Charlie
Well-Known Member
Closed Containment is really good, as I will add...
Enjoy all those farmed Atlantic salmon, as the Atlantic salmon sourced from "Marine Harvest" for that Namgis Project has been found to have a "VIRUS"!
N.S. fish farm rejected: risk to wild salmon.
- Thread starter Foxsea
- Start date
- Status
Enjoy all those farmed Atlantic salmon, as the Atlantic salmon sourced from "Marine Harvest" for that Namgis Project has been found to have a "VIRUS"!
tincan
Well-Known Member
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/earthmatters/piscine-reovirus-salmon-virus-fresh-norway
Norway's awful gift to BC
Twyla Roscovich
Over 90 per cent of B.C. farmed salmon are testing positive for a recently imported Norwegian virus that causes lesions in the hearts of salmon, according to independent research. Should we be concerned about its effects on wild salmon, one of B.C.’s most valuable natural resources?
There's solid evidence in a peer-reviewed scientific paper, Virology Journal, that the salmon farming industry appears to have imported an exotic virus considered to be the causative agent of a serious salmon disease. For anyone who takes a look at the science on this, it’s pretty hard to deny. So far, Fisheries and Oceans Canada have made no public statement about this virus, which appears to be widespread in BC farmed salmon that are being raised on the major migration routes of our wild salmon.
Norway's awful gift to BC
Twyla Roscovich
Over 90 per cent of B.C. farmed salmon are testing positive for a recently imported Norwegian virus that causes lesions in the hearts of salmon, according to independent research. Should we be concerned about its effects on wild salmon, one of B.C.’s most valuable natural resources?
There's solid evidence in a peer-reviewed scientific paper, Virology Journal, that the salmon farming industry appears to have imported an exotic virus considered to be the causative agent of a serious salmon disease. For anyone who takes a look at the science on this, it’s pretty hard to deny. So far, Fisheries and Oceans Canada have made no public statement about this virus, which appears to be widespread in BC farmed salmon that are being raised on the major migration routes of our wild salmon.
the PR talking notes from pro-farm hacks are so fustratingly familar lies, great to see some clarity in response to these assertions - as below....
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Response on Conne River Salmon
For immediate release
September 10, 2013
Dear Editor-
Corner Brook - I am writing you on behalf of the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), to clear up some false statements made by Cyr Couturier, President of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, which appeared in a Letter to the Editor in the Coaster on August 20th. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) maintains a database of salmon counts from many rivers across Atlantic Canada, and we are well-informed about the situation on the Conne River. Mr. Couturier’s statement that there are “above average returns once again this year” on the Conne River, which “demonstrate that salmon farms and wild salmon can coexist” is simply not true. To the contrary: the South Newfoundland Atlantic salmon population, which includes the Conne River, is the only population of salmon in NL to be considered for federal listing under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Coincidentally, this is also the only population of salmon whose range falls within the heart of NL’s open net pen salmon farming industry.
Here are some facts about salmon counts on the Conne River. The numbers are slightly up this year (2,435) compared to last (1,960), but the run is still below conservation targets (minimum spawning requirements). And the counts are far from “above average”. Conne River used to have upwards of 7,000 -10,000 fish returning annually prior to the 1980’s; now it has 2,400 fish returning annually, and some-if not many-of these 2,400 fish are likely escaped farmed salmon.
Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive monitoring programs to sample and identify returning salmon as wild or farmed on the Conne River, or any other river on the South Coast. Based on tips given to them from the general public, DFO has confirmed the presence of escaped farmed salmon in at least six other rivers adjacent to the aquaculture industry this year alone; so there’s no reason to believe that they’re not in the Conne River as well. In fact, the Conne River Band sent 15 salmon caught in the Little River estuary adjacent to the Conne last winter to DFO for testing and they were all confirmed to be aquaculture fish!
Mr. Couturier goes on to say that “there are thriving recreational fisheries in all other jurisdictions where salmon farming occurs, thus confirming that farmed and wild salmon can coexist”. Sadly, the opposite is true. Scientific studies show that wherever open net pen salmon farms occur, wild salmon returns to adjacent rivers are 30-50% below counts in rivers that don’t have salmon farms nearby. For example, there are no longer any recreational salmon fisheries in any of the rivers that flow into the Bay of Fundy, where salmon are farmed at some of the highest densities in the world. Absolutely none.
Recreational salmon fishing along the south coast of Newfoundland is already limited. If the federal government accepts the recommendation put forth by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) to list the South NL salmon population as ‘Threatened’, there is a strong possibility that opportunities for recreational angling will become even more limited. To be sure, the interaction of wild salmon with farmed salmon is cited as one of the greatest threats to this population’s recovery. For this reason, ASF would like to see the aquaculture industry move to land-based, closed containment facilities.
Finally, I have to call into question Mr. Couturier’s statement that “30 years of responsible salmon farm development also shows us that our industry does not have a negative or long term impact to other coastal resources”. If Mr. Couturier could please show us a list of the scientific studies that his industry has funded over the last 30 years that prove that their industry does not have a negative or long term impact on wild Atlantic salmon and other coastal resources, ASF would be happy to consider them. Fact is, there have been virtually no such studies done.
Don Ivany, Director, Newfoundland and Labrador Programs.
Atlantic Salmon Federation
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well-being and survival depend. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and Western New England). The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.
