Why is it that whenever someone posts comments contrary to the majority on this site they are considered trolls? I have considerable experience working with wild salmonids and have no financial interests in salmon farms, but do think they will be a big part of BC’s economic future. I also believe with BC’s stringent regulatory controls wild Pacific salmon and farmed Atlantic salmon can co-exist.
Does that make me a troll?
We are not naive Dave. Your pro fish farm bias comes from someplace. In virtually all cases those who spend considerable effort to publically defend this damaging destructive industry gain from it in some way and it does not have to be a direct financial interest as per your limited denial.
It is no secret that our current governments support this industry. So you have worked with salmon. Did you do so directly for government, or a contractor, or an entity that received funding from the industry or government or makes money off the industry, and/or do you hope to do so in the future. These are only a few of the obvious ones but there are many, many ways for an individual to benefit from supporting this industry, some far more indirect.
You believe that wild Pacific salmon and introduced alien Atlantic salmon by the millions in ocean pens can coexist without Pacific salmon being harmed; I do not. I believe that Atlantic salmon ocean pens are a major contributor to the decline and eventual destruction of Pacific Salmon.
You believe that BC has stringent regulatory controls over the Fish Farm industry. – Wow! I would suggest that only an industry supporter and those who ordered the creation of those lax regulations in an attempt to reassure the public for PR purposes, without actually doing anything that interferes with the next quarters profits, would consider them stringent. But if you want to talk stringent regulations that gag order legislation our current provincial government was trying to pass before they get kicked out of office should more than qualify as stringent. It seems to me that increasingly this industry and its government supporters do not want it’s little problems to see the light of day.
You believe that the industry will be a big part of BC’s economic future. I believe that this could only occur if the industry manages to eliminate the primary barrier to unlimited expansion which is wild Pacific Salmon and will last only as long as it takes for the next super disease outbreak to wipe out the industry in BC as it once did in Chile. Unfortunately, if or more likely when that occurs, it has a very real chance of taking down whatever remains of our Pacific Salmon.
This industry contributes only a few hundred million and mostly low paying jobs to the BC economy while exporting much of the profits to Norway. Pacific Salmon are currently worth billions to the BC economy and most of the profits stays here and circulates in our local economy. Pacific Salmon contribute in a major way to the identity, heritage, culture and way of life of all British Columbians. Pacific Salmon are priceless but when one considers extinction is forever let’s say worth trillions. It is a telling indictment of our values and politics that we seem willing to risk all that to satisfy the greed of a few?
Finally Dave, I and an increasing number of British Columbians don’t believe that ultimately we can have both ocean farmed salmon and wild Pacific salmon. We chose Pacific salmon and no amount of political party donations, expensive PR firms and fish farm feel good commercials during NHL hockey games is going to change that.
