alexandra morton

Stop infected farm salmon

On May 7, 2013, Ecojustice filed a lawsuit on my behalf against the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Harvest for the transfer of juvenile Atlantic salmon infected with the piscine reovirus (PRV) from their hatchery in Sayward into net pens on the Fraser sockeye migration route across from Port Hardy. Now we need your help.

While controversy exists around this virus and its relationship to a disease (HSMI) known to weaken salmon to the point they likely cannot reach their rivers (Garseth et al 2013), the scientific literature is making unusually strong warnings specifically about the virus found in Marine Harvest's fish and the associated disease (HSMI):

“it is urgent that measures be taken to control PRV … due to the potential for transmission to wild salmon populations.” (Palacios et al 2010)

“If the potential hosts are in close proximity, it goes through them like wildfire,” said Lipkin. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/07/salmon-disease-identified

Kristofferson et al 2013, recommends removing HSMI diseased salmon farms to stop the spread of the disease, which may spread 50km from a site.

These are unusually strong and consistent warnings for scientists to make. I think they should be heeded if we want wild salmon.

I am writing to ask if you would consider helping Ecojustice with their legal bills to argue this case. If we win, the salmon farming industry could no longer use EU virus-infected fish. In this long drawn out battle to protect wild salmon, this would be extremely significant to the wild salmon of the eastern Pacific. Most farm salmon are now infected with this virus. Reoviruses do infect humans, though it is unknown if piscine reovirus is capable of this.

If we don't remove PRV - infected Atlantic salmon we can expect to be eating it in wild and farm salmon and we will learn first hand whether it stops wild Pacific salmon from reaching their rivers. But if the answer is yes, it will be too late.

You can donate to Ecojustice please identify that your donation is for this lawsuit.

Or you can donate directly to me, and again identify that you want the funds to go to this.

I will be contacting you every month on specific actions you can take to protect and restore wild salmon to British Columbia. I met and was inspired by many of you on the Salmon Confidential tour.

We can do this! We are thousands strong. If you have any ideas please let me know. In closing, this quote is from a scientific paper on HSMI in farm salmon:

“At a time when humans are being encouraged to eat fish to help combat … coronary disease, it seems somewhat ironic the heart disease seems to be such a problem in the fish themselves.”(Ferguson et al 2005)

Putting diseased farm salmon in BC waters is not OK - going to court..again

On May 7, I launched a lawsuit against the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Harvest in the Federal Court of Canada for the illegal transfer of diseased Atlantic salmon into net pens on the Fraser sockeye migration route. The Minister appears to have acted without authority, exceeding his jurisdiction, when he gave Marine Harvest’s vet the final decision on whether diseased Atlantic salmon could go into the public waters of British Columbia.

 

FOR MEDIA: www.salmonconfidential.ca/lawsuit

In March 2013, Marine Harvest transferred ~500,000 Atlantic salmon smolts known to be infected with piscine reovirus from their Dalrymple hatchery into a net pen on the Fraser sockeye migration route across from Port Hardy.

The infected Atlantic smolts were poured into a boat from the freshwater hatchery on land and transported out to the ocean net pens.

For ten years scientists in Norway could not figure out why farm salmon were increasing dying of a heart disease they called Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI).

Scientists reported that Atlantic farm salmon with HSMI lay on the bottom of the pens, on their sides, their hearts so “soft” and “flabby” the fish were unable to swim. They warned that "biosecurity" was important to try and stop it from spreading, but clearly they failed, because the disease has spread throughout the coast of Norway.

“At a time when humans are being encouraged to eat fish to help combat a range of conditions including coronary disease, it seems somewhat ironic that heart disease seems to be such a problem in the fish themselves.” (Ferguson et al. 2005)

When 19 scientists, from Norway and the US, co-authored a paper in 2010 identifying the piscine reovirus as the most likely cause of this disease, HSMI had spread to over 400 farms in Norway. The 19 scientists issued very a clear warning that piscine reovirus must be contained to protect wild salmon.

“it is urgent that measures be taken to control PRV … due to the potential for transmission to wild salmon populations” (Palacios et al. 2010) In a popularized version of this paper one of the authors states: “If the potential hosts are in close proximity, it goes through them like wildfire,” said Lipkin. Science Wired.

Piscine reovirus in BC Atlantic farm salmon
As a participant in the Cohen Commission into the Decline of the Fraser Sockeye I had access to the provincial feedlot salmon health records. Although piscine reovirus was never mentioned during this inquiry, I read the provincial vet, Dr. Gary Marty’s report of HSMI-like symptoms in Mainstream salmon in 2008.

“This pattern of inflammation has also been described with Heart and Muscle Inflammation in Atlantic salmon reared in Europe, but this disease has not been identified in BC salmon.” (08/29/08, AHC Case:08-3362 Download HSMI case #08-3362 copy.pdf (1761.0K), page 2 3rd paragraph from bottom)

I decided to check whether Dr. Marty's observations meant piscine reovirus had reached BC in the millions of Atlantic salmon eggs brought into BC by salmon farmers. I took samples of BC farm salmon sold in BC supermarkets, sent them to two labs and found piscine reovirus was not only in BC – it was common in farm salmon raised here!

Atlantic salmon from Vancouver supermarket with PRV

After, I released my results on PRV, Dr. Gary Marty responded in the media that he had too found this virus in 75% of BC farm salmon. He told us it was not in wild salmon.

In 2008, Dr. Marty took samples of wild juvenile salmon caught between Knight and Kingcome Inlets and tested them for piscine reovirus in 2010. In this paper he reports all tests were negative negative. (Saksida et al 2012)

I went back to the same area in 2011, sampled juvenile young wild salmon swimming past the Marine Harvest's salmon feedlots in Tribune Channel and Fife Sound. Those fish tested positive for piscine reovirus. It was heart-breaking to find this Norwegian virus in the salmon of the area that I call home. These were the salmon populations that had launched my 20 year battle to protect wild salmon from salmon feedlots. If there was no piscine reovirus in 2008, but it was present in 2011, one has to ask, is it spreading like “wildfire” as scientists working with the virus had warned?

