEEP WATCH ON B. C.'s FISH FARMS
Environmental group urging all water users to monitor farms and report any oddities
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, July 14, 2008

Pages one and three

The Living Oceans Society is tired of what it sees as the provincial government's inadequate regulations governing salmon farms across British Columbia, and this summer the group is asking for the help of the public in keeping tabs on inland and coastal waters.

While the government is pleased with the conclusions of their 2007 Salmon Farming Industry Compliance Report for the low numbers of incidence last year, the society is criticizing the report for failing to address the industry's fundamental problems, and says the province is missing the point entirely.

Living Oceans Society says that the glowing report about the province's salmon farms is a result of inadequate regulations governing the industry, with the true environmental impact of the farms not being taken into account.

"The industry scored high on measures that fail to address issues like escapes and the spread of sea lice, disease and waste into the marine environment," said Will Soltau, salmon farming campaign local coordinator with Living Oceans Society.

"The ineffectiveness of provincial regulations was made clear this month when 30,000 fish escaped from a salmon farm and fewer than 1.5 percent were retrieved. What is the use of having regulations that cannot control the major environmental impacts like escapes and sea lice?"

Active salmon farms are checked by Ministry of Environment staff randomly each year, and while infractions could result in prosecutions, fines, or even suspension of an aquaculture licence, warnings are more often issued and very few fines are ever imposed.

"This report deals specifically with the compliance of industry with their aquaculture licences, but in the North Vancouver Island area the marine debris from salmon farms suggests that the industry's compliance is far below what the government's report claims," said Soltau.

That's why this summer the Living Oceans Society has launched the 'Eyes and Ears Campaign'.

The society hopes that by engaging the public, it can more accurately assess the level of environmental compliance than the limited Ministry of Environment resources currently being used.

"We are asking for people on the water and in coastal communities to help us inform the provincial government about the true level of industry compliance by reporting the things they observe around salmon farms to us," said Soltau.

"If fishermen, mariners and the boating public see or hear of anything they feel is negligent or irresponsible, or they catch an Atlantic salmon, we want to know about it."
The Living Oceans Society will verify the evidence they collect and compile a summary to present to the government.

Anyone interested in participating or wanting to report something are urged to contact Will Soltau at 250-973-6580.

Fish farms unwanted in Northern BC waters

Black Press has an interesting story on the debate over fish farms in British Columbia and especially on the growing call to keep them out of Northern BC waters.

Skeena MLA Robin Austin points out in the story, that residents of Kitkatla recently voted in a new council which has reversed a past counci's decision to embrace fish farming. A move which austin says has made a moratorium on northern fish farms a given.

He goes on to suggest that the provincial government is approaching the issue from the wrong direction, advising the government that it has a responsibility to protect wild salmon first.

Fish farm ban likely for northern B.C.
By Tom Fletcher -

BC Local News - March 16, 2008

Opposition to salmon farming on the B.C. coast has effectively stalled its expansion in southern waters, and will likely keep salmon farms from being established in the north.

After dozens of salmon farms have operated for up to 25 years in the waters around Vancouver Island, there remains no scientific consensus on their effects on wild salmon, or the effectiveness of the strategies for curbing sea lice, according to a review of world-wide scientific literature just completed for the B.C. Pacific Salmon Forum.

Efforts to manage the effects of net-pen fish farms with a pesticide trade-named Slice will continue this spring as another generation of wild pink salmon makes its way to sea. And salmon farms won't be emptied or "fallowed" to make way for the April run of juvenile pinks.

"We're going to make sure that all of those farms have very low if not zero lice levels during the migration period," said B.C. Agriculture Minister Pat Bell. "Fallowing's not practical at this point. It would involve moving something in the order of three quarters of a million fish in each one of potentially five sites ... but certainly Slice treatments would more than compensate for any risks that are associated with that migration period."

Bell, who granted two new salmon farm licences last fall in the Broughton Archipelago between northern Vancouver Island and the mainland, hopes to have a new provincial policy out later this year. It depends heavily on consultations with aboriginal communities along the coast, he said.
"There's a variety of opinions on it, but I would say that the overall body of opinion leans towards a moratorium on the north coast," Bell told Black Press.

Skeena MLA Robin Austin, who chaired an NDP-controlled committee calling for an end to net-pen salmon farming, said a moratorium for northern waters is "a given." Residents of Kitkatla, a Tsimshian village on an island near Prince Rupert, recently voted in a new council that reversed the community's effort to bring the first salmon farm to the region, Austin said, and now the industry has no local support in the north.

Dr. Brian Harvey, an independent fisheries biologist hired by the Pacific Salmon Forum to study the available research on fish farm impacts, said the picture is slowly becoming clearer. But it's still too soon to say if farmed fish are depleting wild salmon runs, or if Slice and fallowing strategies are effective.

Other hosts for sea lice are being discovered, the behaviour of Pacific salmon going out to sea is more complicated than previously thought, and there has been little study of parasites outside the Broughton region to compare to, Harvey said in an interview.

"People really want it to be one way or the other, but it's such a fantastically complicated natural system, and there are so many variables and so many disciplines, so many unknowns," Harvey said. "It's not a copout to say that, it's the truth."

He said the "burden of proof" is on the industry to show that it can operate without damaging the environment. Austin disagreed, saying it is the B.C. government's responsibility to protect wild salmon first.

Fish farm advocates dispute findings

The BC Pacific Salmon Forum is questioning the research paper recently released in Science magazine which stated that pink salmon and chum stocks were set for a rapid decline due to fish farming in the Broughton archipelago.

Using interim results from their own research, they claim that returns in the Broughton archipelago watersheds this year were as good as, or better than those of 2005. They also state that more than 80 per cent of wild salmon smolts migrating out of the area in the spring of this year had no sea lice.

Their findings are not all that surprising, coming as they do from their point of view of advocating for a farm salmon environment, it’s in their interests to try and sway public opinion from the dramatic announcements of last weeks Science article. The forum is inviting one of the authors of that report, Martin Krkosek, to come and discuss his study and to share data so as to better understand the impact of salmon farming.

They will release their interim findings in January, which will provide two very different interpretations of a problem in an area that is heavily dependent on the fishery. The future of which will certainly be changed depending on which study carries more weight and legitimacy.

The Daily News featured the debate in Wednesday’s paper.

FISH FARM SUPPORTERS FIGHT BACK
Pro-industry research disputes report findings
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Pages one and two

New research to be released in January will dispute the recent study published in Science magazine that predicts a rapid decline in pink and chum salmon stocks in the Broughton Archipelago.

The BC Pacific Salmon Forum released an official statement yesterday announcing that interim findings from research being conducted through their Science Advisory Committee does not support the findings of researcher Martin Krkosek. In that study, Krkosek and a team of scientists and mathematicians concluded that the transfer of sea lice from fish farms to wild juvenile salmon is leading to the possible extinction of wild stocks.

