Aquaculture improving?..The Fish Farm Thread

[Drewski Canuck]

Are there many U S Boats up at Nootka this year? The US Pacific Salmon Council closed commercial and most recreational salmon fishing from northern Oregon to California because of the forecast poor returns for 2023.

Closures and poor fishing usually sees US fishermen in mass in Nootka and surrounding areas.

Trouble is, other than hatchery returns, West Coast Vancouver Island is not looking promising, as is Prince Rupert area.

Who knew that fish farmed Atlantic Salmon carry a virus that kills Pacific Salmon?

Well, the Canadian Government did since 2012, and when Justin Trudeau commenced his wrath in 2015 he also sealed the DFO Research.

Lets hope that some time in the future we will see the return to the fishing we enjoyed at Nootka in the mid 1990's.

It is going to be another low water year for the West Coast streams like the Canuma and Gold, and it is not a great forecast return for the hatchery fish this year either.

Weather we cannot really control, but the fish farms in Nootka really have to go.

Drewski

 

[ziggy]

Out of the ~200-odd FN in BC ~10-12 officially support ONP aquaculture mostly thru revenue and hiring agreements with the existing FN band admins verses any existing hereditary systems. Even within those communities there is considerable debate over cost-benefits and impacts to adjacent wild stocks.

So... ~ 90-95% of FNs OPPOSE that industry as it currently operates despite the smiling releases from BCFSA and the growling from a couple elected Chief Councilors.

Revenues may be housed within a FN territory - but impacts are NOT. Fish swim and water flows. This common-sense reality is NOT acknowledged nor reflected in the growling about FN independence over economic opportunities....

I guess you have to ask is the 90-95% a legit number. How much of the quoted % is from those whose territory the farms are in. Do those outside the host territories actually care enough to speak out against their neighbours or even have the right to? I find it frustrating when both sides of debates use FN as a silver bullet. It’s kind of like the pipeline where the vast majority of FN agree but one holds out, so key the protest. Like Fairy Creek where the elected and Hereditary leaders want to log, but the protestors find an elder who doesn’t and suddenly he speaks for the whole band, cue the protest. In all these cases it seems clear that no one actually speaks for the FN! Makes sense because they aren’t a homogenous group anymore than any other Canadians. I’m not pro fish farm by any means but just pointing out any statistic used in the enviro argument are hard to justify. Rest assured, however this pans out we will be paying off someone. We’re all good at demanding better environmental practises from anybody but ourselves.

 

[Hardy Guy]

Ziggy: you hit the nail on the head. That may be the reason ELMO is so quiet these days as her gun has no more "silver" bullets. The ENGO's counted of FN opposition.

 

[agentaqua]

I guess you have to ask is the 90-95% a legit number. How much of the quoted % is from those whose territory the farms are in. Do those outside the host territories actually care enough to speak out against their neighbours or even have the right to? I find it frustrating when both sides of debates use FN as a silver bullet. It’s kind of like the pipeline where the vast majority of FN agree but one holds out, so key the protest. Like Fairy Creek where the elected and Hereditary leaders want to log, but the protestors find an elder who doesn’t and suddenly he speaks for the whole band, cue the protest. In all these cases it seems clear that no one actually speaks for the FN! Makes sense because they aren’t a homogenous group anymore than any other Canadians. I’m not pro fish farm by any means but just pointing out any statistic used in the enviro argument are hard to justify. Rest assured, however this pans out we will be paying off someone. We’re all good at demanding better environmental practises from anybody but ourselves.

Great observations, comments & questions Ziggy!

I have not heard the 90-95% FN opposition quote from any ENGO. That is my reasonably accurate rough guess based on knowing many of the FN communities that both have and/or oppose ONPFA. I am sure both DFO and the industry realize this reality, as well. Otherwise, Brian & the BCSFA would be burning-up the news outlets promoting the fact that "most FNs support ONPFA" with trumpets blaring. Best to let that sleeping dog lie where it is and not kick it awake.