DFO is completely out of the loop and denies piscine reovirus is in BC. Shameful given the resources and expertise in that organization.

“Government of Canada scientists have not confirmed the presence of this virus in Canadian fish, despite extensive monitoring and testing," he said.”

DFO is no longer believable, denial is their only response to Atlantic salmon viruses in BC waters and this lawsuit is to stop them from allowing private Norwegian companies from putting diseased salmon into ocean pens. The NDP Party in BC is in the middle of a campaign to be elected and keep saying they want to work with DFO towards a sustainable aquaculture industry - this does not bode well for any who need or want wild salmon to thrive.

Most disturbingly, a 2013 Norwegian paper suggests wild salmon infected with this virus may not have the energy to swim home to their rivers. What kind of insanity is this? Why would DFO take such risks with a resource as precious as wild salmon? (Garseth et al. 2013)

Salmon have to be supreme athletes to survive, they cannot tolerate heart disease

Considering that the Pacific Salmon Commission reports that up to 90% of the Fraser sockeye that enter the lower Fraser River, don’t make it up river past the rapids, this fish farm virus should have been closely examined by the Cohen Commission. But government scientists kept their mouths shut. (Lapointe et al. 2003)

When the BC government farm salmon vet found an exotic virus known to spread rapidly, that weakens salmon to the point they may not be able to reach their rivers, in the majority of the Atlantic farm salmon on the migration route of BC’s biggest run on wild salmon which are mysteriously unable to swim upriver - this should have triggered an immediate critical evaluation of the situation by DFO.

There should have been extensive screening of all the salmon feedlots, farm and enhancement hatcheries and of the salmon dying in the rivers just before spawning. Fisheries and Ocean Canada should have tested Pacific wild salmon to find out how this virus impacts them. Dr. Kristi Miller should have been tasked to inform this critical situation by reading the immune systems of infected fish using the powerful technique called “genomic profiling.” She could tell us if this virus is destroying the hearts of wild salmon.

But instead the detection of this Norwegian virus was kept completely silent, not even the Cohen Commission was informed. When I released my results DFO denied it exists and the Provincial vet argued it is not a problem. The Pacific Foundation , Sport Fishing Institute , the Steelhead Society the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC – all remained mute. Apparently it is OK with everyone to just let this happen despite all the warnings. I cannot believe NO ONE responded! If you are a member of one of these organizations, perhaps you could support them in stepping up to acknowledge and deal with this situation. The only reason this has been allowed to happen is because everyone is complicit with their silence. This recent article in the New York Times seeks to ridicule my efforts and so the damage continues. Not many want risk public humiliation and so Marine Harvest and the others just keep getting away with what they can to serve their shareholders as they are mandated to do. They can say and do as they like.

GRIEG SEAFOODS PRETENDS THAT EATING THEIR FARM SALMON SAVES WILD SALMON

I don’t have any reason to believe this is an isolated event, I think infected farm salmon are common. The difference was this time I was tipped off that ~500,000 Atlantic salmon smolts had tested positive for the virus, before entering the ocean. I tried to stop these fish from entering the ocean, but was ignored. DFO did not even answer my letters.

Marine Harvest is very familiar with the potential for this disease to kill salmon as they list it as the second largest "cause of mortality" of their farm salmon in the world.

Screen shot from Marine Harvest ANNUAL REPORT 2012

British Columbia is the 2nd biggest region for losses for Marine Harvest.

Screen shot from Marine Harvest ANNUAL REPORT 2012 (note MH's only Canadian feedlots were in BC in 2012)

Is Marine Harvest losing salmon in BC to heart failure? Anyone out there know, and brave enough to talk about this?

Everyone is afraid to stand up to these Norwegian companies using BC waters to raise “their” fish and this is why I am taking the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Harvest to court with Ecojustice. I don't think it is OK, I don't want all of us have to eat wild fish infected with farm salmon viruses and to risk losing wild salmon.

The Law

This is a Judicial Review of the federal aquaculture license granted to fish farmers to transfer infected Atlantic salmon from their freshwater hatcheries into their marine net pen sites. We are challenging the notion that the Minister of Fisheries has the authority to disregard the law under the Fisheries Act, put diseased farm salmon in ocean feedlots and allow that disease to infect wild salmon.

Specifically Section 56 of the Fishery (General) Regulations states that the Minister may not issue a licence to transfer fish that have: “any disease or disease agent that may be harmful to the protection and conservation of fish”

Similarly, the federal Finfish Aquaculture Licence issued to each farm salmon states:

“The licence holder has obtained written and signed confirmation, executed by the source facility’s veterinarian or fish health staff, that, in their professional judgement:

(i) mortalities, excluding eggs, in any stock reared at the source facility have not exceeded 1% per day due to any infectious diseases, for any four consecutive day period during the rearing period;
(ii) the stock to be moved from the source facility shows no signs of clinical disease requiring treatment; and
(iii) no stock at the source facility is known to have had any diseases listed in Appendix IV; or
(iv) where conditions 3.1 (b)(i) and/or 3(b)(iii) cannot be met transfer may still occur if the facility veterinarian has conducted a risk assessment of facility fish health records, review of diagnostic reports, evaluation of stock compartmentalization, and related biosecurity measures and deemed the transfer to be low risk.

Schedule IV diseases include: “Any other filterable agent either causing cytopathic effects in tissue culture or is associated with identifiable clinical disease in fish.”

Definition of filterable agent: a former name for bacteriophage, virus, or other submicroscopic noncellular microorganism. (Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry)

So this newly minted aquaculture licence states that a fish farm company is not allowed to put diseased fish into ocean net pens unless the company vet says it is "low risk". It does not even bother to say - low risk to whom? Wild salmon? The people who depend on wild salmon? The whales, bears, eagles, sea lions, forests and everything that lives in those forests?

HSMI is an identifiable disease and piscine reovirus is filterable agent associated with it. The scientific community tracking it as it spread through Norway has warned us that it spreads like "wildfire" (see last sentence of this article).