While Krkosek’s study predicted a total extinction of wild pink stocks within four years, the Pacific Salmon Forum commissioned field and laboratory research will show pink salmon returns in Broughton Archipelago watersheds this year were as good as or better than, those that occurred in 2005. The interim findings to be released early January will also state that more than 80 per cent of wild salmon smolts, migrating out of the Broughton in the spring of 2007 had no lice, as noted by field researchers.

The Science Advisory Committee leading the research is comprised of some of Canada’s leading fish biologists, and will not complete its study until the end of 2008, when it will be peer-reviewed and made public.

In the meantime, the Pacific Salmon Forum has invited Krkosek to meet with its Science Advisory Committee to discuss the study. It says there is little consensus between scientists about the extend of the impact salmon farming is having on wild salmon, or the best way to minimize that impact.

Marine Harvest Canada is another organization that takes issue with the Krkosek article, primarily the way the data was chosen and modeled.

“We recognize that the article was written by some folks we’re fairly familiar with, as they’ve written 10 or 12 articles in the last three years that have been uniformally contrary to salmon farming in their tone”, said Clare Bachman, environmental compliance manager for Marine Harvest.

“However, we also recognize the article is in a very prestigious journal of science and has to be taken pretty seriously in terms of the predictions that it makes.”

Bachman says the assumptions that were made in the study resulting in a prediction of pink salmon extinction were based on incorrect information. In particular, the assertion that fish farms are the source of the sea lice infestations is something Bachman says has been speculated, but has yet to be proven by researchers.

“We’ve heard in the past that up to 95 per cent of the out-migrating fish can be killed by the sea lice infections they receive, and there’s recent work being published that says very few, or in fact zero fish are killed by sea lice,” said Bachman/

“Another thing that’s been left out of the mix is what salmon farmers are actually doing to address this concern. It’s not like Marine Harvest hasn’t been paying attention. We’ve been paying close attention and take active steps to reduce or eliminate sea lice on our fish in the March to June period when the fish that are leaving may be negatively impacted.”

The British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association has also contested the predictions made in Krkosek’s study. In a media release responding to the Science article, it pointed out that pink salmon returns for 2006 were low all along the Pacific coast, including Alaska, not only in the Broughton Archipelago. The association also stated that Fisheries and Oceans Canada research shows that pink salmon populations in the Broughton fluctuate biannually, and that since 1953 returns in even-numbered years have been roughly double that of returns in odd numbered years. The CFSA say that pink returns in 2001 are just one example of why Krkosek’s predictions are questionable, because that year saw the highest pink salmon returns in 20 years of monitoring the region.

“Marine Harvest agrees with these groups, like the Pacific Salmon Forum, that state not all of the research is supporting some of the claims of this study,” said Bachman. “I think the Salmon Forum like (Marine Harvest) believes that the time has passed for these kinds of studies, which tend to be a little dramatic and make these far-reaching statements. We need to concentrate on pulling together all the results of all the research going on, and find solutions that are going to preserve the wild fish, reduce impacts, and allow us to have a healthy, stable and sustainable farming industry at the same time.”

A four year countdown to extinction for pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago

They’re catching up on their reading in Victoria this week after a scathing report in Science magazine concluded that sea lice from salmon farms are putting pink salmon on the road to extinction in the Broughton Archipelago.

The report published last Friday, determines that if the sea lice infestation continues in that area of the coast, then 99 per cent of the pink salmon stocks will be gone within four years.

They call for immediate steps to stop open net cage salmon farming from harming the wild stocks and their concerns have been picked up by NDP opposition members and conservationists up and down the coast.

Science magazine offers the story up for members or those inclined to pay the ten dollars for their pay per view article, more info can be found by clicking on the link here.

The full story was found on the front page of Monday’s Daily News.

B. C. URGED TO ‘ACT NOW’ FOR THE GOOD OF OUR SALMON
Damning report in Science magazine links fish farms to collapse of stocks
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, December 17, 2007
Pages one and three

The provincial and federal governments need to respond immediately to a recent report that directly links fish farms to wild salmon extinction, say opposition members and conservationists.
The study was published in Friday’s edition of Science magazine and concludes that sea lice from salmon farms are responsible for the disappearing pink salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago.

The report goes as far as to predict that 99 per cent of the wild pink stocks will be gone in four years if sea lice infestations continue.

North Coast MLA Gary Coons and Skeena MLA Robin Austin have been vocal about the dangers of open net cage farming since sitting on the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture, which strongly recommended a complete move to closed containment systems.

“Salmon have disappeared at an alarming rate and this report puts the blame squarely on sea lice,” said Austin, NDP Fisheries Critic.

“The Campbell Liberals have turned a blind eye to previous research but it’s crucial they not ignore valid science any longer. We’re running out of time.

The peer-reviewed report states that 80 per cent of wild pink salmon stocks in the Broughton Archipelago have been wiped out during the last four years.

The team of biologists, fisheries scientists and mathematicians analyzed Fisheries and Oceans Canada data from 1970 to 2006 to determine the effect of sea lice infestations on wild pink populations returning to rivers on the central coast of British Columbia.

“In light of these results, it is clear that governments must take immediate precautionary action to stop open net-cage salmon farming from harming wild salmon,” said Jay Ritchlin, a David Suzuki Foundation marine conservation specialist.

“The evidence continues to be published in the most respected scientific journals, and the B. C. Legislature’s own Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture has called for a transition to closed systems. It is time to act.”

The study team from Dalhousie University and University of Alberta also reported that the impact of fish farms is far larger than that caused by commercial fisheries.

Previous studies have shown that wild juvenile salmon have almost no sea lice in areas without fish farms.

However, in the Broughton Archipelago, juvenile salmon must swim through an 80-kilometre stretch of fish farms on their migration route before they reach the ocean.

Even the use of chemical treatment has not been proved effective for protecting wild salmon, as shown by lice resistance to the chemicals in Europe and South America.

“Widespread use of chemical treatments just isn’t good environmental policy,” said Ritchlin. “The region needs to have the source of the lice infestations removed. We must get the toe open net-cage salmon farms out of the way of juvenile salmon and ultimately into closed tanks.”

Many residents and stakeholders on the North Coast have long been opposed to the introduction of fish farms in the region, and many see this report as further proof of the harm they pose to wild fish populations.

North Coast MLA Gary Coons says a ban on open net fish farms is needed not only for his constituency, but coast-wide in B. C.

“This government and the federal government must put resources into our wild salmon industry to protect it, not allow the destruction of migratory routes, spawning grounds and vital watersheds,” he said. “We need action now on the special committee recommendations to protect wild stocks, and move forward to make the aquaculture industry sustainable by a transition to ocean-based closed containment. We cannot delay any further.”

Former North Coast fish farm executive changes hemispheres to farm his fish

Andrew Forsythe, a long-time B.C. salmon farmer recently left Canada for New Zealand, his days of frustration at growing an industry apparently at an end in the more accepting waters of the South Pacific.

.

He has spoken out in a Financial Post article, about the state of the aqua culture industry in British Columbia and his frustrations in trying to get the Marine Harvest salmon hatchery up and running in Port Edward.