It's really all about the money at the base of this ONPFA promotion - at least for those FN admins & select spokespersons that have allowed ONPFA to operate within their territories using an IB agreement. The more isolated communities with fewer economic options that have their own processing plant (e.g. Klemtu) and/or have seine boats to transfer fish (e.g. James Walkus) would be more predisposed to pursue ONPFA agreements. For the remaining ~190 of ~200 FN communities - the potential financial benefits simply don't outweigh the risks to wild stocks.

It's also tricky to critique another adjacent FN pursuing economic opportunities within their territories - esp when the links to migratory routes of susceptible juvenile salmon from adjacent territories are largely unknown and purposely unresearched; and when the government hides on behalf of the industry's benefit things like disease outbreak information and risks from disease agents. DFO aquaculture has an institutional anathema against admitting that fish swim and water flows when siting ONPFA. Another sleeping dog to avoid.

Why? Because you get a moratorium if DFO has to acknowledge that juvie salmon from other areas use the nearshore around FF sites:

Push North for Fish Farms Blocked | Wilderness Committee

Tyee Special Report. By Sarah K. Cox March 1, 2006 TheTyee.ca Strouts Point used to be just another rocky thumb of land along the Skeena River estuary's southern reach. Today, the once innocuous point is the snag in the salmon farming industry's contentious plan to expand to BC's North Coast.

www.wildernesscommittee.org

That's why that information is hidden - the government doesn't want a class action suit; and the industry wants to continue operating unhindered and unconstrained using the open net-pen technology. They get free pumping, free sewerage disposal and nearly free real estate that way. Where's the impetus for change there to CC here?

And yes - in both sides of any debate - pundits will latch onto any supporting political claims despite any conflicting available science. That's why every site should go thru an actual environmental assessment - something that predictably the ONPFA industry has been able to avoid due to long-term collusion with DFO.

 

[terrin]

Are there many U S Boats up at Nootka this year? The US Pacific Salmon Council closed commercial and most recreational salmon fishing from northern Oregon to California because of the forecast poor returns for 2023.

Closures and poor fishing usually sees US fishermen in mass in Nootka and surrounding areas.

Trouble is, other than hatchery returns, West Coast Vancouver Island is not looking promising, as is Prince Rupert area.

Who knew that fish farmed Atlantic Salmon carry a virus that kills Pacific Salmon?

Well, the Canadian Government did since 2012, and when Justin Trudeau commenced his wrath in 2015 he also sealed the DFO Research.

Lets hope that some time in the future we will see the return to the fishing we enjoyed at Nootka in the mid 1990's.

It is going to be another low water year for the West Coast streams like the Canuma and Gold, and it is not a great forecast return for the hatchery fish this year either.

Weather we cannot really control, but the fish farms in Nootka really have to go.

Drewski

Isn't 1990's when open net fish farming started up in a big way? Hmmm wonder if that"s a coincidence?

 

[Hardy Guy]

must be inshore farms in WCVI inlets that killed all the offshore migrating salmon from the lower 48 except for the Columbia which is in fine shape and accounts for a large portion of our catch on the WCVI. I'm sure lower fish populations in Cal and Oregon have nothing to do with little to no water in the rivers from years of drought and then sucking the rivers dry for irrigation.

 

[agentaqua]

I think it would be just as inappropriate to blame all the impacts (and there are many) to wild stocks up and down the coast on ONPFA - as it would be to ignore the available science on the many impacts from ONPFA to local stocks and not change our management & regulations to mitigate those impacts.

My take on it is that there are some years when the ocean survival rate (OSRs) are high enuff that the extra impacts from ONPFA are not as severe and the stocks can take more impacts - say when survival rates are above 5%. This large-scale coastal OSR has not happened in quite some time (esp. for Chinook stocks) - we are in a different situation for the past 20 years or so - a regime shift, as it is called.