ASF Contact:
Don Ivany, Director, NL Programs: DIvany@asf.ca ; 709-632-5100
Livia Goodbrand, Manager of Public Information: Lgoodbrand@asf.ca; 506-529-1033 (o); 506-469-1033 (c)
- See more at: http://asf.ca/response-on-conne-river-salmon.html#sthash.P9Daqq1h.dpuf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response on Conne River Salmon
For immediate release
September 10, 2013
Dear Editor-
Corner Brook - I am writing you on behalf of the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), to clear up some false statements made by Cyr Couturier, President of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, which appeared in a Letter to the Editor in the Coaster on August 20th. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) maintains a database of salmon counts from many rivers across Atlantic Canada, and we are well-informed about the situation on the Conne River. Mr. Couturier’s statement that there are “above average returns once again this year” on the Conne River, which “demonstrate that salmon farms and wild salmon can coexist” is simply not true. To the contrary: the South Newfoundland Atlantic salmon population, which includes the Conne River, is the only population of salmon in NL to be considered for federal listing under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Coincidentally, this is also the only population of salmon whose range falls within the heart of NL’s open net pen salmon farming industry.
Here are some facts about salmon counts on the Conne River. The numbers are slightly up this year (2,435) compared to last (1,960), but the run is still below conservation targets (minimum spawning requirements). And the counts are far from “above average”. Conne River used to have upwards of 7,000 -10,000 fish returning annually prior to the 1980’s; now it has 2,400 fish returning annually, and some-if not many-of these 2,400 fish are likely escaped farmed salmon.
Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive monitoring programs to sample and identify returning salmon as wild or farmed on the Conne River, or any other river on the South Coast. Based on tips given to them from the general public, DFO has confirmed the presence of escaped farmed salmon in at least six other rivers adjacent to the aquaculture industry this year alone; so there’s no reason to believe that they’re not in the Conne River as well. In fact, the Conne River Band sent 15 salmon caught in the Little River estuary adjacent to the Conne last winter to DFO for testing and they were all confirmed to be aquaculture fish!
Mr. Couturier goes on to say that “there are thriving recreational fisheries in all other jurisdictions where salmon farming occurs, thus confirming that farmed and wild salmon can coexist”. Sadly, the opposite is true. Scientific studies show that wherever open net pen salmon farms occur, wild salmon returns to adjacent rivers are 30-50% below counts in rivers that don’t have salmon farms nearby. For example, there are no longer any recreational salmon fisheries in any of the rivers that flow into the Bay of Fundy, where salmon are farmed at some of the highest densities in the world. Absolutely none.
Recreational salmon fishing along the south coast of Newfoundland is already limited. If the federal government accepts the recommendation put forth by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) to list the South NL salmon population as ‘Threatened’, there is a strong possibility that opportunities for recreational angling will become even more limited. To be sure, the interaction of wild salmon with farmed salmon is cited as one of the greatest threats to this population’s recovery. For this reason, ASF would like to see the aquaculture industry move to land-based, closed containment facilities.
Finally, I have to call into question Mr. Couturier’s statement that “30 years of responsible salmon farm development also shows us that our industry does not have a negative or long term impact to other coastal resources”. If Mr. Couturier could please show us a list of the scientific studies that his industry has funded over the last 30 years that prove that their industry does not have a negative or long term impact on wild Atlantic salmon and other coastal resources, ASF would be happy to consider them. Fact is, there have been virtually no such studies done.
Don Ivany, Director, Newfoundland and Labrador Programs.
Atlantic Salmon Federation
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well-being and survival depend. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and Western New England). The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.
ASF Contact:
Don Ivany, Director, NL Programs: DIvany@asf.ca ; 709-632-5100
Livia Goodbrand, Manager of Public Information: Lgoodbrand@asf.ca; 506-529-1033 (o); 506-469-1033 (c)
- See more at: http://asf.ca/response-on-conne-river-salmon.html#sthash.P9Daqq1h.dpuf
GLG
Well-Known Member
Gray Aqua files for bankruptcy protection
Government to wait 30 days to see how $3.8-million equity stake will shake out
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...8/nl-gray-aqua-bankruptcy-protection-828.html
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Derrick Dalley says it's not clear at this point what will happen to Newfoundland and Labrador's $3.8 million equity share in the Gray Aqua Group given that the company has now filed for bankruptcy protection.
The company was recently hard hit by a series of infectious salmon anemia cases, resulting in millions of dollars worth of fish having to be destroyed.
At the same time, Gray's has been ordered by the courts to repay Corey Nutrition just under $650,000 that it owes for fish feed supplied to its farms in Newfoundland.
Dalley says the company will go through a standard 30-day restructuring process, after which it will be more clear what will happen with the company — and the province's equity investment.
"We do have a $5-million equity share with this company which we announced some time ago — only $3.8 million of that has been used at this time," Dalley told The Fisheries Broadcast.
"As they go through the next 30 days and look at restructuring, we'll see how the details shake out."
Dalley said he met with the company on Aug. 13, to discuss the company and the situation it found itself in following the ISA setbacks.
He said there was no indication at that time what their immediate plan was.
"We had a good discussion, recognizing they have run through a very difficult period," he said.
In the case of ISA, when any fish are ordered destroyed by the federal authorities, companies are generally compensated for their direct fish stock losses.
Costs 'on the front end'
However, Dalley said it's important to remember that the costs associated with growing the fish and the expected profits that would have been realized by selling them once they reached full maturity are not covered.
"A lot of the expense of growing the fish is on the front end, and you don't get covered on the front end unless fish are able to grow to full maturity," Dalley said.
"In this case they weren't at full maturity in part of the depopulation, so as a result of that it ended up being a loss in the compensation."