As the debate raged over whether to allow fish farming in the coastal waters of Northern British Columbia, Marine Harvest eventually just gave up on the Port Edward operation, after spending millions of dollars on it in anticipation of receiving government approval for the industry on the North Coast.

He is among a growing legion of fish farming exiles who have moved out of British Columbia and headed for warmer waters and the chance to put in motion their plans for a fish farming industry.

They see some progress in B. C. from their far off posts, but for now are apparently quite content to work the waters where the governments are supportive and the industry is growing.

The full article was found on the National Post's, Financial Post website.

B.C. salmon farmers throw in towel
Fed up with environmental opposition
Nathan VanderKlippe
Financial Post
Friday, August 31, 2007

VANCOUVER -- Some of the top workers in B.C.'s salmon industry are leaving to nurture ocean farms elsewhere as they grow tired of working in a province in which strident environmental opposition has all but closed off expansion plans -- and, they say, deprived the West Coast of hundreds of millions in potential revenues.

"If you got an honest answer from most people in the industry, they have bookmarked most of the international job site searches on their computers," said Andrew Forsythe, a long-time B.C. salmon farmer who left recently for New Zealand.

Mr. Forsythe worked in B.C. for a decade, first as a feed company vet and then as manager of freshwater salmon production for the Canadian subsidiary of Marine Harvest, the world's largest salmon farming company. He spearheaded the construction of the world's largest recirculation salmon hatchery near Prince Rupert, B.C., and was a pivotal force in the West Coast industry.

But he, like numerous others -- including a number of senior workers who have left to build a salmon industry in Tasmania -- grew frustrated with the pace of expansion of an industry that has been dogged by environmental complaints and political interference. Two years ago, he decided he'd had enough and left for the southern hemisphere where, he said, fish farming is a growth business.

"The salmon industry in B.C. is 10 times the size of the salmon industry in New Zealand, but it is 10 times smaller than the industry in Norway or Chile," he said -- even though B.C.'s suitable salmon farming coastline roughly equals that in those two countries, and the industry here could potentially match them in size.

"While there is enormous scope for development in Canada it has run out of steam. This is not a question of running out of space or transgressing environmental standards. It's politics."

In B.C. alone, applications for 15 fish farms -- most of them salmon -- are currently languishing in the licensing system, some since 2002. The delay in their approval has cost the industry about $450-million, estimates Mary Ellen Walling, the executive director of the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association. That is more than value of the industry's entire 2006 sales.

"The world appetite for salmon is growing faster than our ability to supply it," said Ms. Walling. "But even with our wonderful coastline and poverty-stricken First Nations communities that could really benefit from this activity, the environmental lobby in B.C. is so strong that it really limits opportunities. It is really frustrating."

The delays have also created uncertainty that has undermined industry investments.

Take, for example, Mr. Forsythe's Prince Rupert hatchery. Marine Harvest Canada spent millions to build it on the assumption that it would receive farming licences in nearby waters. But when those licences failed to materialize, the company was forced to shutter the plant.
"Without those sites it was a wasted effort," said Mr. Forsythe in an interview from his current office at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand, where he is working to diversify and grow the local fish-farming industry.

New Zealand legislators, by comparison, have a far more committed attitude toward aquaculture, and have promised to triple the domestic market's size in the next 15 years, he said.

"Not to put too rosy a face on it -- we have all the same stakeholder issues and the same legislative delays. But politicians here will say, 'We have to listen to the stakeholders, but in the end we want to see it forward.' In B.C. we have politicians that say yes, 'We want to listen to the stakeholders' -- but they won't finish the sentence."

The departure of people such as Mr. Forsythe for greener waters is creating more competition for B.C. products, but is also potentially exposing Canadian salmon farmers to more risk, said Larry Greba, the fisheries advisor to the Kitasoo Nation, which has encouraged salmon farming in its waters near Klemtu, B.C.

"When you run into critical situations -- like a disease outbreak or a plankton issue -- there's only a handful of people that know what to do. You start losing those people, then the company is going to start making more mistakes and maybe cutting corners," he said.

The environmental lobby has little sympathy for the departed.

"I'm welcoming a changing of the old guard. Some of the new people coming into the salmon farming industry have new approaches, fresh ideas and a better understanding of the ecological impact of the industry," said Jessica Lash, executive director of the Living Oceans Society, which has staunchly opposed expansion of the industry. "And people can come and go from industry. But when you lose your wild salmon they don't come back again."

Environmental criticism is rooted primarily in the impacts it has on wild salmon. Ms. Lash contends that salmon farms are breeding grounds for parasitic sea lice, which then spread to passing wild salmon and can kill them. Living Oceans has pushed for salmon farms to replace open net cage systems with closed systems that don't allow any interaction between farmed and wild fish. The economics of closed systems are, however, still under study.

But until they are adopted, she pledged to vigorously oppose any expansion of the industry.
But what environmentalists don't appreciate is that salmon farms benefit wild fish in other ways, said Marine Harvest Canada spokesman Ian Roberts.

"Like everybody else, we have an impact but I would say it's extremely minimal and the benefit of growing salmon far outweighs the risk, and that risk is overfishing," he said.

Still, a dramatic growth of the industry appears entirely unlikely. The issue is "one of the most controversial files probably in the province right now," said Pat Bell, the B.C. Minister of Agriculture and Lands. "Until you have broader public support I think it is challenging to see significant expansion of the industry."

He has, in recent weeks, approved several new licences, although they have mostly been for replacement farms rather than new ones. Later this year, he plans to release a finfish aquaculture plan intended to map out the way forward for the industry to make "thoughtful, methodical" expansion plans.

"I'd like to see the industry be very successful in B.C., and I'd argue they are starting to feel like they are moving forward," he said. "But they need business certainty as well and I think a well-written finfish aquaculture plan will provide them with the certainty they need."

Still, those measures are unlikely to bring back people like Mr. Forsythe who, despite having found better opportunities elsewhere, can't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

"Every time I hear Stompin' Tom Connor's song 'Believe in Your Country' (and in our household we hear Stompin Tom a lot) I feel a bit guilty," he said. "But I wanted to be where I was needed."

Financial Postnvanderklippe@nationalpost.com

MLA Coons weighs in on provincial fish farm plans

The NDP have clearly been working on their talking points regarding the announcement last week that two new fish farms will open on the coast. As they man the barricades against the plans of the provincial government’s fish farming plans, they seem to have been using the same thesaurus.

Nathan Cullen was quoted as saying that the move by the province was “incredibly arrogant and a betrayal by the Gordon Campbell government to issue these licences in the face of overwhelming public opposition to fish farms of any sort in northern waters.”

Arrogance was a theme picked up on by the MLA for the North Coast, Gary Coons who in the Daily News, described the government’s plans as “arrogant and disrespectful”.