Proceedings
This legal proceeding is going to be slow, because this is Federal Court. If I win, I might be able to move forward with getting an injunction to remove these diseased fish from the biggest wild salmon migration route in BC the water at some point in the future - months from now. In the meantime, the young wild salmon pouring out of the rivers of eastern Vancouver Island, the Fraser River and Knight and Kingcome Inlets right now are being exposed to these diseased feedlot salmon, to a virus that spreads like wildfire. Then the adult salmon that return to BC this fall will be exposed to this feedlot, and many others, and so will potentially carry the virus into the nursery lakes and rivers throughout BC as they attempt to swim upriver to spawn. Juvenile salmon rearing in those lakes will be exposed to Norwegian feedlot piscine reovirus and the virus will have the opportunity to spread like wildfire in these lakes. The infected salmon feedlots are far away from these lakes and so the people who depend on these salmon have no idea of the disease transaction that took place. While British Columbians risk all, European shareholders might profit from this situation, if these diseased Atlantic salmon live long enough to be harvested in 18-24 months. The public who fish wild salmon exposed to this feedlot get to eat the virus, in the wild salmon.

While this case is federal, the provincial government holds the Licence of Occupation for this salmon feedlot - a lease agreement that rents them the seafloor below the pens so Marine Harvest can drop anchors to hold this diseased facility on the Fraser sockeye migration route. The Province of BC could terminate these agreement in 60 days with no compensation to the company, if it was in the public interest.

If you are interested, let your provincial candidates know right now! Then let the new Provincial government know.

Meanwhile:

Thank you to Jeff Jones, who helped me understand the law pertaining to the transfer of these diseased Atlantic salmon

Thank you to Greg McDade for his wise counsel

Thank you to Erling Olsen for making the first contribution to my legal bills

Thank you to Ecojustice for working so hard to launch this.

Thank you for standing with the wild salmon, I hope we can make a difference to the wild salmon of British Columbia.

If you want to help pay the legal bill to stand up to Marine Harvest and the Minister of Fisheries you can do so here

Dear Candidates, don't hide behind me stand up for wild salmon - the people will love you!

NEW YORK TIMES - MAY 2, 2013

 

SIGN THE PETITION ASKING BC POLITICAL PARTIES TO GET SALMON FEEDLOTS OUT OF WILD SALMON MIGRATION ROUTES

BREAKING NEWS! NDP BREAKING RANKS TO STAND UP FOR WILD SALMON.

"Simons drew the first applause of the evening in responding to a question about protecting wild salmon".

“With the salmon farm circumstances, we know that there is enough science to tell us that the migratory routes should be free of fish farms because of the danger they pose,” he said.

http://www.coastreporter.net/article/20130503/SECHELT0101/305039962/-1/sechelt/candidates-illustrate-differences-in-party-platforms

If you want government to protect wild salmon from salmon feedlots - you can comment on this article at the link above and you can "like" it. The candidates need to hear from you on this, wild salmon need you to speak up right now, because the province of BC holds the key, they can terminate salmon feedlots one by one with 60 days notice, no compensation to the companies, and transition the few workers that are in the industry if it is in the public interest. The candidates need to know if you are interested.

NDP salmon feedlot policy – Impractical - in-fact Impossible

CLICK HERE TO FIND AND WRITE TO YOUR MLA CANDIDATES - USE DEMOCRACY TO SAVE WILD SALMON

On March 23, 2013, NDP Environment Critic and candidate, Rob Fleming, was on CBC radio responding to the BC Liberal announcement that they agreed with the Cohen Commission and would place a moratorium on salmon farm expansion off Campbell River.

CBC RADIO TRANSCRIPT
NDP ENVIRONMENT CRITIC ROB FLEMING ISN'T IMPRESSED.
"they've been missing in action on this file for so long that to say on a Friday afternoon six months after justice Cohen delivered his report that they deign to agree with his recommendations just shows that they have not paid considerable attention to this."
FLEMING SAYS THE NDP WOULD INITIATE A REVIEW OF THE ISSUE INCLUDING LOOKING AT BANNING OPEN NET FISH FARMS ALONG KEY SALMON MIGRATION ROUTES.
STEPHEN SMART - CBC NEWS - VICTORIA. ”

When I heard Fleming speak, I thought WOW finally, we are going to get the chance to restore wild salmon to the benefit of all of Canada, future generations, First Nations, the whales, bears, eagles and the coastal economy. The thought that a government in BC would finally support wild salmon and all that they feed including us was really thrilling. The possibility of prosperity loomed large for the boarded up town of Port Hardy, the greatest natural port on northern Vancouver Island. Echo Bay, Gold River, Alert Bay, Port McNeill, Sointula, Kingcome could all thrive again if wild salmon poured down this coast fueling tourism, fishing, food-security. The First Nation elders with barely enough salmon to can would fill their shelves again with a food essential to their health.

And then, like the tide going out, barely perceptible at first, the NDP party made it clear star candidate, Rob Fleming, had spoke out of turn and has been told to behave. The freshly minted NDP Fisheries policy literally that put salmon farms first, sets a course that conflicts with itself and the NDP’s previous position to remove salmon farms from BC waters.

CLICK HERE TO FIND AND WRITE TO YOUR MLA CANDIDATES - USE DEMOCRACY TO SAVE WILD SALMON

Marine Harvest, who just put diseased Atlantic salmon in net pens where their virus will pass over the gills of the Fraser sockeye, must be smiling. Marine Harvest, you did it again, you must think British Columbians and their representatives are sheep, always trotting obediently in whatever direction you bark.

Whoever wrote the NDP fisheries policy feels certain British Columbians don’t read the news because astonishingly they thought telling us the NDP would work with DFO would inspire confidence. However, Mark Hume just published an article in BC’s leading newspaper that DFO refuses to release key information that would protect Fraser sockeye facing extinction. Thus, he explains, DFO is preventing implementation of the Wild Salmon Policy – a nine-year-old, much touted policy that would restore wild salmon to BC that has been starved, neglected, and banished except when dragged out for brief moments and held up as a shield to bolster DFO’s reputation. To this day, DFO continues to hide this data and so the 2013 fishery plan is being assembled in the dark assuring extinction of salmon that some First Nations will never see again.

