I have so many requests for my books I have built a website to sell them and some of my artwork and photographs;
I have so many requests for my books I have built a website to sell them and some of my artwork and photographs;
Posted at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The federal government has released their proposed Federal Pacific Aquaculture Regulations with a sixty-day public input period. These regulations roll back the safe-guards we have in British Columbia to prevent heavy industrialization and privatization of the coast at the expense of our communities. Once these regulations pass there will be no further public input on how each salmon feedlot licence is written, how many wild fish they can take and what diseases they must report. The federal licences will be issued without First Nation or other consultation and can be expanded without an environmental assessment. I feel there has to be enormous response or else we all lose, even the people working in the industry, because no retailer is going to want to be in possession of a seafood product authorized to “Harmfully Alter, Disrupt and Destroy” parts of the North Pacific. Oddly these regulations will not apply to the east coast of Canada, where the Minister of Fisheries resides.
There are several options for you to act by the deadline September 12:
You can see my presentation on the strong correlation between disease in salmon feedlots and decline of Fraser sockeye "What's New"
I know it is very hard to react to everything that comes at us, so I have tried to make this easy for you. However, I can’t turn this looming disaster, it requires each and everyone of you and your friends and family. Please pass the petition to all you know.
To stay up to date please frequent www.salmonaresacred.org I will let you know how many people have signed. Volunteers are hosting events throughout BC this summer to link all of us together and this information will be posted. The T-shirts left from the migration are on my website www.alexandramorton.ca and proceeds go to this effort.
The Get Out Migration brought thousands of people together, but government does not want to hear from our communities nor of our need for good health in our environment and our bodies. Clearly there needs to be more public response. That is all that is required to fix this. I will continue to push for protection for salmon feedlot workers, as this is a government mistake and they need not bear the cost of this to our coast.
I think we will have a good Fraser sockeye run this summer and that should tell us the ocean and the river are still highly capable of feeding this coast! This generation of sockeye has shown one of the least declines and we need to investigate why this run is good and the others have failed so badly. If we allow government to let salmon feedlot companies hide their disease outbreaks this investigation will be incomplete. If there is no salmon feedlot disease problem, there should be no reason for secrecy.
Hundreds of people have said “I am behind you Alex,” but this is not working. We have to stand shoulder to shoulder, where we are all peacefully and strongly visible. This is the only way to save ourselves and our planet.
Alexandra Morton
July 28, 2010
Ed Porter, Team Leader, Regulatory Operations
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
PAR-RPA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Dear Mr. Ed Porter:
I am responding to the 60-day public comment opportunity on the proposed Federal Pacific Aquaculture Regulations http://www.gazette.gc.ca/cg-gc/about-sujet-eng.html (left column “Part I Notices and Proposed Regulations” Vol. 144, No. 28, page 1933).
When BC Supreme Court ruled that the federal government must take over regulation of salmon feedlots, the intent was to bring the industry into compliance with the Constitution of Canada. But what Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are trying to do instead is remove safeguards established by previous governments and open the door to privatizing the ocean, which is prohibited by the Canadian Constitution.
With his document Harper not only licences massive ecological damage, he depreciates the market value of BC feedlot salmon. No reputable retailer can afford to be seen with a seafood product raised under a licence to “harm, alter, disrupt and destroy” the ocean. The federal licences will be issued without consultation with First Nations.
“Increasingly stringent international standards are driving seafood importing nations to require Canada to certify health (disease) status, not just food safety, of live aquatic animals and their products. … Canada cannot meet these standards, and is facing increasing challenges to export market access. Canada is already subject to a lesser market access than the United States, Europe ...“ http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2009/2009-12-19/html/reg1-eng.html
Canadian pathologists warn against holding millions of diseased salmon in pens (Traxler et al. 1993) and the graph below demonstrates the reason. There is a strong correlation between salmon feedlot epidemics and the declining Fraser sockeye. This must be examined, but the provincial government is stonewalling release of salmon feedlot disease records and Harper is stepping in to help.
These draft regulations ignore the International (OIE) and the Canadian Food and Health Inspection Agency standards by exempting salmon feedlots from full disease reporting. Harper is not only offering Norwegian companies the right to leave infected salmon in the water, he is protecting them from liability. If government and the industry are willing to throw away premium market value for disease secrecy we are warned this is a dangerous and strong priority.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is also offering these Norwegian companies blanket authorization for “Harmful Alteration, Disruption or Destruction” of fish habitat (Section 35(1) Fisheries Act). This ignores the value of the oceans to communities across British Columbia. Oddly, these rules will not apply to eastern Canada, where the Minister of Fisheries resides.
Harper is going to legalize destruction of wild fish that become trapped in the pens, attracted by the bright lights and food in the water. There are no surplus wild fish and so this by-catch will compete with fishing quotas. Many feedlots are in rock cod conservation areas where fishermen are not allowed, but the feedlots will continue trapping unknown amounts. This is bad management and will affect herring, sable fish, salmon, lingcod and other important wild fish.