When those OSRs are like ~2% - that stock is just hanging on and extra, additional impacts will have a greater effect. Less than 1% for a full cycle - and it is a quick trip downhill to local expiration. It's time to act BEFORE we get there - reducing all impacts including those from ONPFA where we can.

The scale of the impacts & locations of wild/cultured stock interactions should also be taken into consideration.

Localized flow of pathogens as plumes extend some dozens of km from ONPFA sites. Juvies can arrive and stay within the influence of these pathogen plumes for many weeks in some FF areas like the front ONPFA sites in Clayoquot Sound, as but one example of poor siting. Mouthrot and PRv are known pathogens and are known to emanate from ONPFA sites and would be expected to infect these juveniles. Accurate local adult escapement monitoring including monitoring of juvies adjacent to ONPFA sites are not a requirement to either the industry nor DFO Aquaculture - so these impacts are hard to track. This is no "mistake" - it is by design.

Infected fish simply die or are eaten by predators and simply disappear because they are never tracked in real time enuff to find out what is going on. That again is outcome if not the intent of withholding disease outbreak information. Independent researchers can't go out there and record these impacts & hold DFO Aquaculture accountable and the industry responsible.

There are also other emerging disease vectors in the process of being understood - and that is in spite of DFO aquaculture not doing it's job in both releasing information on known disease vectors and not requiring disease notification in the CoLs it issues to the industry (along with requiring 3rd party monitoring like the commercial fisheries CoLs). Agencies outside of DFO are forced to do DFOs job here - like the bunch from the PSF.

Wild stocks are generally in the tank and the juvies are at risk from some FF operation areas like the Broughtons and the Discovery Islands. Wild WCVI Chinook stocks are also in the tank and the juvies are at risk from both PRv and mouthrot among other diseases from some FF operation areas like Clayoquot Sound and elsewhere on WCVI.

 

[wildmanyeah]

FN even tho they want it shut down they don't want an imposed moratorium as it will limit future opportunities in their territories.

First Nations fight BC fish farm closures

Wei Wai Kum and We Wai Kai Nations take the federal government to court while Ottawa delays a decision on their salmon farming operations.

www.resourceworks.com

 

[agentaqua]

Here's some more related, supporting science:

 

[cuttlefish]

Closed containment salmon farmer sets sights on British Columbia

First Nations support plan and talks with DFO have gone well, says Akvafuture

www.fishfarmingexpert.com

 

[gone fishin]

We’ve heard through a reliable Ottawa source that the Minister of Fisheries drafted the long-awaited plan to transition factory fish farms from B.C.! She even presented it to cabinet. But now, it’s apparently stuck in the Prime Minister’s office. We’re not sure what the hold-up is. Our Prime Minister first made the promise to transition B.C. from factory fish farms by 2025, four years ago. Did he think we’d forget or lose our resolve? He should know that British Columbians won’t let wild salmon collapse like the east coast cod. Can you call his office and leave a message? Making a phone call shows the government that people are serious. Nowadays, when someone you know side-steps texting you and goes straight for a phone call you know something important is up. It’s time to get on the horn and call Mr. Trudeau and let him know what’s up. Tell him B.C. factory fish farms need to go, plain and simple. If enough of us swarm his phone lines, his office will get the picture real fast. Thanks so much for continuing to fight for our wild salmon and everything that depends on them. We’re in the home stretch. The feds are supposed to release their fish farm transition plan later this year. Call now and make sure they understand clearly what we want them to do. You’re spectacular and thanks for continuing to fight! Sincerely, Stan from the Safe Salmon team

 

[Fish Bait]

Another view of salmon farming.

Salmon farming in Canada is a study in good intentions gone awry: an attempt to balance environmental concerns against the economic benefits of British Columbia’s largest agricultural export sector that has ended up doing more harm than good.