CLICK HERE TO FIND AND WRITE TO YOUR MLA CANDIDATES - USE DEMOCRACY TO SAVE WILD SALMON

In this video you see senior DFO scientist, Simon Jones admitting he detected a highly lethal European salmon virus that is appearing wherever Atlantic salmon are farmed, in the most endangered Fraser sockeye stock and did nothing about it. When the NDP say they want to work with DFO, one can only expect more of this cover-up.

DFO suppresses ISA virus positive test results in BC salmon from Twyla Roscovich on Vimeo.

Courtroom footage of Dr. Simon Jones, a senior research scientist at DFO suppressing evidence of ISA positive results in BC salmon. Watch the film at http://salmonconfidential.ca/

 

Clearly, DFO is not working to protect wild salmon, so the NDP telling us they are committed to working with DFO tells us we are the losers again.

The NDP statement that they will work with DFO to implement the Cohen Recommendations to support sustainable aquaculture, is a skillfully assembled, comforting communication, but is this even possible? Cohen said: “I therefore conclude that the potential harm posed to Fraser River sockeye salmon from salmon farms is serious or irreversible. Disease transfer occurs between wild and farmed fish, and I am satisfied that salmon farms along the sockeye migration route have the potential to introduce exotic diseases and to exacerbate endemic diseases that could have a negative impact on Fraser River sockeye.” Cohen then goes on to tell DFO to remove salmon feedlots from the Campbell River area by 2020 unless DFO can provide documented evidence they are not harming sockeye (Recommendation #19) and he recommends single-year licences (#24). But this is “just not acceptable” to the Norwegians:

“one of the things we are looking for is, obviously, longer-term licences. It’s just not acceptable to have millions and millions of dollars invested in the industry for one-year fishing licences,” (Mary Ellen Walling, BC Salmon Farmers Association, Pacific Coastal inflight magazine SOAR, March 2013, Pg. 16)

When I met with the CEO of Marine Harvest in Norway, in 2009, she candidly explained to me that she could not remove any salmon farms from wild salmon migration routes because she was duty-bound to make the company's share price rise four times a year. The Norwegian companies that own 98% of BC’s salmon feedlots cannot afford to move their farms off wild salmon migration routes. The NDP position on salmon farms is actually impossible, impractical. This policy does not fit the NDP slogan for this election:

In my 20-plus year experience of watching governments deal with salmon feedlots – whenever there are conflicting mandates, like this NDP policy, the fish farmers win - no question about it!

CLICK HERE TO FIND AND WRITE TO YOUR MLA CANDIDATES - USE DEMOCRACY TO SAVE WILD SALMON

Marine Harvest is farming European diseased salmon on the Fraser sockeye migration route right now even though Section 56 (c) of the Fisheries Act explicitly prohibits this:

The Minister may issue a licence [to transfer fish] if the fish do not have any disease or disease agent that may be harmful to the protection and conservation of fish:

NDP policy reversal their own recommendation

In November 2005, Gordon Campbell was taking so much heat from British Columbians on salmon feedlots that he bought himself time by forming the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture and populating it with NDP MLAs. He threw them into the arena and let them take the heat for a few years.

Shane Simpson, Claire Trevena, Scott Fraser, Robin Austin, Gregor Robertson and others spent 18 months, in 43 days of meetings in 21 communities listening to 275 people testify, reading 814 written submissions and calling 80 expert witnesses including myself. Their terms of reference included:

1. The economic and environmental impacts of the aquaculture industry in BC
2. The economic impact of aquaculture on BC’s coastal and isolated communities.
3. Sustainable options for aquaculture in BC that balance economic goals with environmental imperatives, focusing on the interaction between aquaculture, wild fish and the marine environment.

Considering all they heard and the economy of BC their final report stated:

All recommendations put forth by this committee take into account the ‘Precautionary Principle’ as we are dealing with a common public resource. The Precautionary Principle recognizes that the absence of full scientific certainty should not be used to delay actions or decisions when faced with threats of serious or irreversible harm.

These NDP MLAs recommended:

A rapid, phased transition to ocean-based closed containment begin immediately. Within three years ocean-based closed containment must be developed. Once developed, industry must transition to this technology within the subsequent two years.

A “watchman” program should be established under which First Nations in whose territory fish farms are located are contracted to monitor sites for best practice

In the transition to ocean-based closed containment, all salmon farms should be stocked in a way
that prevents conflict with the migratory patterns of vulnerable wild stocks.

Particular attention must be paid to safeguarding the migration of smolts in the Kingcome/Wakeman route

Reporting can no longer rely on industry policing itself. The government as the regulator, must conduct random checks without notice to any fish farm

If these recommendations, paid for by the people of BC and written by the people whom British Columbians voted into office, had been followed:

1. the last open net salmon feedlot would have gotten out of the ocean last year.
2. First Nations would have been employed to watchdog the industry
3. The Norwegians would have gone home because they are only here for the free flush
4. British Columbians would have had the opportunity to develop aquaculture on land including a much more brilliant approach than farming salmon on a coast where salmon grow naturally.

But the Norwegian companies using the BC coast did not want to clean up and take responsibility for their manure in a tank. Some of BC’s biggest environmental groups tried to make the transition gentle for them and they report Marine Harvest “reneged” on the agreement.

Definition of reneged- failed to honour, backed out, broke their promise.

Now that the NDP could very well come into power and make all the changes they recommended, even back-date them to remove the industry in immediately, I am not hearing a squeak about this well-researched plan that we paid for.

Touring Salmon Confidential

I have spent the past month touring the film Salmon Confidential to packed theaters, and auditoriums. People are angry when see how government scientists and bureaucrats behaved on the stand at the Cohen Commission. They want to know why this great wrong is being done to this coast and they want to know if these viruses will harm them. I don’t know the answer to these questions. They also want to know how to stop this. I do know the answer to that question. Every salmon feedlot has a Licence of Occupation issued by the Province of BC and this Licence can be terminated in 60 days, with no compensation to the company, if it is in the public interest. In two months, one of the greatest impacts on wild salmon could be removed. This is the one impact that can actually be reversed rapidly and in a few weeks a political party who recommended that salmon feedlots get out of the ocean by last year, will be in the power and capable of doing exactly this.