The federal Conservatives are proposing salmon feedlot licences be granted and amended without environmental assessment. This violates strong public demand for healthy coastal waters, but neatly resolves the irreconcilable issue of dumping over a ton/day/site of industrial waste into salmon habitat. These are the only feedlots that never have to shovel manure and chemical waste as it flows conveniently into public waters.
It is dangerous to humanity, (risking food security, drug resistance, disease mutation) to allow feedlots to contaminate natural environments with disease. Feedlots remove all the natural disease control mechanisms and thus allow viruses to mutate, multiply and jump to new species.
Because Mr. Harper is proposing to remove standards designed to protect the ocean from Norwegian feedlots, retailers like COSTCO will have to decide if their mission statements honor government or their customers. Promising to “Exceed ecological standards required in every community where we do business,” is meaningless if there are no ecological standards.
Salmon feedlots are an “ecology of bad ideas,” struggling to control disease with drugs, corrupting the foodchain by using warm-blooded animal products, plants and fish from the southern hemisphere as feed, displacing local businesses, turning a public resource into a corporate commodity with no public access, dyeing their fish pink to resemble salmon. If jobs were the goal, the federal Conservatives and BC Liberals would be working with the BC companies developing sustainable land-based aquaculture to create a viable, world-class product. Instead Mr. Harper is proposing to change the laws of Canada to allow unchecked pollution by a 92% Norwegian-owned industry associated wild salmon declines worldwide. Wild salmon are thriving everywhere this industry does not exist (Alaska, Iceland, western Pacific, areas of BC).
These proposed regulations are a signpost. If this was about fish, attention would have been paid to the market value of the product. Instead it risks one of the last naturally producing salmon regions in the world for a depreciating commodity. What these draft regulations do is clear away legislation established to protect Canadians and our coast from industrialization and privatization.
Ed Porter, the proposed Federal Pacific Aquaculture Regulations do not protect the interests of Canadians or the world and must not be adopted.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Morton
The Fraser sockeye decline began at the same time government failed to cull millions of IHN virus infected feedlot salmon on the Fraser River migration routes. Government ignored federal scientists who state infected Atlantic salmon should not be permitted in pens (Traxler et al 1993). The federal government also ignored warnings from their scientists that would have saved the North Atlantic cod. When the cod went extinct the Hibernia Oil wells appeared on the Grand Banks – the most generous food-producing area humanity will ever have was exchanged for oil.
Posted at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 13
Hello
Sockeye appear to be doing very well from the Columbia River to Alaska! Even the Fraser forecast is cautiously optimistic. If we get a good run back to the Fraser we will know the river and the ocean are still functioning, whatever has happened to all the other year classes, is something else.
The new proposed Pacific Aquaculture Regulations have been posted to the Canada Gazette website at for a 60-day public review period. The contact is Ed Porter, PAR-RPA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
Each licence under this new regime will vary site to site and the diseases they have to report and the amount of wild fish they can catch in their pens will vary. This is disturbing. I hope may of you will take the opportunity to comment that salmon feedlots in the ocean need to report all their disease outbreaks.
This is an article from today on a new salmon feedlot disease in the Atlantic. They report over 400 outbreaks in 11 years and it is now in the wild. Scientists just identified the virus as HSMI and it is generally fatal to fish. Obviously, the eggs imported to BC have not been checked for this virus. Will there be a response from our Minister of Fisheries on how we can be sure this has not spread here?
I just published this article on the secrecy of salmon feedlot disease outbreaks in BC.
The Cohen Inquiry is a massive undertaking. We have requested salmon feedlot disease outbreak information so it can be examined in relationship to the declining Fraser sockeye productivity. Hopefully they will comply. DFO genetic research is reporting that Fraser sockeye are being strongly challenged by a virus, but they do not know which virus yet.
You can follow this work at Salmonaresacred.org
Alexandra Morton
Posted at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 20, 2010
Hello Salmon People
The effort to protect our wild salmon from salmon farm pathogens, pollution and by-catch continues to grow. We are keeping abreast of the issues at:
www.salmonaresacred.org
Hundreds of people have been mobilized by the Get Out Migration writing letters, holding meetings, demanding answers from their politicians and the science continues. The sockeye leaving the Fraser River are once again heavily infested with sea lice near the salmon farms. This picture shows a juvenile sockeye with 14 young sea lice caught near salmon farms off Campbell River.
The salmon farmers have put government on notice - they will not be volunteering any further disease information again. The secrecy around salmon farm disease is a red flag and the people trying to answer why the Fraser sockeye are dying are running blind. The Fraser sockeye decline began at the same time as salmon farm outbreaks of IHN. IHN virus is lethal to sockeye and the fish feedlot outbreaks represent pathogen loads higher than wild sockeye have ever experienced. See attached graph. It is unacceptable that they demand to operate in secrecy in public waters when there is clearly cause for concern. The Governments in power have done nothing to protect BC from these disease outbreaks, in fact they have aided in the cover-up.
