farmedsalmoni - more permitting and more pollution

Here is Alexandra Morton's posting about this proposed new legislation to make fishfarmers more accessible permitting and to allow more toxic pollution in our ocean.

West Coast Environmental Law sent out a critical alert on changes to the Fisheries Act that will allow the three Norwegian companies that own 98% of the BC salmon farming industry to use stronger drugs to de-louse the fish in their pens.  Apparently the deadline is tomorrow.  Increased drug resistant sea lice is impacting their profits in other regions and the prohibition against release of deleterious substances in Canada's Fisheries Act is an impediment to them.

http://wcel.org/resources/environmental-law-alert/urgent-act-now-protect-canadas-wild-fish?utm_source=LEBhttp://wcel.org/resources/environmental-law-alert/urgent-act-now-protect-canadas-wild-fish?utm_source=LEB

On February 25, 2014, the Minister of Fisheries, Gail Shea, met with The Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans about salmon farms and raised this point:

"We're working hard to resolve long-standing regulatory irritants to the industry and the provinces"

David Bevan Associate Deputy Minister at the same meeting clarified this point: 

"Under section 36, it's illegal to put into the water any harmful substances, so that was a very critical impediment to further operations of the aquaculture industry, so that's what we're currently dealing with."

Trevor Swerdfager, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management told the Senate Committee:

"...in British Columbia we're in a position now where I think the scenarios and "

signals are all positive, we think, anyway. The industry is getting ready for a bit of a takeoff there."

Indeed two new salmon farms have been applied for <http://www.arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/index.jsp?PrimaryStatus=any&amp;keyword=AQUACULTURE%20/%20FIN%20FISH>  off Port Hardy, on Hope Island in Goletas Channel.  A First Nation is listed as the applicant, but Marine Harvest's name is on the map.  I do not argue this First Nation's involvement, but it has to be recognized this is on the migration route of Fraser sockeye and other salmon and so they are in a position where they are making a decision for all who live south of them, who want wild salmon.  This is the nature of wild salmon, anything that happens to them along their migration route affects a lot of communities that depend on the resource.

Please consider going to the West Coast Environmental Law site and help us try to keep the prohibition against release of harmful chemicals under the Fisheries Act intact. WCEL has done a great job of making this easy for you.  

Thank you,

Alexandra Morton

www.alexandramorton.ca   <http://www.alexandramorton.ca>