Both comments were made in response to an apparent dismissal of the work of the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture which issued a report back in May. In that report they recommended that no new sites be approve north of Cape Caution, with last weeks announcement the government seems to have tossed aside that work and gone ahead with their plans regardless. Coons pointed out that more than few northern residents took time to appear in front of the committee and that their work if discarded as such, would be nothing but a waste of public funds.

As is the wont of governments, they’ll go ahead and do what they wish, but shouldn't be too surprised when they get called out on those decisions that showcase their, oh what’s the word, … arrogance.

Coon’s displeasure with the government was given space on the front page of Tuesday’s paper.

NEW FISH FARM SITES NOT WELCOME SAYS MLA
Coons says the province is ignoring northerners by issuing site permits
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Pages one and three

While the Kitasoo are celebrating the approval of two new fish farms sites on the Central Coast, their political representatives in both Victoria and Ottawa are unhappy with the approvals.

Both Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen and North Coast MLA Gary Coons said the new sites, which will allow the Kitasoo to fallow other sites in their operation, should not have been approved by the province because of the opposition to fish farms in the region.

“I find this Liberal government arrogant and disrespectful for not even taking time to consider the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture’s report, and the work of our committee, but more importantly the hundreds of people who spoke to us, before breaching a key recommendation,” said Coons.

The Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture reported back to government in May 2007.

The recommendations in the report included a transition from open net to closed containment pens that would separate the wild stock from the farmed stock.

The report, which was only narrowly accepted by the committee recommends no new sites be approved north of Cape Caution.

“It is clear the Liberals never had any intention of respecting this work and wasted taxpayers money and many people’s time with this insincere effort, considering the overwhelming support for our recommendation,” said Coons.

The two fin fish sites approved late last week were issued to Marine Harvest, a company that works with the Kitasoo to operate the farms on the Central Coast.

The two new sites are at Lime Point and adjacent Sheep Passage near the village of Klemtu. The company has committed to no operate more than four sites at any give time. The two new sites will simply allow them to fallow two existing sites. It won’t actually result in increased production.

And the operation provides badly needed employment for the community of Klemtu.

However, Skeena Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen also disapproved of the new sites.

“It is incredibly arrogant and a betrayal by the Gordon Campbell government to issue these licences in the face of overwhelming public opposition to fish farms of any sort in northern waters,” Cullen said.

In April, Cullen introduced a Private Member’s motion in the House of Commons calling for a fish farm free northern B. C.

He also spoke out against open net salmon aquaculture at committee hearings in Smithers in October.

“Salmon management cannot be a partisan issue,” Cullen said.

“Science, the health of the resource and the public’s wishes must be the guiding forces in developing fish farm policy.”

"It is incredibly arrogant and a betrayal"

There will be no mis-understanding on where Nathan Cullen stands on last weeks announcement of the resumption of fish farming in BC.

Last Friday, the province announced that Marine Harvest had been granted two finfish licences for the waters near Klemtu. A decision that left the MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley more than a little upset at the Gordon Campbell government.

It has been an issue that Cullen has been prominent in his opposition. Earlier this year in April, Cullen introduced a Private Member’s motion in the House of Commons calling for a fish farm free northern BC.

He was also quite outspoken against open net salmon aquaculture at committee hearings in Smithers in October.

His comments on the issue in particular highlight his disappointment in the governments decision, suggesting that it mocks the BC Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture report released two months ago. That report, recommended no salmon farm development be permitted north of Cape Caution.

A recommendation that the provincial government apparently didn't feel was one that should be cast in stone.

Fish Farms back on the agenda

The Province of British Columbia has re-opened the fish farm debate in the province with the approval of two licences for farms in two locations.

The licences were issued to Marine Harvest and are located at Lime Point and adjacent Sheep Passage near the village of Klemtu on the Central Coast of British Columbia.

The Daily News featured the development as their front page story in Friday's paper.

PROVINCE GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO NEW B. C. FISH FARMS

By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, August 03, 2007

Page one

The Minister of Agriculture and Lands issued two finfish and two shellfish aquaculture licences for the province on Wednesday.

The two finfish licences have been issued to Marine Harvest and are located at Lime Point and adjacent Sheep Passage near the village of Klemtu on the Central Coast of British Columbia. In a separate statutory approval, the ministry approved the offering of two Crown land tenures to Kitasoo Aqua Farms Ltd. for these sites.

"Part of the licences is that one other licence will be surrendered at Arthur Island. They previously had a total of five licences, so with the two new ones minus the relinquished one it will bring their total to six," said Minister Pat Bell. "Their intent is really to have a more effective management regime for their licences."

Numerous parties were consulted on these applications, including the Canadian Coast Guard, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada, First Nations groups in the area, the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, the Raincoast Conservation Society and the public.

"We're very happy," said Percy Starr, elder band council manager of the Kitasoo nation. "Our objective has always been six working sites, where four will be working and two will be fallow on an annual basis, to address concerns of the environmental things."

"They've committed to not operate more than four at any given point in time, just for better rotation and fallowing purposes," said Bell. "So, the real outcome of this is that they will be able to far more effectively manage the farms in their territory through fallow periods."

The fish farm operations have brought an abundance of jobs into the area for the Kitasoo nation, which the band council is more than pleased with already.

"When you take a look at what we have now; we have 15 people working at the fish farms, we have about 35 people in the processing plant when we start operating, and we also do the packing which uses about six people," said Starr. "Fifteen are year-round, the rest are about eight months a year."

"It's just beautiful," said Starr.

In light of the fact that fish farming is one of the most controversial fishery issues, the news will no doubt bring criticism from some sectors, said Starr.

But, he said, the Kitasoo want everyone to know they are doing their job in keeping the area pristine.

"People don't understand that we work very closely with the environmental people," said Starr.
"Everything we do, we are trying to address it in an environmentally friendly manner. There are concerns, we know that, but we are addressing it the best we can."

According to Starr, the most recent environmental report on their farms showed their stock averaged one to three sea lice per fish, the same amount of lice found of fish 40 miles away from their farms.

"We dig clams from right by the farms, we still eat prawns from the area. We eat our diet which has not been impacted because of the farms in our traditional territory," he said. "We monitor all of the sites, and we invite people to come in and be a part of our team when we go out and do our work. We're not hiding anything, and we're just as concerned as other people."

In addition, the Kitasoo Band Council's agreement gives them the rights to manage the sites, as well as close them if they are environmentally harmful.

"If it's going to destroy anything, we own the sites and they will shut down very quickly," noted Starr.

"We told Marine Harvest that we want to be environmentally friendly, and it's part of our agreement that we can shut it down if we want to, if it disturbs our fish food activities."

Little interest in recent Fish Farm session

A Friday afternoon apparently wasn’t the best day to choose to try and get information out about the controversial fish farming question in Prince Rupert.
A scheduled meeting put on by the Ministry of Environment for last Friday was poorly attended by the community, with far less than the expected 40 to 50 participants taking the time to drop in.

The hot button issue has been percolating along the North Coast for a number of years now, but last week you wouldn’t know that it was controversial at all, as the five members of the Ministry from Nanaimo and Victoria nearly matched those few Rupertites that bothered to come out and learn more.