Our westcoast Federal Fisheries Critic, MP Fin Donnelly asked Canadian actor William Shatner to lend his star power to this issue and you can see the result at:
http://www.findonnelly.ca/
The Cohen Inquiry into the Fraser sockeye decline is under intense scrutiny for hiring people connected to DFO to investigate DFO. Meanwhile, scientists who have worked on impact of aquaculture were rejected due to their connection to me. However, we have the same lawyer as won our BC Supreme Court challenge, Greg McDade, and we are optimistic that this Inquiry can be a powerful process to reveal the scope of impact of salmon farms on the Fraser sockeye. I encourage all to visit their website frequently and see the submissions. There is one posted there now from hockey star Willie Mitchell who has a deep personal interest in salmon. http://www.commissioncohen.ca/en/
We are hopeful that this year’s Fraser sockeye return will be a big one because this lineage has shown the least decline. There are numerous Fraser sockeye runs and year-classes. These strands twist together like a rope. If we get this strand back, we are lucky but it does not mean the ones we are losing have recovered. Each generation of salmon stands alone, but also are critically linked genetically and ecologically. They cannot thrive alone.
As the inquiry turns up the heat on salmon farming, the attacks have disintegrated to mud-slinging. Below are two links to the National Post that cast doubt on anything this paper has ever published. The money reported in this article must include everything related to wild salmon research, I don’t believe the environmental organizations have received anything close to this for working on salmon farm issues. As well, I have been in the middle of this for 20 years and have never been approached by Alaskan interests. These writers are grasping at straws. Their source on this was reportedly hired by MP John Duncan, a salmon farm advocate. The scientific community is responding and we will be posting these as they come in on salmonaresacred.org
http://www.financialpost.com/news/Salmon+farm+battle+about+competition/3167822/story.html
http://www.financialpost.com/This+science+fishy/3169251/story.html
The Cohen Inquiry funding is scant and so donations would be helpful. There is an avalanche of documents to review. I hate asking for funds, but there is a Pay Pal button on the Salmonaresacred.org website. Since this work would be considered political by Revenue Canada there are no tax-receipts possible. My operations are frugal with no office rental and an abundance of incredible volunteers, so the tiniest donations count and go straight to the work.
Our next court date on the charges against Marine Harvest for illegal possession of wild salmon and herring is this Tuesday. We hope the Department of Justice will appear in court and move forward on this very important case to investigate the rate of wild fish consumption by the salmon farming industry. While the DOJ has assumed our charge we have not abandoned the case.
Rising out of this fracas is Canadian landbased fish farming technology. Farming salmon is never going to feed the world because it takes more fish than it makes, but aquaculture has a place and there are Canadian engineers, communities and organizations who are going to lead us out of this mess offering jobs and a product and technology that Canada can be proud of. Some supermarkets, such as Overwaitea in Canada are currently sourcing land-based salmon from Washington State, which is an opportunity missed. click here As well, one of the 4 main supermarkets in Norway, ICA, announced that fish farmers must move into closed containments within 3 years, or they will remove farmed salmon from their close to 1000 stores in Norway, Sweden and Holland. Between disease, drug resistant lice and their markets the fish farm industry will have to move into tanks and hopefully Canadian fish farmers who are ahead of the curve will reap the benefit.
COSTCO is a major buyer of BC farm salmon.
I was given an honorary Doctorate of Science from Simon Fraser University last week for the research I have done on salmon farm-origin sea lice. This was an enormous personal milestone and should help those who are trying to evaluate what we know about the impact of farm salmon on wild salmon. Simon Fraser University has become a leader in wild salmon research, conferences and education.
There are never enough funds to do the ongoing research in the field and through the documents and so I have launched an online store to continue supporting myself www.alexandramorton.ca is a way for me to remain financially viable and keep my voice free and unencumbered.
Thank you, to all of you. Our numbers are growing, we are concerned about the people who work in the salmon farming industry, but we will continue to powerfully, peacefully and unrelentingly protect what belongs to all of us and the future – wild salmon. Wild salmon are thriving everywhere in the North Pacific, except where there are salmon farms.
Dr. Alexandra Morton DSc (honoris causa)
Posted at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 31, 2010
Minister Gail Shea
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Ottawa, ONT
Dear Fisheries Minister Shea:
Twenty-one thousand, two hundred and eighty (21,280) people have signed a letter asking you to apply the laws of Canada to the Norwegian salmon factory farming industry and to remove the industry from wild salmon migration routes. How do you respond? www.salmonaresacred.org
Five thousand people showed up at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria to support the Get Out Migration demanding removal of Norwegian factory farms from Canadian waters. What is your response? (Parliament Security crowd estimate)
Scientists at an international conference May 10th report farm sea lice are becoming harder to control, leading to more toxic drugs released into the ocean. BC sockeye and other salmon migrating past salmon farms are now heavily infested with sea lice once again this year. Are you aware of this?
Did you know that Norwegian corporations are threatening to refuse to release disease information to government if it can become public through Freedom of Information legislation, even though they are releasing these pathogens into public waters exposing Canada’s largest wild salmon populations to feedlot diseases? press release
While the industry demands their disease outbreaks remain confidential, their processing plants are releasing blood water carrying pathogens directly into Canada’s wild salmon habitat. This is indefensible.
Why did it take an order from the Department of Justice to force your department to lay a charge against Marine Harvest for unlawful possession of wild salmon and herring even though DFO knew about this alleged offense for months previous?
