Failure to Inform

 

 

Below is a letter I sent to some Members of Parliament on Sept 18th. It details the latest DFO impropriety in the regulation of salmon farms. 

A DFO scientist failed to bring critical information to a committee struck to advise the minister of fisheries.  The fish virus PRV is not a local virus, it is from the Atlantic.

It matters when a virus hits a population with no immunity.  We are living this. 

 

 

 

The 2020 farm lice infection infestation on young wild salmon was the highest ever seen.  And last week, we learned the industry under reports its lice, which delays treatment - escalating infection of young wild salmon.  

 

 

Justice Bruce Cohen said - if we want Fraser salmon, the minister of fisheries, currently Bernadette Jordan has to decide whether salmon farms in the Discovery Islands are less than minimal risk to wild salmon (Cohen #19).  She has to make this decision on September 30, and she has to post her the reasons where the public can see it.  Cohen did what he could to safeguard this decision.

There are no Canadian owned salmon farming companies in BC.  The Canadian Pension Plan is the 5th biggest share holder in Mowi, with over 10 million shares.  The companies using BC are being investigated for acting like a cartel.

 

Dear BC Members of Parliament:
 

Leading up to the fisheries minister’s decision whether or not to enact Cohen Commission recommendation #19 to restore the Fraser River sockeye I am providing the following information.

September 30, 2019 DFO senior scientist, Dr. Stewart Johnson was present at the Minister of Fisheries' Fish Health Technical Working Group meeting: 

“The group disagreed on numerous points raised previously including whether PRV 1a (BC strain) is endemic, … The conversation was challenging with both sides demonstrating little willingness to move.” (meeting notes distributed by email from DFO to participants). 

April 2020, Stewart Johnson and Diane Morrison, managing director for MOWI Canada West and executive of BC Salmon Farmers Association, submitted a paper to Virus Evolution reporting that the PRV found in BC is from the Atlantic.  

 

May 2020, the DFO/CFIA chairs of the Fish Health committee, including DFO’s Regional Director of Science,  wrote in their Final Report Marine Finfish and Land-based Fish Health Technical Working Group:

“There were divergent views among FHTWG members on reported distinctions between endemic vs exotic variants of PRV, ...The FHTWG did not agree on what constitutes a “foreign strain” of PRV;  
 
At no point did Dr. Johnson inform the committee that DFO and MOWI have joined the scientific consensus that the PRV found in BC is from the Atlantic.  The advice from this committee to the minister of fisheries must now be viewed as inaccurate.

With this letter you are informed that the CSAS advice on PRV is therefore also critically inaccurate.

 

A DFO scientist working closely with industry failed to bring forward critical information that a highly contagious virus associated with organ failure in Chinook and heart lesions in Fraser River sockeye has been introduced to BC from the Atlantic.  Clearly, the 30 million Atlantic salmon eggs imported by this industry are a suspect source. 

 

Please be aware as you try to sort out the significance of this, that non-government, non-industry research teams are analyzing the same data to arrive at a more precise time of arrival of PRV into BC.

 

These events are in addition to the 2020 farm sea lice outbreak that infected 99% of sockeye migrating through the Discovery Islands with lice loads known to reduce Fraser sockeye survival. This was concurrent with reporting by 50% of the salmon farms in the Discovery Islands that they exceeded government-set lice levels considered safe for young Pacific salmon.  

 

March 1, 2020, DFO issued Conditions of Licence that offered protection to MOWI, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood from prosecution for exceeding government sea lice limits.

 

I am available for further information.  

 

Alexandra Morton

Independent Biologist



Further statements on PRV DFO/Industry

June 2019, DFO advice on PRV stated that the virus found in BC is distinct from PRV found in the Atlantic:

“Of importance with regard to PRV in British Columbia is that there appears to be relatively high genome homology between PRV-1 isolates within the Eastern Pacific and that these isolates are notably distinct from isolates sequenced from PRV-1 in the Atlantic.” (CSAS 2019/035, pg 3)

June 2019 “It’s our understanding that the native strain of PRV is in the water naturally, and that is it benign.” Shawn Hall  https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/salmon-virus-testing-part-of-new-precautionary-approach-fisheries-minister-says

October 2019, Michelle Rainer, DFO Communications is quoted: “It’s our understanding that the native strain of PRV is in the water naturally, and that is it benign.” ( https://seawestnews.com/fish-farms-do-not-need-to-test-for-b-c-strain-of-virus)