The Daily news reviewed the day’s events in Monday’s paper.

FISH FARM MEETING FAILS TO ATTRACT EXPECTED INTEREST
Only a handful of people turn out to offer their input
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, June 25, 2007
Page3

The scheduled community meeting to discuss fish farming practices, put on by the Ministry of Environment (MOE), was a poorly attended affair this past Friday afternoon.

Instead of drawing a crowd of 30 or 40 Prince Rupert residents as expected, the five MOE members from Nanaimo and Victoria nearly matched the six people who showed up at the Crest hotel to take part in the meeting, and two of those were from the media.

A planned three hour session at 3 p. m. was meant to be a chance for the public and other stakeholders to voice their opinion on changes they would like to see in the Finfish Aquaculture Waste Control Regulation, under the Environment Act. The ministry had extended invitations to industry and First Nations people, NGO’s, local government officials and the public.

The regulation, that determines the rules for waste disposal created by fish farms, has reached its five-year clause and must undergo review before being amended. What the ministry hoped to achieve at this meeting was to “engage stakeholders early on in the amendment process and to solicit their input on the proposed changes to the FAWCR,” according to the e-mail sent out to Mayor Herb Pond and city council.

The FAWCR is the document that encompasses acceptable rules and limits for dealing with all kinds of garbage and waste that is produced by fish farms, including sewage disposal, fuel storage, mortality storage and disposal, antibiotic and disinfect disposal, refuse, feces, feed, metals, litter and metabolites.

This means that the document outlines how many toxins are allowed to be in the water surrounding the fish farms, as well as what is to be done with the rest of the waste that fish farm is able to extract from the water.

With some 130 fish farms already on the coast of British Columbia, and an average of 500,000 fish in each farm’s “growing crop,” the waste and toxins released into the surrounding environment and ecosystem may be of some concern to the province’s residents.

Similarly disconcerting is that any farms above hard-bottom ocean floor have no compliance standards with any of the current regulations, largely because the ministry does not have the means to collect floor samples. What was also revealed by the ministry at Friday’s meeting was that as of yet there is no research into, or limits upon, fish farms’ impacts outside of the few kilometer range in which testing is currently done.

While Prince Rupert doesn’t have an established fish farming industry, it may be something residents will have to deal with in the future.

The fish farm debate provides a tale of two towns

The Tyee has begun an examination of the fish farming issue on the north coast, the first installment providing an indepth look at two local communities that have seen different results from the path they've taken when it comes to the fishing industry.

From Lax Kw'alaams with it's all but abandoned cannery sitting on a dock, idle for large portions of the year down to Klemtu with it's burgeoning farmed salmon industry providing for jobs and economic development, the Tyee report looks at the issues in each community and where the future may lead.

The fish farming controversy once again reached the forefront of local issues with last weeks report from the BC legislature into the controversial industry. A report that recommended no further fish farm development north of Vancouver Island. It was a recommendation that has been heralded by many as a sage decision, including the Tyee's own Rafe Mair, who has long been a champion of the wild salmon and fierce opponent to the aquaculture industry along B. C.'s coastline.

Other's say that the efforts of companies like Marine Harvest are bringing jobs and self sufficiency to First nations villages, that are taking a dedicated effort to improving the lot of their people. The people of Klemut are quite happy with their relationship with the multi-national fish producer and must wonder if their concerns have been considered in full by the panel's recommendations.

The governemnt doesn't necessarilly have to accept the recommendations of it's own panel, one that featured a majority of opposition MLA's on the panel. It's unusual for a government to toss aside it's own research, but not unheard of. It surely will be an issue that remains with a high profile in B. C. for a whlie to come.

This first Tyee article provides a well done bit of background for those that are interested, well worth a read as it gives us a fair amount of information about an issue that most of us probably don't know that much about. You can read it by following the link below:

Two Towns, One Choice
Helen Polychronakos
The Tyee,
May 22, 2007

MLA's provide background into committee deliberations

The Daily News completed its comprehensive coverage into the Fish Farming report on Thursday, with a Question and Answer session with the North Coast’s MLA, Gary Coons.

As well, from the front page they review the details from the chairman of the committee, Robin Austin of Skeena, who says that eventually the Liberals will come around to understanding “the will of the people”.

A process which may take a bit longer than he thinks, judging by the remarks of Pat Bell the Liberal Agriculture Minister.

Fish farm report reflects public opinion says MLA
The Daily News
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Page Two

Daily News reporter Leanne Ritchie interviewed North Coast MLA Gary Coons about his support of the sustainable Aquaculture Committee’s final report that was released yesterday and about the impact of suggestion that there be no farms north of Cape Caution. Here’s what he had to say.

Question: The report recommends no new farms north of Cape Caution (the tip of Vancouver Island), how do you explain your support of this report to the Chief and Council in Kitkatla who are working with Marine Harvest to develop sites and job opportunities for their village?

Coons: I believe British Columbians spoke. We had 18 months of intensive input and heard from hundreds of witnesses and had thousands of pieces of evidence reading material. On the North Coast, it was heard loud and clear that there are concerns about open net technology and there needs to be a swing toward protecting wild salmon and the marine environment and this is going to be a fair and balanced approach to it.

Question: How would you respond to the concern that opposing development in Kitkatla's traditional territory is a violation of Kitkatla's aboriginal rights and title?

Coons: I would say that's something that needs to be sorted out with First Nations in the region. Traditionally, with the sharing, there is a concern with the wild stocks going through their territory and I believe until we have First Nations consolidation on the issue that this is a safe approach. We have heard loud and clear from the majority of British Columbians that wild stocks are of number one importance.

Question: If Kitkatla's neighbours don't want open net fish farms and there needs to be more science done before development occurs, do you have any suggestions for Kitkatla for how they solve their currently unemployment problem?

Coons: Our report recommends the expansion of shellfish aquaculture to help many First Nations in coastal communities to hopefully drive economic development up and move forward in that area. We hope government will support that and put in the necessary testing areas and the initiatives to proactively go towards shellfish in lieu of open net fish farms until we have ocean-based closed containment at a point where we can incorporate it in the waters.

Question: The Kitasoo and Marine Harvest need the approval of new sites on the Central Coast to continue with their current level of production and let fallow the sites they already have. Does this report allow them to pursue those new sites and keep that industry going?

Coons: I would say that the existing Klemtu sites will be grandfathered, so they will be keeping what they have now at the current density but again we heard so much controversy in that region that we recommended the sites be grandfathered subject to negotiations with First Nations in the area and Marine Harvest. We honestly believe the CAAR Marine Harvest relationship is one that needs be fostered and built open.

(This agreement was signed by Marine Harvest Canada and the nine member groups of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform CAAR including coastal First Nations in the Campbell River area in 2006. It sets up a "Framework for Dialogue" that will foster collaborative efforts toward solving the conflicts surrounding open net-cage salmon farming.)

We believe the industry does want to move forward with sustainable aquaculture and they realize there is a need to move forward in ocean-based closed containment and look at this issue. This is a report that will hopefully cover everybody's concerns.