Inter-government memos reveal the Provincial ministry in charge of fish farms refuses to share fish farm disease information with the ministry in charge of protecting wild salmon. Why is that?
Minister Shea when you come to BC you visit Norwegian fish farms, seen here with Marine Harvest. You also go to Norway to sell this coast to the corporate fish farming industry, but you have not even looked at the impact of salmon farming on wild fish.
BC is bereft of political defense of wild salmon both provincially and federally. British Columbia needs a minister who understands and who is willing to protect the public fishery resources.
While I understand you have given thoughtful consideration to east coast fishery issues, may I suggest, with all due respect, that you resign and make room for someone who understands the issues we face in BC - our wild fisheries are going to hell out here. Wild salmon have irreplaceable value economically, in terms of food security, biologically, socially and spiritually. Wild salmon feed the trees that make oxygen and this is not even factored in by the political decisions that are driving wild salmon extinct. In Alaska wild salmon have political will and Alaskans are enjoying record returns, as is Russia. All our fish are feeding in the same ocean.
I suggest Member of Parliament John Cummins for Minister of Fisheries. As I walked the length of Vancouver Island in the Get Out Migration, I heard unprecedented, powerful unity among the factions of west fishery politics. First Nations reported they are more united by this issue than any other. Native, commercial, U.S. and sport fishermen walked side-by-side. If we are going to allow our children the wealth of wild salmon we are going to have to act now. Get the Norwegian salmon farms out of BC waters. Assist the 1,200 people directly employed by salmon farms as they are not responsible for this mistake.
If you can’t see the serious issues with salmon farming and that the industry must move into tanks on land for its own survival, and the survival of wild salmon, we need someone who is closer to BC. You personally wrote me there is no “strong evidence” ISA virus can be introduced to the Pacific Ocean in Atlantic salmon eggs, however, the Norwegian scientists tracking this virus say introduction to BC is “gaurenteed” in Atlantic eggs. I don’t think you have the experience to make this irreversible decision for all of Canada. We cannot recall viruses, anymore than the people of the Gulf Coast can recall the oil. It is time to really look at the risks governments are carelessly taking under pressure from corporate interests at the expense of the people of this planet.
If we in BC are not allowed to have our wild salmon protected by government, we stand warned that we do not live in a democracy.
Alexandra Morton Salmonaresacred.org
Posted at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
(May 28, 2010 Sointula) In July 1992, IHN virus broke out in Atlantic salmon smolts as they were put in salmon farm in Okisollo Channel. Okisollo is within the Fraser sockeye migration route. Even though the Fraser sockeye were migrating through the area, no one called for the IHN infected farm salmon to be culled. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) kept this epidemic secret from the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (MELP) even though there was a disease sharing protocol in place. When MELP heard “rumors” of this IHN outbreak three months later, MAFF still refused to give them the details of the outbreak. The policy in enhancement hatcheries is to destroy IHN infected smolts to prevent spreading to wild salmon.
Today, MAL is misinforming the public about the extent of past IHN outbreaks on their website and in a recent legal decision all BC salmon farming companies state they will refuse to reveal disease records if their reports to MAL are made public.
Note: MAL and MAFF are the same agency and MELP and MOE are the same.
1992 memos - a trail of secrets and disregard for wild salmon health
October 5 1992 Don Peterson at MELP : “Our fish health staff report …. rumours of an IHN virus outbreak in Atlantic salmon… Please provide …information …..IHNV is easily transmitted to trout and Pacific salmon species and we need to make an assessment of risk to wild stocks please respond ASAP.”
October 8, 1992 Don Peterson, MELP: “Had a call from Al Castledine (MAFF3) ….There has been an outbreak….DFO doesn’t want this to become an issue at this time, Al specifically asked that we not make a media issue of this – at least not until DFO has their act together.” This was 4 months after the outbreak began
October 28, 1992 the Minister of MELP John Cashore to MAFF: “IHN virus is lethal to trout and steelhead. These wild fish inhabit the marine environment where this farm is located… my Fish Culture staff only learned of this incident very recently …. There is … a protocol agreement that is intended to alert each of our agencies when problems such as this arise….the breakdown in communication could have potentially serious consequences for fish stocks….”
November 12, 1992 Harvey Andrusak MELP to MAFF: “The recent outbreak of IHN virus in Atlantic salmon smolts owned by BC Packers causes considerable concern for the Fisheries Branch of MELP….I request your cooperation.”
November 19, 1992 J. E. Fralick MAFF to MELP “results are considered proprietary by our Animal Health Branch and cannot be released. I firmly believe…the IHN outbreak poses very minimal risk to wild stocks.”
November 27, 1992 H. Andrusak, MELP to MAFF “I am disappointed with your response….when MAFF is asked for information…we are referred to DFO, when we ask DFO, I am referred to you. This is unacceptable….fish health is the responsibility of DFO … and MELP….why is MAFF involved in fish health at all?”