While the province is concerned about what might happen with its equity stake in the Gray Aqua Group, Dalley says that one investment doesn't cast a pall over the support the province has given the aquaculture industry in recent years.
He says the Gray situation is a small snapshot in a much bigger picture.
"Not only have we seen tremendous economic gains and growth in the region, our $24 million in equity investments to date in the industry has resulted in some $400 million return on investment," Dalley said.
"The idea of the equity share, the idea of the investments has certainly spurred a lot of economic growth, but it's unfortunate that Gray's find themselves in this particular situation."
Dalley said the situation won't make the province gun-shy about future investment in aquaculture operations.
"The equity share we had with this company and other companies was about supporting economic development and entrepreneurship in a rural area of the province," he said.
"At this point we have to wait for the 30-day restructuring … but as well, we certainly see it as a tremendous win when you put in a $24-million equity investment and get a $400-million return — but perhaps more importantly, in particular in the south coast region of the province, some 1,000 people are working now. It's tremendous when you see people working 52 weeks of the year in the fishery."
Only some "Pencil Pusher" could take a story like this an spin a "tremendous win" out of it.
Yea... tremendous their buddy... your "$3.8-million equity stake" has been pissed away.....
Mother-nature could care less how much you have invested, you lose when you screw with her.
Are you watching there BC fish feedlot industry??
Government to wait 30 days to see how $3.8-million equity stake will shake out
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...8/nl-gray-aqua-bankruptcy-protection-828.html
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Derrick Dalley says it's not clear at this point what will happen to Newfoundland and Labrador's $3.8 million equity share in the Gray Aqua Group given that the company has now filed for bankruptcy protection.
The company was recently hard hit by a series of infectious salmon anemia cases, resulting in millions of dollars worth of fish having to be destroyed.
At the same time, Gray's has been ordered by the courts to repay Corey Nutrition just under $650,000 that it owes for fish feed supplied to its farms in Newfoundland.
Dalley says the company will go through a standard 30-day restructuring process, after which it will be more clear what will happen with the company — and the province's equity investment.
"We do have a $5-million equity share with this company which we announced some time ago — only $3.8 million of that has been used at this time," Dalley told The Fisheries Broadcast.
"As they go through the next 30 days and look at restructuring, we'll see how the details shake out."
Dalley said he met with the company on Aug. 13, to discuss the company and the situation it found itself in following the ISA setbacks.
He said there was no indication at that time what their immediate plan was.
"We had a good discussion, recognizing they have run through a very difficult period," he said.
In the case of ISA, when any fish are ordered destroyed by the federal authorities, companies are generally compensated for their direct fish stock losses.
Costs 'on the front end'
However, Dalley said it's important to remember that the costs associated with growing the fish and the expected profits that would have been realized by selling them once they reached full maturity are not covered.
"A lot of the expense of growing the fish is on the front end, and you don't get covered on the front end unless fish are able to grow to full maturity," Dalley said.
"In this case they weren't at full maturity in part of the depopulation, so as a result of that it ended up being a loss in the compensation."
While the province is concerned about what might happen with its equity stake in the Gray Aqua Group, Dalley says that one investment doesn't cast a pall over the support the province has given the aquaculture industry in recent years.
He says the Gray situation is a small snapshot in a much bigger picture.
"Not only have we seen tremendous economic gains and growth in the region, our $24 million in equity investments to date in the industry has resulted in some $400 million return on investment," Dalley said.
"The idea of the equity share, the idea of the investments has certainly spurred a lot of economic growth, but it's unfortunate that Gray's find themselves in this particular situation."
Dalley said the situation won't make the province gun-shy about future investment in aquaculture operations.
"The equity share we had with this company and other companies was about supporting economic development and entrepreneurship in a rural area of the province," he said.
"At this point we have to wait for the 30-day restructuring … but as well, we certainly see it as a tremendous win when you put in a $24-million equity investment and get a $400-million return — but perhaps more importantly, in particular in the south coast region of the province, some 1,000 people are working now. It's tremendous when you see people working 52 weeks of the year in the fishery."
Only some "Pencil Pusher" could take a story like this an spin a "tremendous win" out of it.
Yea... tremendous their buddy... your "$3.8-million equity stake" has been pissed away.....
Mother-nature could care less how much you have invested, you lose when you screw with her.
Are you watching there BC fish feedlot industry??
Gray Aqua compensation frustration
DanielDaniel MacEachernPublished on August 31, 2013Share 0 1 Comment
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When I learned last week that Gray Aqua had been sued for non-payment by an animal-feed company, it rang alarm bells. That’s because the aquaculture firm — which unbeknownst to me at the time had just filed for bankruptcy protection — has received millions from the federal and provincial governments.
It also stands to receive an untold amount in compensation from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) after the agency issued two orders for Gray Aqua to destroy salmon stock that had infectious salmon anemia.
I figured our readers should know that Gray Aqua was not paying a supplier’s bills just two months after an announcement of a provincial investment of $5 million for the company to expand. I also started making inquiries with the agency, hoping to find out how much had been agreed to from last summer’s cull of salmon stock.
As is depressingly common when dealing with government agencies or departments, a request to interview someone with the agency about Gray Aqua’s compensation was ignored in favour of a written reply from a spokesman.
In this case, I was told earlier this week, via email, that the agency would not divulge how much compensation Gray Aqua would receive because specific compensation amounts “fall under the Privacy Act.”
Frustrated, I asked to speak to an agency official who could at least discuss the rationale for that decision. So I was asked, via email, what I would specifically like to know.