Opinion: The great salmon gamble — how Canada’s push for land-based aquaculture foundered

Ottawa's salmon policy overlooks scientific advice in favour of policies based on unproven assertions. Find out more.

financialpost.com

 

[agentaqua]

Pretty much unsupported claims in that alleged Op Ed (actually a PR piece) including the allegation that one can't make $ using CC:

MSN

 

[Fishing?]

You know one of the weirdest missed things is how fish farming is changing every where else in the world. To massive enclosed mobile farms that traverse many areas.

WHY?

Fish farmers are doing this for sheets and giggles? Or is it because they themselves know the impact of stationary fish farms can have and other stronger governments or better laws are forcing the issue and in some countries they can be held liable all the way up to the top of their food chain.

FishGLOBE closed fish farms for more sustainable marine aquaculture

FishGLOBE’s fully enclosed fish farming solution improves fish welfare, reduces emissions and nearly eliminates sea lice.

businessnorway.com

 

[agentaqua]

It's all about making as much money as any multinational corporation can as fast as they can. If any profit-driven industry can externalize costs to the environment and to the taxpayers - they will if they are allowed to.

Sewerage disposal, pumping and real estate costs $. So that's why (IMHO) the ONPSF industry has been so resistant to change and to mitigate externalized impacts to wild stocks - their competition in the marketplace. If they can continue status quo as long as they can - they get to make more money, longer - rather than admit they could still make a profit with CC. That's what the shareholders want. And the CEO gets paid on performance, as well. So no incentive there, really - to switch. Killing off the competition is yet another unplanned bonus.

And location(s) are also a factor. Where the markets and transport to other markets are like the US of A are - cities - generally have expensive and limited real estate (esp. real estate close enuff to pumping sea water) along with often poor water quality. And many eyes to watch what is going on, as well. So that would also restrict operations and where one could place sites. And the sewerage disposal, pumping and real estate is no longer free. So no incentive there, really - to switch, neither.

Much cheaper to pay off a politician, or someone high up in DFO, and/or pay a PR firm to create doubt, and/or if that all fails to hire a lawyer to take the Minister to court and delay the inevitable change as long as possible and pretend that they weren't involved in the Cohen Commission and didn't know this was coming since 2012 and play the victim.

Ignorance is only bliss to those ignorant of the history and the impacts.

 

[agentaqua]

Scientists Level New Critiques of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Scientific Rigor | Hakai Magazine

Critics allege the federal department’s ability to provide vital scientific advice is weighed down by systematic industry and political interference.

hakaimagazine.com

Canadian Science Publishing

Canadian Science Publishing

The disinformation playbook: how industry manipulates the science-policy process—and how to restore scientific integrity - Journal of Public Health Policy

For decades, corporate undermining of scientific consensus has eroded the scientific process worldwide. Guardrails for protecting science-informed processes, from peer review to regulatory decision making, have suffered sustained attacks, damaging public trust in the scientific enterprise and...

link.springer.com

 

[Bryan Allen]

Scientists Level New Critiques of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Scientific Rigor | Hakai Magazine

Critics allege the federal department’s ability to provide vital scientific advice is weighed down by systematic industry and political interference.

hakaimagazine.com

Canadian Science Publishing

The disinformation playbook: how industry manipulates the science-policy process—and how to restore scientific integrity - Journal of Public Health Policy

For decades, corporate undermining of scientific consensus has eroded the scientific process worldwide. Guardrails for protecting science-informed processes, from peer review to regulatory decision making, have suffered sustained attacks, damaging public trust in the scientific enterprise and...

link.springer.com

Damn shame-- not the Dept of Fisheries I used to work for..............................

 

[agentaqua]

Damn shame-- not the Dept of Fisheries I used to work for..............................

Even the aquaculture pundits politely admit that the Aquaculture Branch ""thinks differently" within DFO Aquaculture Branch" within DFO, Bryan.