December 17, 1992 G.R.Armstrong MELP “Prior to the IHN outbreak, fish health scientists believed that IHN was transmitted only in fresh water. The significance of the outbreak is that it apparently occurred in sea water…Atlantic salmon farms are now a potential vector for transfer of IHN.”
January 5, 1993 G.R. Armstrong MELP to MAFF “I do not understand how the Department of Fisheries and Oceans can have little concern for IHN simply because it is endemic to wild salmon…. Atlantic salmon in pens are now a potential vector.”
While the 100,000s of Atlantic salmon in the IHN infected fish farm were left in the ocean on the Fraser salmon migration route, 300,000 trout were culled in a provincial hatchery in 1991 due to IHN. B.C. Environment, Lands and Park – Information Issue 92-35
When Gordon Campbell took office in 2001 he cancelled MELP and so the BC public lost the only team of bureaucrats who were fighting to protect our wild salmon from corporate salmon.
MAL website today - inaccurate
Have things improved, No.
While the MAL website acknowledges there have been IHN outbreaks in Atlantic salmon farms, it grossly misinforms the public about the timing and location of the outbreaks.
“Outbreaks of this disease (IHN) in Atlantic salmon farms in British Columbia occurred in 1992, 1995, 1996,1997 and 2001. All reported cases occurred within the Campbell River area.” .http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/ahc/fish_health/IHNV.htm (website updated May 16, 2004)
In fact, there were in 12 million Atlantic salmon infected from 2001 – 2003 over 400km of the BC coast from Clayoquot Sound to Klemtu (Saksida 2006). More than 1/3 of BC’s wild salmon and many Washington State salmon use this area and were challenged with this highly infectious disease generation after generation. The BC Liberal government did nothing to stem this flow of pathogens.
February 2002 - BC Supreme Court Injunction identifies IHN risk to wild salmon
When a salmon farm in the Broughton Archipelago tried to dispose of 1.6 million IHN infected farm salmon in 2002, BC Supreme Court granted the Musqueam First Nations an injunction to prevent delivery of these fish to a processing plant in the Fraser River because these fish threatened the Fraser River’s wild salmon with IHN.
What about the other 10 million left in net pens on the marine migratory routes used by the Fraser all south coast, and Clayoquot wild salmon and steelhead?
March 1, 2010 - Ruling instructs MAL to release fish farm disease information and fish farmers threaten to cease all public reporting of disease outbreaks
Four years ago the T. Buck Suzuki Foundation filed a Freedom of Information request to MAL for salmon farm disease records. MAL refused. But BC’s Freedom of Information and Privacy Commissioner ruled on March 1, 2010 that MAL could not legally conceal this information and to release it by April 12, 2010. In the decision, the fish farm companies of BC are on the record stating if their disease information is released they will never report diseases to the province of BC ever again. (see below) T. Buck Suzuki is still awaiting full disclosure.
“Mainstream flatly submits that it will not supply similar information when it
is in the public interest that similar information continues to be supplied.66
Mainstream does not explicitly say there is no authority under which it may be
compelled to provide data for the audit.”
“Marine Harvest submits there are “no regulations or laws” which require it
to release the information it gives to Ministry veterinarians or designates during
on-site visits. It states that release of the requested information would result in
Mainstream no longer supplying the requested information”
“Grieg Seafoods contends there is no statutory requirement that allows
the collection of audit data and that it only provides data on the understanding
the data would be kept confidential. It states it will no longer submit the data if
the applicant‟s access request is granted”
“Creative Salmon argues that it provides audit information on a voluntary
basis and if the applicant’s access request is granted it will “immediately cease
to volunteer further information to the Ministry”
The Decision
How can the governments of Canada and British Columbia allow this ongoing suppression of information that is clearly in the public interest and the courts have ruled threatens a resource the people of Canada and British Columbia are passionate about? Salmon farms are in the public waters of Canada, they are leasing Crown Land supposedly “to provide the greatest benefits for British Columbians” (Crown Lands BC website) and they do not legally own their fish. Will the BC Liberal government allow them to operate in secret, to the detriment of a highly valued public resource? We will all get to find out.
Who is going to fix this?
www.salmonaresacred.org
Posted at 02:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Government memos reveal fish farmers pressured government to keep sea lice drugs secret, six years before biologist Alexandra Morton made it public
(May 26, Sointula) A series of government memos reveal a heated debate in 1995 over a sea louse outbreak on a farm salmon on the Fraser sockeye migration route (Okisollo Channel). In 1995, a salmon farm requested permission to use hydrogen peroxide to treat an extremely heavy outbreak of sea lice on their fish. When the Ministry of Environment, Parks and Lands (MELP) informed the company that their drug application would have to be released to the public, the fish farmer withdrew the request. When environmental groups found out about the sea lice outbreak, the BC Salmon Farmers Association called for an investigation of MELP and a guarantee that fish farmers had a right to secrecy in the future.
Sept 6, 1995 Don Peterson of MELP writes, “The company has withdrawn their application (for hydrogen peroxide) because they heard there was a requirement to advertise if a pesticide was going to be applied. I guess they were either afraid of the shareholders…or the public finding out... the company has asked that this request be kept strictly confidential and that all correspondence on the subject be destroyed.”