I responded with one line: “I would like to interview someone from CFIA.” I have not received any response at all to that.
So not only will the agency not answer questions about how many millions in taxpayers’ money it will give Gray Aqua, it will not answer questions about why it won’t answer questions.
Elsewhere in the paper today, you can read about the federal NDP’s efforts — which began almost a year ago — to find out how much compensation Gray Aqua is receiving.
It’s not just the agency, either. I’ve made daily phone calls to Gray Aqua since last week.
Clyde Collier, the company’s top representative in Newfoundland and up until now the public face of Gray Aqua here, referred me to the company president in New Brunswick.
That didn’t strike me as a good sign, since Collier has been the public face of the company here in the province, and willing to speak to the media even about bad news, such as the three separate cases
of salmon anemia in the last 14 months.
But daily calls to Tim Gray have resulted in absolutely nothing. The conversation usually goes like this: I ask to speak to Gray, I’m asked who’s calling and, after I identify myself, I’m told he’s in a meeting.
After we learned earlier this week that the company’s financial troubles were much worse than overdue bills from one supplier, I pressed harder to speak to Gray, and was bluntly told, “He won’t talk to you, I can tell you right now. I’ll give him the message, but I can guarantee you right now he won’t call you back.”
It’s unfortunate that no one at the company thinks there’s some responsibility to take questions on the situation, given the millions of taxpayers’ money provided, but there you have it.
Speaking of millions, Cyr Couturier, director of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, took issue with my article stating — entirely accurately — that the most compensation Gray Aqua could receive for its destroyed salmon, based on the CFIA-provided numbers of 1.25 million fish destroyed with maximum per-fish payout of $30, is $37.5 million.
He says I misled readers by implying the company will get that much.
Needless to say, I disagreed that I implied any such thing, and I’m confident readers know the difference between “could get a maximum of $37.5 million” and “will get $37.5 million.”
Couturier says — as I noted in the article — that compensation is intended to reflect fair market
value.
His estimate, based on the size of the fish, most of which, he says, are small, is that Gray Aqua will get between $3 and $6 per fish, which would work out to between $3.8 million and $7.5 million.
For context, I feel compelled to point out that Couturier’s job is to promote the aquaculture industry, and that he has been downplaying the significance of Gray Aqua’s troubles, going so far as to question its newsworthiness, and telling me that the story’s placement on the front page suggests it was a slow news day.
The reality is that between the public money involved and the possible effect on the company’s employees and creditors, it would have taken a major news event to keep Gray Aqua off the front page. But I did tell Couturier I’d report his estimate of what he thinks Gray Aqua will get.
Of course, it wouldn’t even be an issue if the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or Gray Aqua would answer questions about the compensation — or answer questions at all.
dmaceachern@thetelegram.com
Twitter: @TelegramDaniel
DanielDaniel MacEachernPublished on August 31, 2013Share 0 1 Comment
Send to a friend
When I learned last week that Gray Aqua had been sued for non-payment by an animal-feed company, it rang alarm bells. That’s because the aquaculture firm — which unbeknownst to me at the time had just filed for bankruptcy protection — has received millions from the federal and provincial governments.
It also stands to receive an untold amount in compensation from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) after the agency issued two orders for Gray Aqua to destroy salmon stock that had infectious salmon anemia.
I figured our readers should know that Gray Aqua was not paying a supplier’s bills just two months after an announcement of a provincial investment of $5 million for the company to expand. I also started making inquiries with the agency, hoping to find out how much had been agreed to from last summer’s cull of salmon stock.
As is depressingly common when dealing with government agencies or departments, a request to interview someone with the agency about Gray Aqua’s compensation was ignored in favour of a written reply from a spokesman.
In this case, I was told earlier this week, via email, that the agency would not divulge how much compensation Gray Aqua would receive because specific compensation amounts “fall under the Privacy Act.”
Frustrated, I asked to speak to an agency official who could at least discuss the rationale for that decision. So I was asked, via email, what I would specifically like to know.
I responded with one line: “I would like to interview someone from CFIA.” I have not received any response at all to that.
So not only will the agency not answer questions about how many millions in taxpayers’ money it will give Gray Aqua, it will not answer questions about why it won’t answer questions.
Elsewhere in the paper today, you can read about the federal NDP’s efforts — which began almost a year ago — to find out how much compensation Gray Aqua is receiving.
It’s not just the agency, either. I’ve made daily phone calls to Gray Aqua since last week.
Clyde Collier, the company’s top representative in Newfoundland and up until now the public face of Gray Aqua here, referred me to the company president in New Brunswick.
That didn’t strike me as a good sign, since Collier has been the public face of the company here in the province, and willing to speak to the media even about bad news, such as the three separate cases
of salmon anemia in the last 14 months.
But daily calls to Tim Gray have resulted in absolutely nothing. The conversation usually goes like this: I ask to speak to Gray, I’m asked who’s calling and, after I identify myself, I’m told he’s in a meeting.
After we learned earlier this week that the company’s financial troubles were much worse than overdue bills from one supplier, I pressed harder to speak to Gray, and was bluntly told, “He won’t talk to you, I can tell you right now. I’ll give him the message, but I can guarantee you right now he won’t call you back.”
It’s unfortunate that no one at the company thinks there’s some responsibility to take questions on the situation, given the millions of taxpayers’ money provided, but there you have it.
Speaking of millions, Cyr Couturier, director of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, took issue with my article stating — entirely accurately — that the most compensation Gray Aqua could receive for its destroyed salmon, based on the CFIA-provided numbers of 1.25 million fish destroyed with maximum per-fish payout of $30, is $37.5 million.