From: https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfas-2022-0286

page 6: "Similarly, the former Director of the Pacific Biological Station and Head of Aquaculture for DFO [Don Noakes] later served as Chair of the Science Advisory Council for the BC Salmon Farmers Association, by which he was described as “a strong advocate for the aquaculture industry in BC” (Supplementary data, pp. 84–85)".

https://biv.com/article/2014/09/sockeye-season-good-it-could-have-been-better
Don Noakes, former head of the Fisheries Department’s Pacific Biological Station, current dean of science and technology at Vancouver Island University and one of the experts called on by the Cohen Commission, said most “good scientists” never did give much weight to the sea lice theory:

http://www.animaladvocates.com/watchdog.pl?md=read;id=3973
Donald J. Noakes

Why was a guy with a degree in computer science (not biology) and only six first-author publications appointed director of what was once the most highly regard fisheries research institute in the world? This is highly unusual in science.

The most reasonable explanation is that Dick Beamish, the director of PBS before Noakes, didn’t want to be in the position of having to feed the public a lot of baloney about salmon farming, so, around 1992 he stepped down and let Noakes take his place. Noakes was Beamish’s friend; they cultivated rhododendrons and collected beanie babies together.

Noakes had gone straight into DFO from graduate school in engineering, so he was never part of an organization that valued scientific integrity. What he understood was sales engineering, in which you use the science you know to sell your product. He was a sales engineer for salmon farming.
More on Don's exploits: Don also didn't want Volpe doing any research critical of aquaculture escapees and revoked his permits & allegedly got a golden handshake from DFO after a bad TV interview.

also on page 6: "...the former Director of DFO’s Aquaculture, Biotechnology, and Aquatic Animal Health Science Branch [Jay Parsons] was previously the President of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (Supplementary data, pp. 80–82), an organization with the objective to “promote, support, and encourage… [the] advancement of aquaculture in Canada” (Supplementary data, p. 83)."

Don may have tutored Jay since Jay Parsons and Simon Jones carefully re-edited the piece & word-smithed the CSAS Science Response 2022/045 on sea lice:

https://alexandramorton.typepad.com/A-2022-00378%20Sea%20lice%20Science%20Response%20Mar%209%20%26%20May%2019.pdf

Completed Access to Information Requests | Open Government - Government of Canada

About this information Search the summaries of completed Access to Information (ATI) requests to find information about ATI requests made to the Government of Canada after January 2020. If you find a summary of interest, you can request a copy of the records at no cost using the form below each...

open.canada.ca

Jay Parsons and Dr. Gary Marty, were also integral in the suppression of Dr. Miller-Saunders’ research of fish diseases.:

https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/FOPO/Brief/BR11916741/br-external/AllardTony-WildFirst-e.pdf

Evidence - FOPO (44-1) - No. 23 - House of Commons of Canada

Evidence - FOPO (44-1) - No. 23 - House of Commons of Canada

www.ourcommons.ca

Here's more good ones:

https://krkosek.eeb.utoronto.ca/files/2023/02/Scientists-critique-of-DFO-CSAS-Response-Report-2022_045.pdf

https://summit.sfu.ca/_flysystem/fedora/2022-11/etd20451.pdf

Fisheries and Oceans Canada faces deluge of calls to improve ‘suspect’ science

The department is being flooded with calls for change after a parliamentary committee examined how the federal agency conducts, interprets and acts on its own science.

www.nationalobserver.com

Committee Report No. 8 - FOPO (44-1) - House of Commons of Canada

Committee Report No. 8 - FOPO (44-1) - House of Commons of Canada

www.ourcommons.ca

Information archivée dans le Web | Information Archived on the Web

publications.gc.ca

'A scientific sin': 16 Canadian salmon scientists claim DFO sea lice report was manipulated

16 scientists slam a recent DFO report that found salmon farms had an "insignificant" impact on wild salmon infestations — claiming the report's authors cherry-picked data, ignored scientific consensus and failed to consult with experts outside the department.