September 28, 1995 the BC Salmon Farmers Association criticized Minister Moe Sihota (MELP): “…government has an obligation to maintain confidentiality… Government is further prevented from unauthorized collection, use or disclosure of information…. puts at risk … capital investment of private citizens and individual companies…”
However, salmon farms operate in Canada’s public waters and impact a Canadian resource - wild fish.
On October 23 Earl Warnock of MELP writes, “I find it unconscionable that they (fish farmers) are only prepared to undertake measures appropriate to protect their stock health and the environment unless they can do it in a clandestine manner.... and for them and MAFF to ask us to operate with them in this way says something about the people we are dealing with.”
“MAFF” = Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, now Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (MAL).
Either the sea lice remained on the farm fish on the Fraser sockeye migration route or they were treated without permission from MELP.
November 03, 1995, Bryan Ludwig, MELP writes: “…we are in the difficult position of being concerned about use of pesticides for treatment of sea lice, but also wanting to ensure we avoid a severe outbreak for fear of transfer to wild stocks.”
These documents reveal heroes among our MELP bureaucrats who tried to protect our wild salmon from salmon farms. Gordon Campbell disbanded MELP as soon as he took office in 2001, and he renamed MAFF, MAL and gave them control of allocation of Crown Land. The fish farm industry did not develop a sea lice action plan, the public lost their government biologist advocates, sea lice outbreaks continue with lethal infection underway today rates on wild juvenile salmon on the Fraser migration route (Okisollo Channel) (photos available) and Fraser sockeye stocks migrating through Okisollo Channel are in steep decline.
October 23, 1995 Earl Warnock MELP: “If the truth harms their integrity perhaps they need to look at themselves…”
If we cannot save wild salmon in British Columbia, we do not live in a democracy.
All documents available at www.salmonaresacred.org, “Breaking News”
Wild Juvenile salmon Okisollo Channel May 25, 2010
Posted at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 24, 2010
Dear Minister Steve Thomson, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (MAL):
I am writing to request attendance at farm salmon harvests to assess unlawful consumption/destruction of wild fish such as commercial fishermen are required.
On May 19, I met with your assistants Harvey Sasaki and R. J. Senko and MAL scientists Drs. Roth and Sheppard. Our conversation raised several concerns.
First, your scientists still think stickleback are an important source of sea lice infection on juvenile wild salmon. This politically favorable hypothesis has been long debunked by scientists, including a DFO paper reporting that sea lice cannot survive on sticklebacks (Jones et al. 2006). It is unacceptable that MAL scientists refuse to accept scientific opinion on a subject of considerable public interest.
Second, international scientists warn that farm lice drug resistance is a growing global problem, but your team was unable to verbalize any precautions underway to protect BC. Drug resistance means fish farms switch to toxic bath treatments that are released directly into the ocean. Such a drug, Salmosan, is already advertised in Northern Aquaculture “in response to the serious and growing problems with sea lice.”
It is in the public interest for you to prevent lice drug resistance to protect BC fisheries from toxic bath chemicals.
I was told to defer to Dr. Sheppard’s opinion that drug resistance has not occurred in BC, but he could not produce a single test result. Senior scientist, Dr. Larry Dill recently testified: “I will comment on the resistance to SLICE first. I felt that Dr. Sheppard's commentary on that was highly irresponsible and very unscientific when he said there was no evidence for it... … contrary to the absolute nonsense claimed by provincial veterinarian Mark Shepherd there are a rather large number of credible scientists myself included who disagree with him when he says there is insufficient information to suggest that lice on farms is affecting pacific salmon in a detrimental way.” (Federal Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans May 12, 2010).
Minister Thomsen, the advice from your team is not credible and could be seen as unreasonably supportive of corporate interests. Downsizing the Norwegian salmon farm industry is the only way to prevent negative impact on BC. The MAL Crown Lands mission statement is … to provide the greatest benefits for British Columbians (http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/clad/). As such many fish farm leases must be rescinded. You can protect aquaculture jobs with the arising Canadian solutions.
The public wants their towns to thrive and thus want wild salmon. Corruption allegations are surfacing at the BC Rail trial concerning Liberal government payment to people to disrupt salmon farm protests. There are many reasons you should re-examine your assessment of Norwegian salmon farm impact on BC and allow public scrutiny.
I await your response.
Alexandra Morton, www.salmonaresacred.org
Posted at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Hello
In the article below there are allegations arising in BC Supreme Court that the Campbell BC Liberal government paid people to support salmon farms at a protest rally in Victoria several years ago.
The article below is extremely disturbing. If it is true, there is no reason to expect the salmon farming issue to ever be resolved. You might want to contact government and ask if your tax dollars were used in this manner to disrupt a democratic process concerning a public resource.
To find Gordon Campbell and MLA emails addresses:
It is essential that the BC government learn how many people in BC want to keep wild salmon - giving full consideration to the people employed in the industry, but not at the expense of losing our wild salmon. www.salmonaresacred.org
This is now about keeping our towns alive, public food security and government integrity.