Question: The report acknowledges there is no consensus from the scientific community on the impact of open net pen technology on wild salmon, yet the report expressed concern for the decline in wild salmon stocks and calls for action in regards to fish farms. Why if there is no consensus on the scientific evidence open net farms impact wild salmon, do you support the report's call for action?

Coons: In the amount of research I did personally and the information that was presented to us, what I kept hearing about were the knowledge gaps, the lack of science as far as sea lice, the interaction between wild and farmed salmon, escapes and all about environmental impacts. I think what we need to do is ensure the science is right and there is a consensus both between aquaculture associations and advocates for wild salmon. I honestly believe, as does the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, that the moratorium was lifted prematurely by the Liberals in 2002, without the adequate science and regulations put in place to protect our wild stocks.

Question: Liberal MLA and deputy chair Ron Cantelon said that the report reflects the compelling politics heard during the public hearings, not compelling scientific evidence. Can you defend the report from that statement?

Coons: The Liberals on the committee chose not to support the report and we should not be surprised. I believe they have been too close to the industry for too long. We all must remember that one cabinet minister resigned after handing out inside information and in the last month or so we learned the B.C. Liberals paid fake protesters to show up at fish farm rallies. I believe they would see it as playing politics but we see it as trying to maintain a health sustainable aquaculture industry, but especially protect our wild stocks.

Question: Does the province have a larger role to play managing wild salmon stocks?

Coons: I believe the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has dropped the ball in a lot of situations, especially in the use of the precautionary principal and there is no explicit commitment to the protection of salmon habitat. DFO, I believe, willingly sacrifices habitat on behalf of the aquaculture industry. They put the pursuit of aquaculture and the pursuit of maintaining wild stocks on equal footing. The report recommends we use more stringent policy as far as the precautionary principle.

‘Public opinion is behind call for caution’
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Page One

The chair of the province's sustainable aquaculture committee believes that the Liberal government will come around and support both a moratorium for the North Coast and Central Coast and back a move to ocean-based closed containment.

Speaking from Victoria yesterday, Skeena MLA Robin Austin said that despite the four Liberal committee members choosing not to support the report, while the five NDP members did, the report reflects the will of the public.

"Once British Columbians have read this report and the recommendations, provided they think it is the right thing to do, they'll put pressure on the government to do what's right," said Austin.
"In regards to recommendation on the North Coast, there was more or less unanimity. We went from Kitkatla all the way in to Smithers and nobody wanted fish farms. I can't imagine the Liberals do not want to respect the wishes of all the communities, all the people along the Skeena River who came out to talk to us."

Northwest B.C. First Nations were in Victoria yesterday urging Gordon Campbell to heed the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture's recommendation against fish farms in B.C.'s northern waters.

Eugene Bryant with the Allied Tsimshian Tribes of Lax Kw'alaams says Minister of Agriculture and Lands Pat Bell's comment that he will not be bound by the committee's recommendations betrays the hundreds of people who testified before the committee.

"Our people have said loudly and clearly that fish farms are not acceptable," said Eugene Bryant. "Allowing fish farms to expand northward despite the risks will demonstrate that this government would rather prolong the conflict than work towards lasting solutions."

A 2005 study by IBM Business Consulting estimated that wild salmon contribute $110 million to the annual economy of the Skeena watershed.

"We already have a rich wild salmon economy on the North Coast," said Bryant. "Jeopardizing this significant economy by introducing fish farms makes no business sense whatsoever."
The delegation asserts that fish farms would exacerbate other threats facing northern salmon stocks, including climate change, habitat loss and stock mismanagement.

Austin said Bell has already declared a mini moratorium on new fish farm site approvals.
"Bell has said between now and June the 12, he will not allow any new fish farm approvals to go through. He wants to take a look at it ... and decide which parts he supports and which parts he doesn't," said Austin.

While there are currently no salmon farms on the North Coast, the Kitasoo and their partner Marine Harvest are seeking an expansion of their sites in the Central Coast and the Kitkatla First Nation is working with Marine Harvest to bring aquaculture development in their traditional territory.

A report that’s totally unacceptable

The above tells you all you need to know about the reaction in Kitkatla to the report of the Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture.

The report which was issued earlier this week called for a ban on fish farming north of Cape Caution, a ban that will have a major impact on the First Nation community, which has been working to create an aquaculture industry in their territory to provide employment for the people of Kitkatla.

The Daily News examined the issue from the Kitkatla perspective as well as from the point of view of the industry stake holders, with an article in Thursday’s paper. The article included the thoughts of Farm industry executives and of Chief Clifford White, head of the Kitkatla Nation and someone who probably is not too impressed with the NDP led committee this week.

‘REPORT SLAMS DOOR ON MEANIGNFUL LOCAL JOBS’
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Page three

The Chief of the Kitkatla Nation says the recommendations of the NDP led Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture will prevent his people for economic development.

“The NDP are slamming the door in the face of our people,” says Chief Clifford White, Gitxaala First Nation. “We believe aquaculture creates a sustainable economy that will allow our people to build meaningful jobs and careers in our traditional homes. The report presented today is totally unacceptable.”

Kitkatla are among the coastal First Nations that want to see aquaculture developed in their territory in order to provide employment.

However, the report recommends banning any new developments north of Cape Caution as well as a transition to ocean-based closed containment within five years.

The industry responded yesterday by saying the report may satisfy environmental activists but it will be at the expense of B. C.’s coastal communities.

“If these recommendations are adopted as presented here today, it would send a clear message to our First Nation partners, the coastal communities who depend on our industry and the wider business community that B. C. is not a favourable place to do business,” added Alistair Haughton, deputy managing director, Mainstream Canada. “The idea that we could turn away from scientifically developed and environmentally sustainable practices to gamble with the health of our livestock by attempting to rear them in systems with no data to support their claimed benefits is simply not acceptable.”

Industry representatives said the committee members’ lack of technical understanding, their willingness to ignore science and commercial interests, and their apparent disregard for the men and women who work in the aquaculture industry, and for First Nations interested in sustainable aquaculture, was shocking.

Critics noted commercial closed containment technology is not in use anywhere in the world. Pilot projects undertaken by industry and government in B. C. and many other parts of the world have raised significant concerns about fish health and the amount of power required to mimic ocean conditions.

“While we haven’t had an opportunity to read the report in detail, based on what we understand is being recommended we are disappointed,” says Clare Backman, Marine Harvest Canada. “We had hoped for more innovative, original recommendations providing for the continuity of a strong viable industry while addressing the issues of sustainability. The immediate next step is to review these recommendations in detail and provide our perspective to government and interested parties. In doing this, our focus is on ensuring our practices are environmentally appropriate and economically viable but without reliance upon unproven closed technology that has historically failed to deliver its promised results.”

A report – Salmon Forever - published by the BC Auditor General in 2005 pointed to a number of environmental impacts affecting wild salmon and their habitat, by type of activity. Representatives of the salmon farming industry are calling on governments to revisit that report and take the action required rather than endorsing recommendations that they say will adversely impact more than 6.000 men and women employed in aquaculture.