He says I misled readers by implying the company will get that much.
Needless to say, I disagreed that I implied any such thing, and I’m confident readers know the difference between “could get a maximum of $37.5 million” and “will get $37.5 million.”
Couturier says — as I noted in the article — that compensation is intended to reflect fair market
value.
His estimate, based on the size of the fish, most of which, he says, are small, is that Gray Aqua will get between $3 and $6 per fish, which would work out to between $3.8 million and $7.5 million.
For context, I feel compelled to point out that Couturier’s job is to promote the aquaculture industry, and that he has been downplaying the significance of Gray Aqua’s troubles, going so far as to question its newsworthiness, and telling me that the story’s placement on the front page suggests it was a slow news day.
The reality is that between the public money involved and the possible effect on the company’s employees and creditors, it would have taken a major news event to keep Gray Aqua off the front page. But I did tell Couturier I’d report his estimate of what he thinks Gray Aqua will get.
Of course, it wouldn’t even be an issue if the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or Gray Aqua would answer questions about the compensation — or answer questions at all.
dmaceachern@thetelegram.com
Twitter: @TelegramDaniel
cuttlefish
Well-Known Member
AA, sorry if I missed it but, have you got a link for that? Truly telling. Wouldn't mind sharing with friend but need the link. Thanks!
cuttlefish
Well-Known Member
Thanks. Got it now.
For all those pro-farm lobbiests who debate with critics that claim that the upper levels of government are corrupt, and corporate interests trump the public's interest:
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Canada tops World Bank blacklist: Reports
Canada is the leading country on the World Bank’s just released blacklist for fraud and corrupt conduct, according to published reports.
By: Michele Henry Food reporter, Published on Wed Sep 18 2013
This certainly isn’t a reason to swell with national pride.
Canada is the leading country on the World Bank’s just released blacklist for fraud and corrupt conduct, according to published reports.
The number of companies on the list has soared this year, according to The South China Morning Post. The Post reports that of the 608 companies named, 119 have head offices in Canada. That puts Canada in first place, well ahead of the second place U.S. (44).
Scandal-plagued engineering giant SNC-Lavalin is one of the biggest names on the list. It was sanctioned by the World Bank earlier this year in the wake of a bribery scandal in Bangladesh. The RCMP has charged its former senior executive Kevin Wallace with bribery of a foreign public official, the Canadian Press reports.
The charge reportedly relates to an investigation into a contract for construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge in Bangladesh.
Zulfiquar Ali Bhuiyan, a Canadian citizen, and Abul Hasan Chowdhury, of Bangladesh, have also been charged with one count each. The charges are part of an ongoing investigation that has also led to charges against two other former SNC employees.
Blacklisted companies are typically barred from participating in World Bank projects for several years, the Post reports.
An organization that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries, World Bank projects include international aid and infrastructure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Canada tops World Bank blacklist: Reports
Canada is the leading country on the World Bank’s just released blacklist for fraud and corrupt conduct, according to published reports.
By: Michele Henry Food reporter, Published on Wed Sep 18 2013
This certainly isn’t a reason to swell with national pride.
Canada is the leading country on the World Bank’s just released blacklist for fraud and corrupt conduct, according to published reports.
The number of companies on the list has soared this year, according to The South China Morning Post. The Post reports that of the 608 companies named, 119 have head offices in Canada. That puts Canada in first place, well ahead of the second place U.S. (44).
Scandal-plagued engineering giant SNC-Lavalin is one of the biggest names on the list. It was sanctioned by the World Bank earlier this year in the wake of a bribery scandal in Bangladesh. The RCMP has charged its former senior executive Kevin Wallace with bribery of a foreign public official, the Canadian Press reports.
The charge reportedly relates to an investigation into a contract for construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge in Bangladesh.
Zulfiquar Ali Bhuiyan, a Canadian citizen, and Abul Hasan Chowdhury, of Bangladesh, have also been charged with one count each. The charges are part of an ongoing investigation that has also led to charges against two other former SNC employees.
Blacklisted companies are typically barred from participating in World Bank projects for several years, the Post reports.
An organization that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries, World Bank projects include international aid and infrastructure.
Last edited by a moderator:
Does Fish Farming Make Sense?
The aquaculture industry has been active in Canada since the 1980s. Several species of fish and shellfish are now being raised commercially for consumption across the country. Atlantic salmon, however, is the most important species, both in terms of production volumes and market values. The vast majority of these salmon are raised in the ocean waters of British Columbia (where it is not a native species), New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia.
Atlantic salmon are held and grown in cages that float in the ocean. Essentially, they’re open pens. These are usually located in areas where they are protected from storms but have good water flow—often in sheltered bays or near the mouths of rivers.
As with large-scale farming practices of any animal, salmon aquaculture—often called finfish aquaculture—requires maintaining animals in large densities, providing them with food and treating them with pharmaceuticals to maintain their health under these unnatural conditions. Unlike land-based farming, however, diseases, parasites, and food and pharmaceutical waste from finfish aquaculture operations freely flow from the open pens into the surrounding marine environment.
The various effects of aquaculture on the environment are a large concern, particularly the potential negative effects on nearby populations of wild salmon. Many populations of Atlantic salmon in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as several Pacific salmon species, are at risk of extinction according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, so the risks from open-pen salmon aquaculture are especially important.