Alexandra Morton
Lawyer alleges Campbell advised accused to 'keep mouth shut'
Claims made in corruption trial immediately denied in the witness stand by B.C. Premier’s chief of staff
Mark Hume
Vancouver — From Friday's Globe and Mail Published on Thursday, May. 20, 2010 9:03PM EDT
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/lawyer-alleges-campbell-advised-accused-to-keep-mouth-shut/article1576517/
Allegations that Premier Gordon Campbell and Martyn Brown, his chief of staff, each called a political operative under police investigation and told him “he would be taken care of if he kept his mouth shut” were made in the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Thursday.
The stunning claims – which were immediately denied by Mr. Brown from the witness stand – came in the form of questions put during cross examination by Kevin McCullough.
Madam Justice Anne MacKenzie reminded the jury questions put by lawyers are not to be taken as evidence.
Mr. McCullough is defending Bobby Virk, one of three former government employees facing charges of fraud, breach of trust and money laundering in relation to the 2003 sale of BC Rail for $1-billion.
“I’m going to suggest you called Mr. Virk regularly [after police raided his legislature office on Dec. 28, 2003] … and that you assured him the government would be taking care of him … if he kept his mouth shut,” said Mr. McCullough, standing at a podium beside the jury box.
“That is absolutely untrue,” said Mr. Brown, who has been Mr. Campbell’s chief political adviser since the Liberals first took power in B.C. in 2001.
“Were you aware that Mr. Campbell was [also] calling Mr. Virk … [and that] Campbell assured him he would take care of him?” asked Mr. McCullough.
“No. Never heard that before. I would be shocked, completely shocked if that was the case – because I don’t believe that ever happened,” said Mr. Brown, who kept his composure, although he had trouble recalling certain events as the questions kept coming.
Mr. McCullough asked who had recommended Mr. Virk for his job as ministerial assistant to then transportation minister Judith Reid. Mr. Brown, who did the hiring, couldn’t remember.
“Do you recall interviewing Mr. Virk and telling him he was going to get the job … because Premier Campbell personally recommended him?” Mr. McCullough said.
“I don’t recall that … if I said that I don’t remember saying that. … It’s not impossible,” Mr. Brown said.
Asked if he remembered introducing Mr. Virk at a Liberal caucus meeting once as “Bob from Burnaby,” which prompted a standing ovation, Mr. Brown shook his head.
“I don’t remember any meeting … I’m not saying I didn’t … . It would be helpful if you told me the context,” he said.
“A Christmas party full of Liberal MLAs,” prompted Mr. McCullough.
“If I did, I don’t remember,” Mr. Brown said.
He did recall, however, that “Bob from Burnaby” was the identity Mr. Virk gave when he called in to radio hotline shows, to pose soft questions when Mr. Campbell was on air.
“I think that’s a perfectly acceptable and long standing political practice,” he said.
“You don’t think it’s a deceptive practice to use your workers?” Mr. McCullough asked.
“No, … all parties do that because it’s all about having your message get out,” Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Brown also defended the actions of Mike McDonald, head of special projects for the Premier, who the defence alleged helped organize the disruption of an anti-fish farm rally in Victoria.
Mr. Brown said Mr. McDonald didn’t organize things, he simply told pro-fish farm people it was in their best interest “to protest the protest.”
When Mr. McCullough asked if he would be surprised to learn one of the accused, Dave Basi, had worked with Mr. McDonald on that issue and had “paid people $100 a head” to attend.
“It would not only surprise me, it would shock me,” Mr. Brown said.
Cross examination of Mr. Brown is to continue Tuesday when the case against Mr. Virk, Mr. Basi and Aneal Basi, continues.
Posted at 06:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Dear Mr. Foster, MLA:
In your letter below, you are inaccurate in your assessment of the BC Liberal party's understanding of the science of salmon farming impact on wild fish. I met this week with MAL Ministerial Assistant, R. J. Senko and Assistant Deputy Minister Harvey Sasaki and they actually believe that stickleback are the cause of sea lice on juvenile wild salmon in BC. This theory has been thoroughly debunked by scientists and is the joke of the BC non-government scientific community studying sea lice.
Your government is also behind the times on the advances in closed containment and thus you are hindering this Canadian industry from developing.
I find the BC Liberal government's obedience to the Norwegian salmon farming industry slavish. You need to examine the reality of the situation. No government in its right mind would hold a coast ransom for a foreign industry with as terrible an environmental and social record as the Norwegian salmon farming industry when the same fish grows here for free. The era of easy oil is clearly over, the situation in the Gulf of Mexico is going to terribly impact millions of people. The Norwegian salmon farming industry is raising Atlantic salmon in the Pacific - feeding them on fish from Chile, in pens that bar public access. It takes large amounts of oil to do this. Our wild salmon on the other hand produce far more jobs, return to this coast for free, supporting our economy, making oxygen and they are food security. Why is your government is so nervous about the Canadian public having free access to food?
These Norwegian salmon farms are unconstitutional in Canada as they privatize ocean spaces and attempt to own fish in the sovereign waters of Canada. There is a wall of secrecy around this industry guarded by the Liberal government of BC.
