Aquaculture improving?..The Fish Farm Thread

Why is a FN from the ECVI protesting in another FN territory that has a strong relationship with the finfish industry, benefits agreement in place and supports the industry ?? That does not usually go over well. DFO is going to have a tough time with the licensing decision with strong FN support growing from many Nations.
 
Not all DI FN are still opposed to finfish aquaculture in the area. That may make decisions interesting in the near future.
Very true. However, FN's like any other group in society is subject to societal and economic pressures - they are not exempt. If there is enough influential groups that can influence public opinion that water based fish farms are bad and should be moved onto land the FN's cannot escape this pressure.

Even more so if it is backed up with an effective public education campaign and boycotts of water based farmed salmon in stores and restaurants. No group cannot help but to succumb to this kind of bad PR and economic loss. Remember how well the overseas timber boycott campaigns worked to preserve the Clayoquot Sound in the 1990's. Such a campaign can work again to move FF onto land where their negative impacts can be better managed. History is full of examples of how industries have had to change to make their operations less harmful to the environment - it is high time for net pen fish farming to do the same!

It looks like those against water based fish farms have some work cut out for them if the FN's decide to go with water based FF's. More power to them!!!
 
From Stan Proboszcz
“I was in a frustrating meeting with DFO Aquaculture Management staff a few weeks ago, talking about fish farm parasites and how they harm wild juvenile salmon. From what I could see, there were no DFO staff in the meeting that had protecting wild salmon as part of their job duties. It seemed all they cared about was facilitating the salmon farming industry’s wants and needs.”
Why am I not the least bit surprised by this? Maybe it is because the actions/inaction of DFO for the past 20 years is totally consistent with this assessment.
 
Why is a FN from the ECVI protesting in another FN territory that has a strong relationship with the finfish industry, benefits agreement in place and supports the industry ?? That does not usually go over well. DFO is going to have a tough time with the licensing decision with strong FN support growing from many Nations.
As you know doubt know, the fish farm battle in Clayoquot is not just a native protest.
Dan Lewis.jpg
Dan Lewis

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dan Lewis works full-time as Executive Director of Clayoquot Action, and has lived in Tofino for 30years.​

He taught sea kayaking for three decades, and has paddled most of the BC coast. Dan was a lead organizer of the mass protests of Clayoquot Summer 1993. In his spare time Dan likes to sing out loud while paddling.

It is a a battle with those who benefit financially from Fish Farms or support them for other reasons in all areas as it has been proven Fish Farms have a harmful impact on our wild salmon
 
I think one of the largest, most concerning and often least discussed differences between approval and operating by industries within FN territories is the "scoping" or "footprint" of potential impacts.

Since - as I often say and post - water flows and fish swim - that "OPEN" net-pen operations potentially affect fish and aquatic resources far beyond any 1 FN territory. At the least tidal excursions are ~5km, estuarine flows are often 20+km (maybe several hundred w larger rivers), and fish swim hundreds of km up/down rivers and thousands in the ocean.

That is why IMHO DFO absolutely REFUSES to subject the industry to an actual environmental assessment but instead claims the siting criteria (1km) are "based in science". That would be a laughable and inane comment if it were not for the potential impacts. As such it is instead an insane and highly unprofessional & irresponsible assertion.

That is also the same reason why DFO Aquaculture cooked the books on the risk assessments and the industry refused to release both the PRv and the Tenacibaculum results listed earlier on this forum The scientists working on these issues have given very public and credable testimony in the Senate Committee recently - also posted previously. Have a look for those whom haven't yet.

In the specific case of the Ahousat/Clayoquot ONP industry both wild and Robertson Creek juvie Chinook travel North along WCVI and into areas containing FFs with sea lice, PRv and Tenacibaculum.

The latest risk assessments within DFO also identified these risks to endangered runs of wild WCVI Chinook.

The game is up wrt denials - and the trust was gone a very long time ago. Time for the responsible adults in the room to step in and take over from the most corrupt branch of DFO IMHO. Business as usual is over, and it's about time.
 
The game is up wrt denials - and the trust was gone a very long time ago. Time for the responsible adults in the room to step in and take over from the most corrupt branch of DFO IMHO. Business as usual is over, and it's about time.
Well said and I hope this does indeed come to fruition!
 
 

 
Over the past decade Pacific Salmon Foundation, with DFO and Genome BC, has changed the global understanding of how infectious agents affect the health of wild Pacific salmon. Pacific Salmon Foundation is launching the Salmon Health Program to advance critical research to save wild salmon.

 
Now let me see if I have this right.
First, when the issue of sea lice on farmed Atlantic salmon in BC becoming resistant to Slice the industry-paid scientists said it wouldn’t be a problem here because all the wild BC salmon would bring in new sea lice.
Then, when Slice resistance was found in some sea lice on BC farmed salmon, industry and DFO denied it.
Now, when Slice resistance is shown to be increasing in sea lice on BC farmed salmon, industry claims they knew it all along. Bwa ha ha!
So now what do they propose? Lower the environmental assessment process in Canada and give them more drugs EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE THEMSELVES SHOWN THAT FARMED SALMON RAISED IN SEMI-CLOSED CONTAINMENT TRIALS HERE PERFORM BETTER THAN IN OPEN NET CAGES.
 
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Now let me see if I have this right.
First, when the issue of farmed Atlantic salmon in BC becoming resistant to Slice the industry-paid scientists said it wouldn’t be a problem here because all the wild BC salmon would bring in new sea lice.
Then, when Slice resistance was found in some BC farmed salmon, industry and DFO denied it.
Now, when Slice resistance is shown to be increasing in BC farmed salmon, industry claims they knew it all along. Bwa ha ha!
So now what do they propose? Lower the environmental assessment process in Canada and give them more drugs EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE THEMSELVES SHOWN THAT FARMED SALMON RAISED IN SEMI-CLOSED CONTAINMENT TRIALS HERE PERFORM BETTER THAN IN OPEN NET CAGES.
 

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