www.timescolonist.com

Fisheries scientists call out Ottawa for 'flawed' sea lice report

A group of fisheries scientists have voiced criticism of a DFO report arguing flaws in its conclusion over salmon farms and sea lice.

vancouversun.com

DFO sea lice report contains ‘serious scientific failings’: experts | The Narwhal

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) downplayed sea lice risks from B.C. salmon farms, prompting scientists to express ‘professional dismay’

thenarwhal.ca

Disgraced DFO Sea Lice Report Has So Many Holes, It Can’t Possibly Float | ComoxValley.News

16 independent scientists were so angry, they penned a letter to Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray

comoxvalley.news

https://nsapes.ca/sites/default/files/attachments/Frazer-ACanadianTragedy.pdf

I guess including Simon Jones, Timothy Sargent, Pat Schimoot and Yves Bastion & others in the finger-pointing would be too much ancient history - but still relevant as to how we got here to the mess we are in.

 

[agentaqua]

Canadian Science Publishing

p.189 - email from Benoit Mayrand to Johanna Hill to Timothy Sargent: "sea lice is not a pathogen". So, by the mere keystrokes of a sole federal PR employee in media relations on Kent Street in Ottawa - the sea lice issue across the oceans is magically solved. Sea lice are now magically NOT a pathogen and all we mere mortals have to do is believe and blindly follow the anonymous orders from above. Even Jay Parsons approved this PR release.
P. 201-203 - Kristi Miller's explanation on the origin of PRv - from the ONPSA industry.
p. 212 - Andy Thompson watering down significance of Kristi's PRv findings adding in: "minimal risk" w/o any supporting science.
p. 231 - speaker notes - quoted Simon Jones sea lice work but failed to mention that the experiment was terminated early so very few if any of the sea lice were cultured to the motile stages where the actual damage occurs. Of the 681 ID’d lice in the Jones 2008 study – only 65 were either preadult or adult stages. Even Jones admits (p.4): “80.9% of lice on dead fish were the chalimus IV stage or earlier.” If they continued the trials for only ~6 more days – all of the copepodites should have developed into motile lice. That’s the stage that causes the most damage on fish. Why did they not do this? Why did they not report this on the speaker notes?
p. 235-247 - DFO refuses to allow independent researchers access to juvie pink salmon to test effects of sea lice claiming that this work claiming this work "does not align with program objectives" - the protection of wild salmon is not a core DFO objective? BY LAW upholding and prosecuting the Fisheries Act is DFO's core mandate which is all about the protection of wild salmon stocks.
p. 249 - Dr. Zac Waddington DVM, B.Env.Sc. (Hons) Lead Veterinarian - Pacific Region DFO admits that there is: "both spill over and spill back effects from farmed to wild fish."
p. 266 - Kristi admits that Jay removes her professional and experienced comments on her work on PRv and Tenacibaculum that puts ONPFA in a poor light that end up going to the Minister thru the DM.
p. 267 - Jon Chamberlain admits that PRv affects Chinook, that PRv in wild salmon is strongly associated with exposure from farms and that 25-50% of the subadult fish overwintering in WCVI sounds are affected. I very much respect Jon and his professional, honest comments here.
P. 273-277 - Kristi's comments about honesty, transparency & evidence-based comments on sea lice and mouthrot and the effects including mortality on wild salmon smolts and the attempt by others previously mentioned in DFO aquaculture also having input on this briefing note that may (intentionally or not) mislead the Minister by not providing all the relevant, science-based facts. Pretty telling by what they wished to omit and likely succeeded. Kristi gets to the nuts and bolts of these issues - and this section is extremely informative and well worth reading even if you miss all the other relevant sections in this ATIP. I very, very much respect Kristi and her professional, experienced, honest comments here.

 

[agentaqua]

NFLD is in the same, unfortunate situation as BC wrt denials and selling doubt as an industry response to noticeable impacts with the added problem of genetic inbreeding/introgression into adjacent Atlantic salmon stocks & ISAv:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X16306777