To ensure we were evaluating aquaculture with substantiated knowledge, CWF conducted a detailed examination of the scientific literature on the environmental effects of salmon aquaculture. Some studies showed no significant environmental effect, while others did. The logical conclusion is that we can reject the assumption that open-pen finfish aquaculture has no effect on the environment; clearly, it does under some (even well-managed) conditions and in some locations.
If this is incorrect, then at best, we have failed to show adequately that finfish aquaculture does not harm wild salmon populations. But at worst, aquaculture may be destroying our wild salmon populations without our knowledge. In this state of ignorance, it is safe to conclude that we are not acting precautiously by allowing this industry to develop and to expand.
Thus, while recognizing the economic benefits of finfish aquaculture, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and its board of directors want an end to open-pen finfish aquaculture on both coasts of Canada in the next 10 years and, in the meantime, a moratorium on new finfish aquaculture operations. This position is in alignment with the conclusions of many other agencies concerned with the state of wildlife in Canada, including the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Royal Society of Canada and the federally appointed Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River.
http://cwf-fcf.org/assets/images/cw-bio-SO13/SepOct_2013_Bulletin.pdf
The aquaculture industry has been active in Canada since the 1980s. Several species of fish and shellfish are now being raised commercially for consumption across the country. Atlantic salmon, however, is the most important species, both in terms of production volumes and market values. The vast majority of these salmon are raised in the ocean waters of British Columbia (where it is not a native species), New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia.
Atlantic salmon are held and grown in cages that float in the ocean. Essentially, they’re open pens. These are usually located in areas where they are protected from storms but have good water flow—often in sheltered bays or near the mouths of rivers.
As with large-scale farming practices of any animal, salmon aquaculture—often called finfish aquaculture—requires maintaining animals in large densities, providing them with food and treating them with pharmaceuticals to maintain their health under these unnatural conditions. Unlike land-based farming, however, diseases, parasites, and food and pharmaceutical waste from finfish aquaculture operations freely flow from the open pens into the surrounding marine environment.
The various effects of aquaculture on the environment are a large concern, particularly the potential negative effects on nearby populations of wild salmon. Many populations of Atlantic salmon in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as several Pacific salmon species, are at risk of extinction according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, so the risks from open-pen salmon aquaculture are especially important.
To ensure we were evaluating aquaculture with substantiated knowledge, CWF conducted a detailed examination of the scientific literature on the environmental effects of salmon aquaculture. Some studies showed no significant environmental effect, while others did. The logical conclusion is that we can reject the assumption that open-pen finfish aquaculture has no effect on the environment; clearly, it does under some (even well-managed) conditions and in some locations.
If this is incorrect, then at best, we have failed to show adequately that finfish aquaculture does not harm wild salmon populations. But at worst, aquaculture may be destroying our wild salmon populations without our knowledge. In this state of ignorance, it is safe to conclude that we are not acting precautiously by allowing this industry to develop and to expand.
Thus, while recognizing the economic benefits of finfish aquaculture, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and its board of directors want an end to open-pen finfish aquaculture on both coasts of Canada in the next 10 years and, in the meantime, a moratorium on new finfish aquaculture operations. This position is in alignment with the conclusions of many other agencies concerned with the state of wildlife in Canada, including the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Royal Society of Canada and the federally appointed Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River.
http://cwf-fcf.org/assets/images/cw-bio-SO13/SepOct_2013_Bulletin.pdf
GLG
Well-Known Member
Thousands of salmon escape fish farm on south coast
Posted: Sep 25, 2013
Cooke Aquaculture says it lost up to 20,000 salmon from a sea cage on the south coast last week.
The company said high tide and unusually strong currents caused the upset of a cage in Hermitage Bay on Sept. 18.
Cooke officials said cod fishermen have reported catching some of the 10- to 15-pound salmon in their nets, and have found some dead fish along the shoreline. The company has been licensed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to fish for the escaped salmon near the site. Cooke expects predators, such as seals, will eat the escaped fish that were almost ready to be harvested for sale. None of the workers at the sea site were injured.The company said the escaped fish pose no threat to the local environment.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...mon-escape-fish-farm-on-south-coast-1.1868312
Wow sure glad the "Company" told us there is no threat.... makes me sleep better at night... NOT
What a bunch of clowns.....
Posted: Sep 25, 2013
Cooke Aquaculture says it lost up to 20,000 salmon from a sea cage on the south coast last week.
The company said high tide and unusually strong currents caused the upset of a cage in Hermitage Bay on Sept. 18.
Cooke officials said cod fishermen have reported catching some of the 10- to 15-pound salmon in their nets, and have found some dead fish along the shoreline. The company has been licensed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to fish for the escaped salmon near the site. Cooke expects predators, such as seals, will eat the escaped fish that were almost ready to be harvested for sale. None of the workers at the sea site were injured.The company said the escaped fish pose no threat to the local environment.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...mon-escape-fish-farm-on-south-coast-1.1868312
Wow sure glad the "Company" told us there is no threat.... makes me sleep better at night... NOT
What a bunch of clowns.....
Corner Brook, Newfoundland (PRWEB) September 30, 2013
The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) has deep concerns over the recent escape of between 20,000-50,000 mature farmed salmon from a Cooke Aquaculture farm site last week in Newfoundland, Canada, according to a CBC report published on September 25th, 2013. The timing of the escape coincides with the wild salmon spawning season, which increases the likelihood and severity of negative interactions between wild and farmed fish. This most recent escape calls to question the environmental sustainability of current salmon farming practices and ASF is calling on industry and governments to invest in closed containment salmon farming technologies, which eliminate the interaction of farmed and wild fish.