“Certainty is critical to provide security for our members’ existing investments and to encourage investment into many remote rural communities,” said Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director, and BC Salmon Farmers Association.

“If we strip away the rhetoric in the committee’s report, the harsh reality is that the main recommendations say B. C. does not want to participate in the global marketplace and that companies are better to invest elsewhere,” said Walling.

Fish Farm report finally released and becomes instantly controversial!

The recently released provincial report into Fish Farming has called for ban on farms north of Vancouver Island, a recommendation that isn’t particularly sitting well with First Nation’s communities in Kitkatla and Klemtu.

The report specifically recommended that “no new fin fish sites be approved north of Cape Caution.” The current Marine Harvest operation at Klemtu run in conjunction with the Kitasoo would be allowed to continue operating under a grandfather clause, but no additional development along that site would be allowed, should the report’s recommendations be accepted by the Government.

The report’s recommendations came about after a five four split of the panel, with the five opposition MLA’s from the NDP voting in favour of the report’s final draft, while the four government MLA’s on the panel voted against the prospect of a fish farm ban.

There was wide coverage of the report across the province, which we provide links to below, as well as the front page story from Thursday’s Daily News which provided some local detail to the coast long controversy.

Special Committee Report on Sustainable Aquaculture

Committee Report--Volume One
Committee Report--Volume Two

Media Reports

Vancouver Sun-- Closed pen farming
Vancouver Sun-- Final salmon report spawns controversy
Vancouver Province-- Liberal MP slams fish-farming study
Victoria Times-Colonist-- Salmon farming industry slams MLAs' report
Victoria Times-Colonist-- Start the debate on salmon farms
Globe and Mail--Radical new approach urged in salmon farming
The Fish site--Aquaculture Committee Recommendations Ignore Scientific Research
Westcoaster-- Committee calls for closed containment Salmon Farms


‘BAN FISH FARMS FROM THE NORTH COAST’ REPORT URGES
Eagerly awaited, highly controversial aquaculture report demanding change
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Pages one and three

A new report is calling on the province to put a halt to plans for fish farms on the North and Central Coast, including proposed sites in Kitkatla and Klemtu.

And it says the remainder of the aquaculture industry needs to transition to ocean-based closed containment within five years.

The Special Legislative Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture approved its report in a five-four vote yesterday with Liberals MLA’s, including North Coast MLA Gary Coons and Skeena MLA Robin Austin (committee chair,) voting in favour.

“While there is no consensus among the scientific community about the potential harm incurred by open net pen technology, the overwhelmingly majority of scientists, as well as a preponderance of evidence, suggests that from a public policy point of view we must act, and act immediately,” reads the report. “We are the guardians and trustees of the environment and therefore cannot place at risk our wild salmon population nor the overall marine environment, both of which are the envy of the world.”

On the North Coast, the report specifically recommends using “the precautionary principle” with “no new fin fish sites approved north of Cape Caution.”

The sites operated by the Kitasoo and Marine Harvest near Klemtu would be grandfathered in, however the report recommends rejecting new sits the partners have applied for.

The Kitasoo say they need the new sites to keep their current level of production and allow their current sites to be fallowed.

The report recommends no new sites be approved unless they use ocean-based closed containment technology.

As for the existing industry down south, the report recommends that the industry work with government to develop ocean-based closed containment, defined as floating barrier technology that ensures no contact between wild and farmed fish.

This would eliminate the concern of disease transfer and sea lice movements on to juvenile salmon and the committee believes would be in demand around the world as people push for more sustainable aquaculture.

They recommended a full commercial scale ocean-base close containment project be undertaken by industry and government to meet the three-year deadline. Once new technology is developed, government should provide incentives for the industry to transition to ocean-based closed containment within another two years.

The report also recommends reinstating the rights of cities and residents to approve any new sites in the future.

During the committee hearing to adopt the report, Liberal MLA and deputy committee chair Ron Cantelon said the report was more political than scientific.

“Compelling politics we heard; compelling evidence we didn’t hear,” he said. “The core recommendation which dominates the report, is the recommendations to move closed containment in three years. As I think from what we hear the evidence supports, that’s not a feasible option. Since everything seems to stem from that, the rest of the report is incidental to that core recommendation.”

However, North Coast NLA Gary Coons disagreed. “This committee was tasked with finding recommendations for a sustainable aquaculture industry and protecting wild salmon and I believe we have a fair and balanced report here that is going to help both industries.:

Although they presented the report in the legislature yesterday, it has not yet been debated by all members and its conclusions are not binding.

Nor does the province, if it approves the recommendations approve and deny sites. That process is conducted by the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans.

WHAT THE REPORT IS CALLLING FOR.
The Daily News
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Page Two

Recommendations of the provincial Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture

Fin fish aquaculture:

-- A rapid phased transition to ocean-based closed containment from open net pens. The technology must be developed in three years and industry must adopt the technology in another two years.

-- There should be no new fish farm sites approved north of Cape Caution (the northern tip of Vancouver Island)

-- The existing Klemtu sites should be grandfathered in subject to negotiations between area First Nations and Marine Harvest.

-- Any expansion north of Cape Caution must include closed containment technology.

-- Once the transition to closed containment occurs, new sites may be developed only if the rights of local governments and residents to approve sites is restored and all local governments, First Nations and citizens should be involved in the tenure siting.

-- A watchman program should be established under which first Nations in whose territory the fish farms are located are contracted to monitor sites for best practices.

-- Priority should be placed with the provincial and federal government for increased capacity for monitoring.

-- Effective fallowing regimes must be brought in place to protect juvenile wild salmon during period of migration.

-- There must be no increase in product levels per site or tenure.

Other

-- Use of fish meal and fish oil derived from wild sources must not exceed one pound of wild fish harvested to one pound of aquatic animals grown.

-- The province must work with industry and the federal government on a new labeling regime that labels additives, distinguishes between open and closed containment and labels the content of the feed.

For a full copy of the report, visit http://www.leg.bc.ca/ and look under committee reports.

Dan Miller calls for “no surrender” on the topic of fish farming!

The Former Premier and MLA for the North Coast has spoken out once again in favor of the fish farm option for the coastal waters of the province.

Dan Miller who was a former city councilor, MLA and eventual Premier of the province has penned a special column for the Victoria Times Colonist in which he urges the province to “keep its options open” when it comes to the aqua culture industry.

Miller points out that the aqua culture industry has provided for employment in traditionally high unemployment areas of the province, areas which now are in danger of losing those jobs due to a moratorium on development and the continuing debate over its future.

His thoughts will cause a few ripples in the labour community locally, especially from the union sector which supported his successive terms in office. Some of whom now find their positions seemingly at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to where the farms and industry relate to jobs and impact on the fishing industry along the north coast.

