alexandra morton

Cohen Report

“I therefore conclude that the potential harm posed to Fraser River sockeye salmon from salmon farms is serious or irreversible"

Download the full report

Cohen made 75 recommendations and RECOMMENDATION #3 is:

DFO’s obligations in relation to net-pen salmon farms

3 The Government of Canada should remove from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ mandate the promotion of salmon farming as an industry and farmed salmon as a product.

He cites potential for "conflict of interest," "that DFO will impose less onerous fish health standards on salmon farms, than it would it its only interest were the protection of wild salmon" and he states "There is a risk DFO will be less rigorous in enforcing the Fisheries Act against the operators of salmon farms." Powerful words!

In Recommendation 14 Cohen warns that salmon farm licenses should only be for one year:

Limiting salmon farm production and licence duration

14 Beginning immediately and continuing until at least September 30, 2020, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans should ensure that
the maximum duration of any licence issued under the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations for a net-pen salmon farm in the Discovery Islands (fish health sub- zone 3-2) does not exceed one year;
DFO does not issue new licences for net-pen salmon farms in the Discovery Islands (fish health sub-zone 3-2); and
DFO does not permit increases in production at any existing net-pen salmon farm in the Discovery Islands (fish health sub-zone 3-2).

Justice Cohen is the first person of authority to present salmon farming as an activity so dangerous to wild salmon that salmon farms should "cease to operate" if risk to wild salmon is more than minimal:

RECOMMENDATION 18:

If at anytime 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.

A lot of salmon feedlots are included in sub-zone 3-2:

While industry claims this will only affect 9 farms, a close look at the map above from the DFO website puts the number of farms affected closer to 20. Salmon farm spin at work.

In a crucial series of recommendations 15-17, Cohen recommends the siting criteria for salmon farms require a serious and continuous update to protect wild salmon migration routes, something that was never even considered when the Province of BC gave salmon farms their rental agreements to the seafloor.

15 The Department of Fisheries and Oceans should explicitly consider proximity to migrating Fraser River sockeye when siting salmon farms.

16 After seeking comment from First Nations and stakeholders, and after responding to challenge by scientific peer review, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans should, by March 31, 2013, and every five years thereafter, revise salmon farm siting criteria to reflect new scientific information about salmon farms situated on or near Fraser River sockeye salmon migration routes as well as the cumulative effects of these farms on these sockeye.

17 The Department of Fisheries and Oceans should apply revised siting criteria to all licensed salmon farm sites. Farms that no longer comply with siting criteria should be promptly removed or relocated to sites that comply with current siting criteria.

This means Fraser River First Nations must be asked if they agree to allow salmon they have specific rights to swim through salmon farm effluent. It also means ALL the salmon farm leases that are up for Provincial tenure renewals have to examined for wild salmon migration routes. Many First Nations are under pressure to respond to renewals of these tenures by November 15, 2012. Is Premier Clark going to ignore the $26 million dollars tax-payers have paid to find out that salmon farms on wild salmon migration routes might be causing "irreversible damage." I would venture a guess that yes, this information will be ignored unless we are heard. I have created a place for you be heard.

The report is grabbing headlines such as:

Commission presses Ottawa to curb fish-farm impact on sockeye

Report calls for freeze on fish farms off Vancouver Island

Report into decline of B.C.'s sockeye fishery critical of salmon farming

Cohen report calls for 8-year salmon farming ban

Cohen Commission report makes 75 recommendations on the future of Fraser River sockeye salmon

Cohen Commission report makes 75 recommendations on the future of Fraser River sockeye salmon

Fish farmers, critics see support in report

Justice Cohen you rock - thank you

Cohen Report

Hello

Justice Bruce Cohen just released his Final Report on his 3-year, $26 million commission into the 17-year decline of the Fraser Sockeye.

I want to share Cohen's incredibly strong wording within the confines of his mandate, which was specific to the Fraser sockeye. Clearly, however, Fraser sockeye are not different from other salmon in their vulernability to the array of farm salmon pathogens.

I will write more detail in my blog soon, but I wanted you to know the good news as soon as possible. The Cohen report includes:
Salmon farms have the potential to import exotic viruses and amplify endemic ones
There should be an immediate freeze on farm salmon production on the Fraser sockeye migration route
DFO should be relieved of their duty to promote salmon farms
Mitigation into the impact of salmon farms on wild salmon should not be delayed and should be carried out in the absence of absolute certainty
DFO must assess ALL research done on the impact of farm salmon on wild salmon and if found greater than minimal, the industry must be prohibited from operating on the Fraser sockeye migration route!
Siting criteria has to be revised to include wild salmon migration routes.
As this report is tabled, you should know the Province of BC is in the process of renewing many salmon farm leases. The Province of BC remains the landlord of the industry even though regulation has become federal. If BC offers this industry long term leases, Justice Cohen's recommendations and our $26 million will be wasted. The Province cannot at this point offer these lease renewals without consulting with the Fraser First Nations, because the salmon they have rights to are swimming through effluent from the salmon farms, Cohen is specifically reporting on.
I am actively researching exotic salmon viruses, but if these leases are renewed in the next few weeks, there will be little chance of the Cohen recommendations being acted on.

This report is the result of a massive amount of work, I especially thank my lawyers Lisa Glowacki and Greg McDade - they went the extra mile and beyond!

There is something you can do now. I have created a petition in honour of Cohen's work asking Permier Clark not to renew the salmon farm leases to the sea floor of BC.

If you step up and share it widely, there is a chance our children will have wild salmon in their lives, and honestly it looks like there are tough times ahead, they will need everything we can leave them.

www.change.org/NoSalmonFarmLeases

In celebration of hope and thanks to you Mr Cohen for seeing the difficult truths,

Alexandra Morton