However, in the space of a few weeks, the NDP have reversed their position from looking at “banning” salmon farms from key wild salmon migration routes to working with DFO to support aquaculture, while Marine Harvest has demonstrated how weak DFO is by placing diseased Atlantic salmon on the Fraser sockeye migration route in broad daylight. The DFO that the NDP want to work with have not lifted a finger to protect wild salmon and remain in possession of documents that the Globe and Mail says are required to protect Fraser sockeye stocks headed for extinction.

Only you, the public can save wild salmon and the BC economy from a replay of the devastation of the cod collapse in eastern Canada. DFO has never apologized for that, they have never told us how that happened and how that is not going to happen here. They oversaw destruction of one of the greatest natural food-resources on earth and the NDP have promised to work with them on wild salmon in BC.

Visit your candidates election offices right now, and every day and tell them “banning salmon farms from key wild salmon migration routes” is a much better idea than the convoluted meaningless official NDP policy. Rob Fleming was right and needs to speak up. Sign the petition with over 30,000 people at the top of this blog, watch the trailer below and then the full length film.

Salmon Confidential Trailer from Twyla Roscovich on Vimeo.

 

SALMON FEEDLOT BRIEFING

What every 2013 BC political candidate needs to know

www.salmonconfidential.ca the scandal -112,000 views and climbing

This briefing contains a synopsis and links on the following topics below. One government after the next has refused to deal with the impacts of salmon feedlots allowing a foreign–owned, privatized fishery to displace Canadian public fisheries. This issue has been hidden behind endless reviews, each providing valuable recommendations that are never applied. Now the European viral research is taking this to the international stage as Canada fails to meet world seafood standards.

The next government of British Columbia will inherit a mess that only the Province of BC can fix. The BC government is the landlord to this industry and has the exclusive power to ban Norwegian salmon feedlots from key wild salmon migration routes and thereby rescue one of the greatest wild fisheries left on earth.
1. Salmon Feedlots Pollute
2. The Trouble with salmon Feedlots
3. Aquaculture much smaller than wild fish economy
4. Taxpayers compensate salmon feedlot owners
5. Many First Nations – Zero Tolerance
6. Salmon Feedlot Industry failing on global markets
7. Salmon feedlots threaten Canada’s trade reputation
8. Legislation
9. Salmon Feedlot Reviews

Fraser sockeye began declining as soon as they were exposed to salmon feedlot diseases

1. Salmon feedlots pollute.
Salmon farms are feedlots growing as many fish as possible, as fast as possible, in as small a space as possible. Most feedlots are in quarantine.

Worldwide, wild salmon have never survived near this industry. Salmon feedlots are a series of net pens hanging from a floating structure anchored to the seafloor. Sea lice are controlled with de-lousing drugs, but viruses are flowing through the nets into the surrounding ocean. When migration routes are cleared the wild salmon return.

Salmon farmers are the only farmers who never shovel their manure. They produce several tons of waste per day/ per site. Opposition is global.

There are 130 salmon farm sites in BC. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/omfd/fishstats/aqua/salmon.html of them farm Atlantic salmon. Statistics that cite “aquaculture” include scallops and oysters.

2. The trouble with salmon feedlots in BC is the dense siting. 65 billion viral particles are released/hour during outbreaks. Wild salmon swimming through this disease plume in narrow channels become infected.

Cohen Commission recommendation #18 “If at any time between now and September 30, 2020, the minister of fisheries and oceans determines that net-pen salmon farms in the Discovery Islands (fish health sub-zone 3-2) pose more than a minimal risk of serious harm to the health of migrating Fraser River sockeye salmon, he or she should promptly order that those salmon farms cease operations.” (Vol.3)

This strong statement names the Discovery Island region, because the mandate of this Commission was exclusive to the Fraser Sockeye. The BC government’s mandate is all the wild salmon runs traveling through the other clusters of salmon feedlots (red dots) that need the same protection too.

3. Aquaculture value much lower than wild fish economy

The highly mechanized salmon feedlot industry is 95% Norwegian-owned by just three companies.

Marine Harvest
Grieg Seafood
Cermaq (Mainstream)

This industry never made jobs.

2011 Gross Domestic Product 9- The value added to the economy (wages, profits, interest income, value of inventories, depreciation)

Wild fisheries Sport + Commercial .……..$536.7 million
Aquaculture - ………………………………...........………$61.9 million

Wild fish are worth 8xs more to BC economy than aquaculture

2011 Employment
Sport fishing …….... 8,400
Aquaculture …........1,700
Capture fishery….... 1,400 (declined 50% since salmon feedlots arrived)

Wild fisheries employ 5xs more people than aquaculture

2011 Wages
Sport fishing ……... $ 218.9 million
Capture Fishery ..…..… $8.4 million in wages, $70 million in self-employed income
Aquaculture …......…. $55.7 million

Wild fisheries provide 5xs more income to British Columbians

2011 Revenue includes cost of goods and services purchased from other industries

Sport fishing …….….. .$936.5 million
Aquaculture …………..... $469.0 million
Capture Fishery …..…. $344.8 million

Wild fisheries produce 2.7 xs more revenue to BC

Total Revenue:

Wilderness tourism (70% salmon-dependent) ……....…….$2.2 billion*
Sport fishing …………………………………………………..........…...………...$936.5 million
Aquaculture (Scallops, Oysters, salmon, etc.) .………….$469.0 million
Commercial fishing …………………………….…….………………...........….$344.8 million

* direct, indirect and induced

Wilderness tourism earns 4.7xs more than aquaculture

The Wilderness Tourism Association is asking government for help:

“… the WTABC wants the Province and the government of Canada to close or fallow the salmon farms on BC’s key salmon migratory routes such as in the Discovery Islands, the Broughton Archipelago, and Clayoquot Sound.” (March 27 Press Release)

Aquaculture vs wild fisheries - economy

Sport angling a runaway leader in B.C.’s fishing and aquaculture sector 12

4. Taxpayers compensate salmon feedlot owners

Unlike other countries Canada compensates salmon feedlot corporations13 when they are asked to cull/kill their fish. This may be why the CFIA now allows them to grow and market ISA virus infected fish. ISA is in the influenza family.