I challenge you, Mr. Foster, to go with me on fish farms as they pull up their nets and pump fish out of their pens and lets see what is actually in the pens. These Norwegian companies are not licensed for wild fish.
Many Norwegian salmon farms are operating on leases that the BC government stated there would never be salmon farms. Only the Fraser sockeye that migrate past salmon farms collapsed. Other south coast sockeye did better than DFO forecast and this is entirely consistent with this industry's record around the world. If fish farm disease is infecting Fraser sockeye, they would be carrying those pathogens north and exposing Rivers Inlet and Skeena salmon as well.
You can repeat things ad infinitum, but it does not make them true.
It is time to remove the Norwegian salmon farms from the waters of British Columbia because they are unconstitutional and also break the natural biological laws of wild salmon to the detriment of the present and future generations of Canadians. Invest in Canadians who are developing the solutions despite you and would provide better jobs and allow wild salmon to thrive. Everywhere in the North Pacific where there are no salmon farms, wild salmon are thriving! Why would we not try and have both wild and farmed salmon. It is long past time to move forward on this issue and stop denying the obvious.
The thousands of people at rally on May 8 at the Parliament Buildings are speaking to you. If you cannot hear them over the corporate interests you will bring your government down with this issue alone.
Alexandra Morton
www.salmonaresacred.org
----- Original Message -----
From: Foster.MLA, Eric
To: Jim Mellors
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 10:58 AM
Subject: RE: [fishermenlist] New Video
Dear Mr. Mellors,
Thank you for your e-mail dated May 18, 2010 regarding salmon farming.
Upon my contact with the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, I have obtained some information on the matter.
I would like to assure you that a sustainable, stable aquaculture industry remains a top priority for government.
There have been some encouraging developments in closed containment systems but to date it is not yet possible to apply this technology at an industry-wide scale and government does support the evaluation of new technologies like closed containment to determine their viability. Our support to date has been in processes such as the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat review which summarized the state of knowledge on closed containment and salmon farming and the viability of closed containment systems has been part of our discussions with the federal government as we transition regulation to their jurisdiction.
I want to reiterate that government is well informed on the latest science related to this industry, which to date demonstrates that wild salmon and salmon farming can coexist. I also feel it is important to emphasize the value salmon farming brings to British Columbia’s coastal communities. The aquaculture industry provides an estimated 6,000 jobs and over $224 million in wages for British Columbians, with over half these jobs being filled by women and First Nations.
Government is committed to an effective, science-based regulation of fish farming practices in British Columbia and understands the importance that salmon bring to our communities all across the province.
Thank you for taking the time to inform me of your concerns.
Sincerely,
Eric
Mr. Eric Foster, MLA
Vernon-Monashee
Posted at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Dear Mary Ellen Walling
The nonsense that you have published below is in service to a global industry destroying local fish stocks in countries around the world. You are paid to make things easier for this industry in British Columbia and this letter goes too far. To suggest there is anything natural about salmon feedlots on our wild salmon runs is harming the future of the most valuable public resource in BC. You fail to note there were 40 lice per fish recently on a Grieg salmon farm and drugs failed to bring those lice to Provincial limit. You fail to note that infection rates on wild fish in the Broughton, where your industry is under the most scrutiny, are once again rising even with drug treatments. You fail to tell the public that drug resistance was identified as inevitable at a conference in Victoria BC by international experts studying the disasterous impact of your industry worldwide. This means we are going to get the more toxic drugs used by your industry. Dick Beamish's paper is a red-herring and does not refer to the problem, which is juvenile salmon leaving the rivers clean and becoming infested with lice passing by salmon farms. His work expounds on the presence of lice on adult salmon retuning from the ocean and is irrelevant. You must know this but you ignore it. You also fail to tell people why my prediction of extinction has not happen yet....because when I reported the lice your industry responded and cleaned up its mess....but even that is no longer possible as lice numbers are rising despite the drugs.
If your industry is passionate about wild salmon Get Off the wild salmon migration routes right now! Test every one of your farms for the virus ISA that is spreading with your industry worldwide. And I dare you to invite me to attend your farms at harvest time to see what is really in your pens. I think your industry is fighting to remain in BC waters because it is consuming wild herring and other species both as by-catch and to feed your industry's fish. Prove me wrong, invite me and the local First Nations to watch your industry pull up the nets and let's see what is really in there. How many rock cod, wild salmon, black cod, grey cod are in your industry's farms. Does anyone have a license for these?
It is time to end this ridiculous game of meaningless phrases. It is time to end the secrecy around your industry. It is time to release your people from the contracts they have signed not to talk about what they do on your industry's farms. Five thousand people showed up according to the security guards at the BC Parliament Buildings to demand the Norwegian net pen industry GET OUT of BC waters. It is time for the Canadian land-based fish farmers to step up and end the pollution and harm done by your industry.
And Mary Ellen Walling it is past time for words. Lets go farm to farm, talk to the employees, look at what fish you have in your pens, examine the drug records, watch as your industy's fish are cleaned. Let's see what they look like and what is their stomachs. The reign of secrecy and mis-truth has to end now!
Alexandra Morton
salmonaresacred.org
Posted at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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