In the CBC report, Cooke Aquaculture assures the public that the escaped farmed salmon pose no threat to the local environment. Don Ivany, ASF’s Director of Programs for NL, says that enough scientific evidence exists on the interaction between wild and farmed salmon to suggest otherwise: “All of the fish from this most recent escape are mature fish, and now we’re into the fall of the year when most salmon begin to spawn. There is a high risk for interaction between these escaped farmed salmon and our wild fish, and the timing of the escape couldn’t be worse.”
In Newfoundland, healthy wild Atlantic salmon runs still exist and contribute more than $32 million annually to the local Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through recreational fisheries, according to an independent Gardner-Pinfold report (September 2011).
Escaped farmed salmon pose a threat to these wild populations, especially during the spawning season, says Mr. Ivany: “a large body of scientific evidence suggests that when farmed and wild salmon interbreed the resulting progeny are less able to survive than their wild counterparts and are less likely to produce healthy offspring themselves.”
Newfoundland’s salmon farming industry has been plagued with problems this year, including three outbreaks of Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) this summer according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website (updated August 31, 2013), and confirmation by Department of Fisheries and Oceans of farmed salmon in half a dozen rivers on the South coast of Newfoundland in the past 12 months from previous escape events.
Problems such as disease outbreaks, parasites, and escape events are not limited to Newfoundland; they exist wherever Atlantic salmon are farmed, globally. For example, Chile’s salmon farming industry was almost completely wiped out in 2008, following catastrophic outbreaks of the ISA virus. The crash of Chile’s salmon farming industry resulted in 20,000 industry layoffs, according to Merco Press (October 28, 2009) .
“If you add up all of these incidents of disease outbreaks and escapes, you conclude that this industry is not sustainable, both from an economic and environmental standpoint. The industry should invest in a transition to environmentally-sustainable alternatives, such as closed containment salmon aquaculture on land,” says Mr. Ivany.
Closed containment aquaculture, which involves raising salmon in land-based tanks, provides a sustainable alternative to traditional salmon farming. It eliminates the interaction of farmed fish with wild fish and the marine environment, and greatly reduces incidences of disease.
Earlier this month, an international workshop was held in West Virginia to discuss and share the latest technologies for sustainable closed containment aquaculture. While the industry is still in its infancy, several companies from across North America and Europe have already begun raising salmon commercially using closed containment facilities.
In Newfoundland, Mr. Ivany was encouraged that a representative from Newfoundland’s provincial government attended the workshop. “Closed containment salmon farming is the only responsible way to commercially produce Atlantic salmon,” says Mr. Ivany, “We must begin transitioning salmon production to land-based facilities, for the sake of our environment and for our local economies.”
-30-
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well-being and survival depend. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and Western New England). The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/9/prweb11172598.htm
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1496971#ixzz2gODWudY0
The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) has deep concerns over the recent escape of between 20,000-50,000 mature farmed salmon from a Cooke Aquaculture farm site last week in Newfoundland, Canada, according to a CBC report published on September 25th, 2013. The timing of the escape coincides with the wild salmon spawning season, which increases the likelihood and severity of negative interactions between wild and farmed fish. This most recent escape calls to question the environmental sustainability of current salmon farming practices and ASF is calling on industry and governments to invest in closed containment salmon farming technologies, which eliminate the interaction of farmed and wild fish.
In the CBC report, Cooke Aquaculture assures the public that the escaped farmed salmon pose no threat to the local environment. Don Ivany, ASF’s Director of Programs for NL, says that enough scientific evidence exists on the interaction between wild and farmed salmon to suggest otherwise: “All of the fish from this most recent escape are mature fish, and now we’re into the fall of the year when most salmon begin to spawn. There is a high risk for interaction between these escaped farmed salmon and our wild fish, and the timing of the escape couldn’t be worse.”
In Newfoundland, healthy wild Atlantic salmon runs still exist and contribute more than $32 million annually to the local Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through recreational fisheries, according to an independent Gardner-Pinfold report (September 2011).
Escaped farmed salmon pose a threat to these wild populations, especially during the spawning season, says Mr. Ivany: “a large body of scientific evidence suggests that when farmed and wild salmon interbreed the resulting progeny are less able to survive than their wild counterparts and are less likely to produce healthy offspring themselves.”
Newfoundland’s salmon farming industry has been plagued with problems this year, including three outbreaks of Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) this summer according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website (updated August 31, 2013), and confirmation by Department of Fisheries and Oceans of farmed salmon in half a dozen rivers on the South coast of Newfoundland in the past 12 months from previous escape events.
Problems such as disease outbreaks, parasites, and escape events are not limited to Newfoundland; they exist wherever Atlantic salmon are farmed, globally. For example, Chile’s salmon farming industry was almost completely wiped out in 2008, following catastrophic outbreaks of the ISA virus. The crash of Chile’s salmon farming industry resulted in 20,000 industry layoffs, according to Merco Press (October 28, 2009) .
“If you add up all of these incidents of disease outbreaks and escapes, you conclude that this industry is not sustainable, both from an economic and environmental standpoint. The industry should invest in a transition to environmentally-sustainable alternatives, such as closed containment salmon aquaculture on land,” says Mr. Ivany.
Closed containment aquaculture, which involves raising salmon in land-based tanks, provides a sustainable alternative to traditional salmon farming. It eliminates the interaction of farmed fish with wild fish and the marine environment, and greatly reduces incidences of disease.
Earlier this month, an international workshop was held in West Virginia to discuss and share the latest technologies for sustainable closed containment aquaculture. While the industry is still in its infancy, several companies from across North America and Europe have already begun raising salmon commercially using closed containment facilities.