We are not only risking our wild salmon, along with the food security, our salmon-based ecosystem and billions of dollars in economic activity, we are also paying hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize a foreign-owned industry. While the government continues to cut funding for protection of wild fish stocks (slashing the Fisheries budget by $300 million.) they are giving $57 million to "to enhance regulatory certainty" in the aquaculture industry.

5. Some First Nations – Zero Tolerance

Because viruses have “fingerprints”, they can be traced, similar to H1N1. When Fraser First Nations learn they have Norwegian viruses in their fish, there will be grounds for legal challenges. The Provincial NDP sited most of the salmon feedlots on the migration routes of the Fraser salmon with no consultation with the Fraser First Nations. Granted they knew less then, but it is essential government act now and swiftly to limit the spread of these salmon viruses.

6. Salmon Feedlot Industry failing on global markets

There is a glut of farm salmon on the market. Disease is eroding profits in all countries where these companies operate, US/Canadian dollar parity hurt this industry, the price of feed is rising as the bait fish stocks they use become depleted and the people who buy salmon are becoming increasingly insistent on sustainable product.

Marine Harvest Americas results point to weak Q4s for Cermaq, Grieg

Diseases force Grieg into 4Q write downs

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2012/06/how-viable-is-salmon-farming-.html19

7. Salmon feedlots threaten Canada’s trade reputation

DFO and provincial scientists and senior bureaucrats tried to prevent Atlantic salmon egg imports, citing risk from exotic pathogens. In the absence of consultation however, eggs were imported to avoid trade disputes arising from complaints of unfair impediment to salmon farm company profits. Today, Canada is risking WTO disputes for the opposite reason - unacceptable threat to wild fish.

In 2006, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported farm salmon are rejected by international markets because Canada has allowed the industry to threaten wild fish with disease. “Disease is a significant threat to sustainable farmed and wild aquatic stocks in Canada, killing fish populations and damaging interprovincial and international trade.” An “intervention” was attempted.

“This federal regulatory intervention allows Canada to meet international trade standards and prevent the loss of aquatic resources due to the introduction or spread of disease and to ensure access to international markets for Canadian exports.” REPORT 2/3 down the document

This intervention has failed. After a series of outbreaks the CFIA now permits ISAv infected farm salmon to remain among threatened wild populations in Nova Scotia and is ignoring ISA virus positive test results in BC farm salmon from international labs. READ MORE. In Chile, where ISA virus caused $2 billion in damages the disease recently broke out again, infected salmon are being culled. This is the international standard.

The US is clear they do not want ISA virus infected salmon from Canada

The DFO hid ISA virus positive test results in 100% of Fraser sockeye from the Cohen Commission into the decline of the Fraser sockeye see the film Salmon Confidential25 for Cohen testimony.

Samples of BC farm salmon have produced numerous positive test results26.

British Columbia is ignoring ISA virus positive test27 results in BC farm salmon from 7 government, academic and industry labs. An epidemic outbreak is increasingly certain.

Earlier this year Marine Harvest was allowed to put ~500,000 piscine reovirus-infected smolts onto the Fraser sockeye migration routes. Government refuses to stop this high-risk practice. This is not in the public interest.

8. Legislation

Every salmon feedlot has a provincial Licence of Occupation. This makes the Province of BC the landlord of the industry. As such, the province has all the power required to protect wild salmon. The province can ban salmon feedlots from wild salmon migration routes if it is in the public interest.

2.1.4 Licence of Occupation (Section 39)28

“A licence of occupation conveys fewer rights than a lease. It conveys non-exclusive use…Replacement of tenures is at the authorizing agency’s discretion. The authorizing agency may decline to replace a tenure,… where it is deemed to be in the public interest.”

2.4.7 Prohibition of Use – Order in Council (Section 66)

A prohibition of use may be applied in circumstances where the restriction of a specific use or activity on Crown Land is deemed in the public interest:
• a specific use or activity is adversely affecting Crown land and its resource values or attributes

Early 2013, Marine Harvest put piscine reovirus-infected Atlantic salmon into pens on the Fraser sockeye migration route. Transferring diseased Atlantic salmon into salmon feedlots is a substantive threat to BC’s wild salmon economy.

The province of BC has the power to protect British Columbians from this threat, to remove the industry from key wild salmon migration routes. The federal government has proved itself unwilling to protect British Columbians.

Licence of Occupation of BC salmon feedlot issued in 2005

s.8.1(g) (Termination) If “…it is in the public interest to cancel this Agreement and we have given you 60 days written notice of such requirement or opinion, this Agreement will, at our option and with or without entry, terminate your right to use and occupy the Land will cease.”

s.8.3(a) (Termination) “You agree with us that (a) you will make no claim for compensation, in damages or otherwise, upon the lawful termination of this Agreement under section 8.1”

It is in the public interest to terminate salmon feedlot licences of occupation on wild salmon migration routes. The viral situation has made this urgent.

9. Salmon Feedlot Reviews

The BC public are tired of paying for salmon farm reviews. We have spent at least $50 million on these reviews. Virtually none of the recommendations have been implemented. One government after the next has used these reviews to stall implementation of recommendations that would have headed off the current political and biological crisis. Instead of addressing the issue, they have all done a review. The public sees this as a stalling tactic.

1984 – BC Science Council “The days of common property fishing are over” in favour of industrial aquaculture development. It was stated that employment would be low, investment foreign and wild fisheries an obstacle to growth. When any support salmon feedlots, they support this model. READ MORE

1986 – Gillespie Report (p. 100) – End Atlantic egg import

1988 - BC Ombudsman Aquaculture and the Administration of Coastal Resources in BC (p. 108) – Recommendation #2 community planning and control of siting

1989 – Coastal Resource Interest Study (p. 88) created salmon feedlot exclusion zones, designed to avoid conflict with other users of the regions, but these exclusion zones were not honoured, salmon feedlots were sited and remain in locations the Province of BC told the public they would never put them.

