How can you deny the farm threat?

November 02, 2009

Letter to Editor

Re: Bruce Lloyd (Oct. 14, Midweek), braying there is no sea lice crisis in the Broughton and never was, is helping save neither coastal communities nor our wild salmon.

The high return of pinks this year was helped by the fallowing of offending farms in their seagoing migration routes as juveniles in 2007, and more so by extraordinary ocean conditions this year. This high return is not proof of no harm, but more a state of grace allowing us to make amends before their offspring head out to sea next spring. The loss and the threat of extinction our wild salmon face under existing open net cage regimes is being played out wherever salmon farms exist world-wide. Is Lloyd ignorant or just a lackey for the industry?

How long can DFO’s charade of science and denial of harm go on and on, allowing the industry to behave the same way? In Norway, sea lice are a recognized plague becoming resistant to the formerly banned pesticide Slice, disease is rampant with many rivers being sterilized in attempts to control it, and their wild runs are failing.

In New Brunswick, the dreaded fish virus ISA has arrived with unknown harm to the wild, as has happened to the industry in Chile. And now ISA hangs over B.C. like a drawn sword because DFO is still allowing the import of foreign brood stock against the grave warnings of scientists. Is this what Lloyd wants?

Any fish farms should be closed systems keeping the wild fish absolutely apart from the farmed fish and their affluent. Such systems already exist and await only the will of government and industry to succeed.

Closed containment would also end the scourge of sea lice and the poisonous drugs used to combat them, and situated wisely would help sustain coastal communities.

With a concerted voice we can turn this destruction around and keep our beneficial wild salmon going forever, and with the necessary will, a respected closed containment industry supporting coastal communities as well.

Mary Russell,

Port Hardy

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How can you deny the farm threat?

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