We provide the full column below:

The coastal economy: Let's keep options open
Fish farms provide an antidote to economic devastation in resource towns
Dan Miller
Special to Times Colonist
Monday, May 14, 2007

I have lived and worked on the coast of British Columbia for most of my 62 years.
I've been a deckhand on tugboats, set chokers on a logging site, worked as a millwright in the Prince Rupert pulp mill, served as the North Coast MLA for 15 years and was privileged to hold a variety of cabinet positions including minister of forests, energy, mines and petroleum resources and premier.

Despite the demographic trends that see a continual shift of population from rural to urban, B.C.'s economy still depends on the harvesting and processing of natural resources. The people in rural communities have made a significant contribution to the economic well-being of all British Columbians.

It was with dismay that I read that the Englewood processing plant in Port McNeill was closing due to lack of new production of farmed salmon. This plant, which opened in 1997, provided 120 year-round jobs and injected more than $ 4.5 million into the local economy.

This happened in an area that has been devastated by the serious decline in the coastal forest industry. I've toured the plant and was struck by the fact that most of the workers were women. These family-supporting jobs were incredibly important in helping to maintain a healthy community and healthy families.

It's a basic truism that needs repeating. Healthy families need a steady source of income. Chronic widespread unemployment leads to a serious deterioration in families and their communities.

This closure did not have to happen. The Englewood plant was built on the expectation that new salmon farm licences would provide a growing volume of fish.

This has not happened and the result is that jobs will now be consolidated into the Port Hardy plant.

There are other examples.

The Kitasoo people of Klemtu, under the masterful leadership of Percy Starr, have been a model of entrepreneurship. They built their own small fish- and shellfish-processing plant. They built their own ferry terminal to accommodate the mid-coast ferry bringing tourists and supplies. And they've been into salmon farming, finally forming a partnership with a large aquaculture company.

But the operation needs more net-pen sites. Unfortunately, there is a moratorium in place while an all-party MLA committee studies the future of salmon farming.

We hear too often of the high unemployment rates in aboriginal communities and the consequent social problems. In Klemtu, employment is up, people have a sense of purpose and observers say that the community has a good feel to it.

Similarly, the Gitxaala people of Kitkatla, which has an unemployment rate of 85 per cent over the winter, have partnered with Pan Fish to develop a salmon aquaculture business in their traditional territory. They have trained 20 workers through the North Island College as salmon farm technicians.

Their attempts to improve conditions in their small, isolated community have been stymied by the moratorium.

It is difficult to develop an economic base, particularly for small, isolated communities on our coast. And in the face of serious declines in the forestry and traditional commercial fishery, it is doubly hard.

A study sponsored by World Wildlife, The Great Salmon Run, concluded that there is little evidence that salmon farming has had significant direct effects on North American wild salmon resources. The wild fishery only supplies 15 per cent of world demand for fish products and that is declining as demand grows.

The British Columbia farmed salmon industry generated more than $450 million in revenue in 2005 and employed about 4,000 people.

As a result of the salmon aquaculture review undertaken by a New Democratic Party government, B.C. has perhaps the world's best standards and regulations governing the operations of salmon farms.

I hope the MLA committee does not surrender to the anti-fish-farm hype that has dominated public discourse, that it quickly recommends that we get on with building a valuable export industry and that the government get on with issuing new licences.

Surely, if MLAs on the committee put themselves in the position of a laid-off worker from the Englewood plant, or the young aboriginal person in Klemtu or Kitkatla who is looking forward to meaningful employment and building pride in his or her community, then the decisions they make should be clear and straightforward.

Dan Miller is former premier of B.C.

Klemtu awaits approval for its latest fish farm plans

With unemployment down to 40% now, the villagers of Klemtu are hoping for approval for two new sites at Sheep Pass.

Many northwest communities seem leery of the prospects from aquaculture, while a few are down right hostile to the idea. An opinion not shared to the south as Klemtu has found the partnership with Marine Harvest to have been a beneficial one for the village residents.

The Daily News had some background on the story in Tuesday’s paper.

ANXIOUS WAIT FOR VILLAGERS OVER FISH FARMS
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Pages one and two

In the mid-1990’s unemployment in the Kitasoo village of Klemtu was 80 per cent. The around 500 people in the community were getting by, but not much more and many feared for their future. The problem was the same faced by many coastal communities – the slow death of the commercial salmon fishery that was once the economic backbone of the region.

“Today, unemployment has been cut to forty per cent – that’s still too high but it is a huge improvement in less than 10 years,” said Percy Star\r, Kitasoo Elder and a member of the band council. “Today, the people of Klemtu have a mission and a routine they have something to believe in and a sense of purpose that did not exist a few short years ago.”

The turnaround was the byproduct of joint aquaculture venture between the Kitasoo people and Marine Harvest Canada. In 2006, Kitasoo Seafoods processed 11 million pounds of Atlantic salmon – or around 1 million fish- raised in Kitasoo owned farm sites at Goat Cove and Kid Bay. Fifteen Kitasoo worked full-time on the farms, another 30 worked full time in the processing plant during its 10 month operating schedule and seven more worked on the Kitasoo owned harvest vessel during those 10 months.

With those successes in the past, the Kitasoo and their partners are now looking to the future and have applications with the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands for two new sites within the Kitasoo traditional territory at Sheep Pass.

“Clearly, this is a remarkable success story and it is one we want to build on,” he said. “But we need these two new sites, and unfortunately the approval process is dead slow. It was so slow in the past that we were unable to stock young salmon in 2003 or process fish in 2005.

“Unless our new applications are approved by mid-March we face the same problem in 2007 – no smolts, no production. The loss of these processing jobs and the $1 million payroll that goes along with them would be a big blow to our community.”

Starr acknowledges that some First Nations in the region have a different view of aquaculture than his community, but stresses that these approvals would not expand production in Klemtu. Rather, they would add to the security of the operation and provide the capacity to support Ecosystem Based Management through improved crop rotation. It would see the community have six aquaculture sites with three or four sites operating each year and the same level of about one million smolts entering the farms yearly.

”Neighbouring First Nations may have a different view of aquaculture but we have experienced the benefits this venture has brought to our people,” he said. “We have also live with aquaculture for 20 years. We believe that we are operating in harmony with local wild salmon stocks and the crabs, seals, whales and dolphins that share our waters. We monitor our operations closely and regularly and can see that water quality has not been hurt and neither has the ocean bottom under our farms or the nearby shoreline.

“For centuries, the Kitasoo people had a close connection to the sea. This connection was lost for a generation when the commercial salmon fishery collapsed and our boats were tied up. Aquaculture is giving this connection back to us, and with this connection has come a sense of purpose and a belief in the future.”

Starr is calling on Premier Gordon Campbell, Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell, and the province of British Columbia in general to recognize how important this approval is to the health and future of the Kitasoo community and not to delay any further.

NDP members of the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture have demanded that no approvals be handed out to any aqua culture sites until a bi-partisan report is issued sometime prior to May 31.

However, the government has shown in some cases it will continue to push forward with plans as with the recent approval of three geoduck sites in the Powell River area.