1995 – Salmon Aquaculture Review This document is not easily located on the web, but it recommended complete disease transparency with First Nations and local communities.

2001 – Leggett Inquiry “There is no question that net cages are the root cause of environmental damage, including massive escapes of Atlantic farm salmon, disease transfer and pollution of marine waters and the ocean floor. A specific finding is that pollution of the environment caused by net-cage salmon farming may well violate the federal Fisheries Act, particularly Sections 35 and 36 that deal with fish habitat protection and pollution prevention.” The Honourable Stuart Leggatt

2006 An Audit of the Management of Salmon Aquaculture for the Protection of Wild Salmon in British Columbia (p. 18) Gave BC a “0” in farm fish husbandry standards and a “0” in monitoring and enforcement.

2007 BC Pacific Salmon Forum recommendation #9 take action on farm salmon when sea lice exceed background levels on juvenile wild salmon outside the pens. #15 share useable data (raw) with British Columbians

2007 The committee concluded that scientific opinion and evidence was so compelling that it was imperative to “act immediately” to reduce the impacts of aquaculture in BC, making 52 recommendations.

Recommendation: “A rapid, phased transition to ocean-based closed containment begin immediately. Within three years ocean-based closed containment must be developed. Once developed, industry must transition to this technology within the subsequent two years” (This largely NDP committee included many current MLAs. BC’s major marine environmental groups tried to transition the industry and failed. So now it is down to transitioning the 1,700 workers).

2009-2012 Cohen Commission Recommendation #18 “If at any time between now and September 30, 2020, the minister of fisheries and oceans determines that net-pen salmon farms in the Discovery Islands (fish health sub-zone 3-2) pose more than a minimal risk of serious harm to the health of migrating Fraser River sockeye salmon, he or she should promptly order that those salmon farms cease operations.” (Vol.3).

This is a strong statement. European viruses in Pacific salmon are a greater than “minimal threat of serious harm”. While the mandate of the Commission was restricted to Fraser sockeye, the BC government’s mandate is the wild salmon economy of the entire Province of BC.

Summary

Salmon Feedlots in BC are a growing scandal passed on from one government to the next. However, the next BC government is going to face what may be the biggest scandal in the history of British Columbia and the issue matures onto the world stage.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Alexandra Morton

www.salmonconfidential.ca

As feedlot salmon exports increased, British Columbians did not benefit

All Bark and Bite

News flash Mercola has posted Salmon Confidential on their site!

Upcoming event: I am touring Salmon Confidential with filmmaker Twyla Roscovich 18 stops in 20 days! See the Schedule The audiences are packed, the discussions very lively!

Elizabeth May and Jane Sterk are joining me for a viewing of the bio-political documentary Salmon Confidential at the Mary Winspear Centre, Sidney April, 20, 2013, 6:30pm

ALL BARK AND BITE

The sole excuse given for allowing an industry as dirty as the Norwegian salmon feedlot industry to operate in beautiful British Columbia - is "the “economy.” So lets have a look at the deal we are getting. How much does this industry do for our economy? How does it measure up? What is the deal for BC? What does British Columbia get for allowing industrial feedlot waste into our key wild salmon migration routes? If we could have both wild and feedlot salmon, there would be no issue. But there is NO WHERE IN THE WORLD, that farmed and wild salmon co-exist.

The most of the figures below are from BC Stats

Wilderness Tourism generates $1.5 billion/per year

Sport+commercial fishing contributes $536.7 million to the BC economy
Salmon farming contributes $61.9 million

SALMON FARMING = 1/8th of wild fisheries

Sport fishing pays $218.9 million in wages
The salmon farming industry pays $55.7 million in wages

SALMON FARMING PAYS OUT 1/4 the amount in wages

Sport fishing creates 8,400 jobs
Fish farming jobs 1,700
Commercial fishing jobs 1,400 (down 50% since fish farms moved into BC)

SALMON FARMING MAKES 1/5th jobs that wild salmon make

Total Revenue:

Wilderness tourism (70% salmon-dependent) …….......…….$2.2 billion
Sport fishing …………………………………................………………………….$936.5 million
Aquaculture (Scallops, Oysters, salmon, etc.) …….……..$469.0 million
Commercial fishing ……………………………………….……..............…….$344.8 million

Aquaculture is worth 1/4th wilderness tourism

BC salmon feedlots are raising European salmon infected with viruses known to occur in Europe, dumping tons of raw, industrial feedlot manure daily, per site, over wild salmon, herring, prawns etc. The industry is 1/10th to 1/3rd the size of the wild salmon economy and yet it is allowed to pollute the waters wild salmon require.

It does not make sense to me to risk the much bigger, more sustainable wild salmon economy, with a foreign-owned, low employment, high-risk industry. Salmon feedlots are so marginally profitable their economy is dependent on using BC waters as a dump site. They can't afford to shovel their manure. And yet, government after government has fallen for the salmon feedlot lobby to the point they are sacrificing jobs, revenue and the economy of coastal communities. Not only do we get the waste, we pay to help out the industry when their fish get diseased! The province of BC is the landlord of this industry, slumlord, really, and they have the power to move it off wild salmon migration routes. The Licences of Occupation required by each feedlot site can be revoked if it is in the public interest. But they don’t. So far.

The Wilderness Tourism Association of BC, representing a $1.6 billion industry, is asking for relief from this assault on their industry: “WTABC wants the Province and the government of Canada to close or fallow the salmon farms on BC’s key salmon migratory routes such as in the Discovery Islands, the Broughton Archipelago, and Clayoquot Sound. Only these actions would be following the precautionary principle.” (Press release, March 27)

Imagine if we worked with the wild salmon, brought them back to healthy numbers, the wild salmon economy could easily be doubled. The only big thing about the salmon feedlot industry is its bark and bite.

Want to Help WILD SALMON?

sign the petition:

Write the political leaders in BC, support them in standing up to this industry and telling them they have to get off wild salmon migration routes now.

