B.C. Farmed Salmon Issues

[Guest guest]

Having been a WA resident for about a decade now, though not directly

involved with the fish industry here; I am still well aware of the

fish issues in the area, including a stones throw away across the

border in British Columbia.

 

These same fish farmers whose lobby pushed through ATLANTIC salmon

being allowed to be farmed in the Pacific North West, swearing by

fact & science (or actual fiction) that their raising pens would be

ABSOLUTELY safe & that the fish stocks could never ever escape...Well

guess whose fish regualary escape from the pens?! Guess whose pens

are just plain ripped up by the weather of Mother Nature, thus

releasing entire herds of NON NATIVE farmed fish into the wrong ocean

to aggressively compete with the indigenous WILD species?!

 

Although I like reading both sides of every issue, I really do side

with David Suzuki on this one. One must realize the total life cycle

differences between the Atlantic & Pacific salmon. Then further

realize the havoc that farm breed/raised fish can cause in

genetically weakening WILD stocks...

 

Granted, this is an older article, though it came up in a Google

search, & it does state both sides (sort of). I just hope you get

the real point & implications of what is being pushed down your

throats by big money company interests. I get to regulary read the

horror stories of BC salmon farming issues in the local newspapers.

*sigh*

 

 

 

 

CAMPAIGN ANGERS SALMON GROWERS

July 17/98

 

The Fredericton Daily Gleaner, A3

 

Bill Thompson, general manager of the N.B. Salmon Growers'

Association was cited as saying that a fund-raising campaign launched

by the British Columbia-based David Suzuki Foundation, which appeared

Thursday in a NewBrunswick newspaper, made a number of

scientifically unsupportedaccusations about the salmon-farming

industry, adding, " It is somewhatdisturbing to see a B.C. group

operate a slick fundraising campaign basedon misinformation about the

salmon-farming industry in New Brunswick. Their tactics are simply

unsubstantiated fear-mongering designed to funnelmoney to their

group. This is a cynical attack on an industry which isvital to the

province's economy.'' Thompson added that fish product is regulated

by the Canadian FoodInspection Agency, must meet exacting standards

before it isreleased for public consumption and that the health of

farmed salmon is carefully monitored. Jim Fulton, executive

director of the Suzuki foundation, was cited assaying his group was

determined to get the message out to Canadians that the aquaculture

industry is not using environmentally sound practices and that the

ad campaign appears to be working since he had alreadyreceived calls

from several concerned New Brunswickers.