Jane Sterk Green Party
Christy Clark Liberal Party
Adrian Dix NDP

Visit your supermarket and ask them not to sell BC farm salmon, sign the boycott

Help us keep going donate

AlexTalks#4

The three leading political parties in British Columbia have made statements about salmon feedlots in preparation for the upcoming election.

They all recognize there is a serious problem with salmon feedlots on wild salmon migration routes. This is the most hopeful thing that has happened in the past 20 years of trying to restore wild salmon to BC.

Please keep communicating with your candidates, they will need you to stand by them as they inform this aggressive industry, that it is time for them to get away from BC wild salmon. It is time for them to get out of the wild salmon migration routes.

It is very important to inform your candidates which migration routes you are concerned about.

Also see this news article Salmon farms near Campbell River capped for 7 years

Read the comments. It is over. The three Norwegian companies need to go now and let the BC coastal economy recover, thrive and grow. The few workers in the industry could use help transitioning to something else, this is not their fault. And finally lets move forward and restore wild salmon by actually putting into use the tools and science we have. We have been playing at this until now, avoiding the real issues. Lets get serious the rewards will be enormous to Canada.

 

The salmon feedlot industry is an emerging scandal of international proportions. See the film, become informed and lets move forward and do something really beneficial for the economy of British Columbia. Salmon Confidential

AlexTalks#2

Short update from the front lines trying to protect British Columbia from Norwegian salmon feedlots:

 

The salmon feedlot industry has millions to play with advertising. They know people prefer wild and so they are moving into the realm of imaginary with this ad.

They hope to decontaminate their image with this:

Pacific Coast Airlines gave the industry a two page spread, to tell wealthy businessmen Norwegian fish farmers need longer leases for their sites in BC.... they show a First Nations woman even as First Nations fight against this industry.

Link to magazine SOAR

In Nova Scotia, people fighting to protect their communities from salmon feedlots which are impacting lobster with the delousing drugs and now raising ISA virus infected fish with the blessing of the federal government banded together to produce this poster.

If you want wild salmon and the enormous wild salmon economy:

1 - write to the provincial political parties in BC:

adrian.dix.mla@leg.bc.ca
premier@gov.bc.ca
leader@greenparty.bc.ca
office@bcconservative.ca

2 - sign this petition: http://www.change.org/NoSalmonFarmLeases

3 - Join the Boycott: SalmonFeedlotBoycott

4 - Donate to keep us going: GoFundMe

5 - view the film Salmon Confidential, www.salmonconfidential.ca

Thank you,

alex

SALMON CONFIDENTIAL

This film tells the backstory, behind the scenes of the biggest environmental government coverup ever perpetrated on British Columbians. After you watch this, please make sure all your MLA candidates watch it. They will be the landlords of this industry if they get elected as this story is breaking to the surface, finally after decades.

TO VIEW FILM CLICK HERE

There are five crucial things you can do if this film concerns you:

1 - Write to the man who will most likely be the next leader of British Columbia, Adrian Dix and tell him you take these viruses seriously and he is going to have to remove these feedlots from the wild salmon migration routes. adrian.dix.mla@leg.bc.ca

2 - Sign the petition above to the current leader of British Columbia - Christy Clark

3 - Go to http://www.salmonfeedlotboycott.com/ and join the boycott

4 - Share this film with everyone you know who cares about wild salmon, forests, whales, the economy of British Columbia

5 - Donate to help me get this film out there and make the changes we need to keep wild salmon alive http://www.gofundme.com/FishFeedlotsOut

We are now essential to the biology of wild salmon. Please take action.

Dear Marine Harvest - Don't

March 5, 2013

Dear Marine Harvest

I have been informed that a large percentage of juvenile Atlantic salmon in your Dalrymple Hatchery, Sayward BC, are infected with the piscine reovirus. I understand that you intend to move these fish into ocean pens in the very near future where the virus will be loosed into the Pacific.

This Norwegian virus is associated with a disease called Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation known to severely weaken salmon to the point they may be unable to swim up a river. The BC provincial farm salmon vet, Dr. Gary Marty, reported the symptoms of this disease to Mainstream (August 8, 2008 Cohen Commission Exhibit # 1549-018). Heart lesions consistent with this disease were reported in your fish on April 29, 2009 by the same vet:
Download Exhibit 1549-018.pdf (1759.3K)

“Congestion and hemorrhage in the stratum compactum of the heart (i.e., the peripheral layer of dense cardiac muscle) is a distinctive lesion that I started seeing in 2008 in clinical submission from both Atlantic and Pacific salmon...” (April 29, 2009, Cohen Commission Exhibit 1549-318)

Download Exhibit 1549-318.pdf (858.3K)

Dr. Marty reports 75% of BC farm salmon are testing positive for this virus.

Dr. Ian Lipkin, director of Columbia University’s Center for Infection and Immunity, a World Health Organization-sponsored disease detective lab states:

“If the potential hosts are in close proximity, it goes through them like wildfire,”

Indeed, juvenile wild salmon near Kingcome inlet near your feedlots were negative for this virus in 2008 and then positive in 2012.

The Cohen Commission into the Decline of the Sockeye Salmon of the Fraser River reported up to 90% of the sockeye that enter the Fraser River never make it to their spawning grounds. Is this virus responsible? A very recent paper warns that this disease spreads over long distances.

Given this evidence, in accordance with the Precautionary Principle, your fish in the Dalrymple Hatchery represent a significant threat to the wild salmon of British Columbia if they are placed in ocean net pens.

Justice Cohen recommends net-pen salmon farms cease to operate by 2020 unless they can be shown to pose less then minimal risk to migrating salmon (Recommendation 18, Vol.3, Pg. 20). Putting exotic fish, infected with an exotic virus, known to spread like wildfire and weaken wild salmon is, in my opinion, in excess of minimal risk to one of the last great wild fisheries left on earth.

Either do not do this, or stand by your actions and inform British Columbians which feedlot you will be filling with these fish so that the impact can be measured.

Alexandra Morton