In Newfoundland, Mr. Ivany was encouraged that a representative from Newfoundland’s provincial government attended the workshop. “Closed containment salmon farming is the only responsible way to commercially produce Atlantic salmon,” says Mr. Ivany, “We must begin transitioning salmon production to land-based facilities, for the sake of our environment and for our local economies.”
-30-
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well-being and survival depend. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and Western New England). The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/9/prweb11172598.htm
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1496971#ixzz2gODWudY0
Concerns Raised on Escape Salmon in NL THE FISH SITEConcern Raised Over Cooke's Farmed Salmon Escapes30 September 2013CANADA - A Cooke aquaculture salmon farm in Hermitage Bay reported the escape of salmon from its site following high tides and strong currents causing one cage to become partially submerged.Unusually high currents caused one of the site's anchors to shift leading to the loss of salmon from one cage.Crews worked against the tide to secure equipment and remained on site to monitor the situation during the night.Divers assessing the damage found significant mortalities at the bottom of the cage and the number of escapee's is thought to be around 20,000.The company reported that thanks to the diligence and experience of the crew, most fish were saved.The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) and the Salmon Council of Newfoundland and Labrador (SCNL) have both issued concern over the escaped salmon.The timing of the escape coincides with the wild salmon spawning season, which increases the likelihood and severity of negative interactions between wild and farmed fish.Both groups are calling on the Newfoundland government to develop and implement a comprehensive monitoring programme for wild and escaped farmed salmon on the south coast, where salmon production has more than tripled in the past decade.http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/21396/concern-raised-over-cookes-farmed-salmon-escapes - See more at: http://asf.ca/concerns-raised-on-escape-salmon-in-nl.html#sthash.suuMVMFG.dpuf
Escaped Farmed Salmon Found in Large Numbers in NB Rivers
For immediate release October 10, 2013
St. Andrews - Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) biologists are concerned that the large number of farmed salmon showing up at the fish trap on the Magaguadavic River is indicative of a large escape from sea cages in the Bay of Fundy that has gone unreported by the aquaculture industry.
“This is a serious issue,” said Jonathan Carr, ASF’s Director of Research and Environment, “as it is mandatory in New Brunswick for industry to report escapes of 100 salmon or more.” He has counted a total of 71 farmed salmon in the Magaguadavic fish trap this season, with a jump in numbers just lately. This is the largest number of escapes encountered at the Magaguadavic since 2001.
“The number is expected to rise, as additional fish have been observed at the fish ladder below the trap, added Jonathan Carr.
While people do pay greater attention to larger escapes, chronic low level escapes, year after year, can be just as threatening - and the Magaguadavic indicates that other regional rivers suffer this fate as well. Mr. Carr also notes that, without ASF’s monitoring program on the Magaguadavic River, these fish would have gone undetected.
“How many other escaped farmed fish are entering other rivers?” he asked. “We have no idea because there is no comprehensive monitoring program in N.B., despite salmon being farmed in the Bay of Fundy at some of the highest densities in the world.”
In other nearby Bay of Fundy rivers, there is no trap to prevent escapees from entering these rivers. Some of the escapes are sexually mature and the timing of this incident coincides with the wild salmon spawning season, which increases the likelihood and severity of negative interactions between wild and farmed fish. When farmed and wild salmon interbreed, the progeny are less fit to survive and are less likely to produce healthy offspring themselves.
This most recent unreported escape highlights the need for better containment of farmed salmon, as well as increased enforcement of existing provincial and federal regulations. ASF has long called for more transparency and accountability within the aquaculture industry, which will depend on stricter regulations by provincial and federal governments. Last week it was reported that between 20,000 and 50,000 mature farmed salmon escaped from a cage site on the South coast of Newfoundland, raising similar concerns in that province. The event was reported to DFO, which prompted officials to implement a fish recapture plan.
“The problem”, continued Mr. Carr, “is that reporting escape events is self-regulated by the industry. If they don’t report it, then we don’t know about it unless there is a monitoring station in place such as on the Magaguadavic”. In Maine, escaped farmed salmon can be traced back to the sea cage operator responsible using dna technology. “This helps to keep the industry honest”, said Mr. Carr.
“Our monitoring program on the Magaguadavic provides an early warning system for the salmon rivers in the region,” concluded Mr. Carr. “For instance, when escapes have been reported to Maine officials, they have set fences or traps in specific rivers to try to stop the infiltration of the escapes into those systems. These methods should also be adopted in Canada. Keeping these escaped salmon from interacting with endangered wild salmon in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy is fundamental to the recovery of Atlantic salmon populations
-30-
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well-being and survival depend. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and Western New England). The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.
ASF Contact: Sue Scott, VP Communications: SScott@asf.ca; 506-529-1027 (o); 506-467-6804
- See more at: http://asf.ca/escaped-farmed-salmon-found-in-large-numbers-in-nb-rivers.html#sthash.X8GOBm0m.dpuf
For immediate release October 10, 2013
St. Andrews - Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) biologists are concerned that the large number of farmed salmon showing up at the fish trap on the Magaguadavic River is indicative of a large escape from sea cages in the Bay of Fundy that has gone unreported by the aquaculture industry.
“This is a serious issue,” said Jonathan Carr, ASF’s Director of Research and Environment, “as it is mandatory in New Brunswick for industry to report escapes of 100 salmon or more.” He has counted a total of 71 farmed salmon in the Magaguadavic fish trap this season, with a jump in numbers just lately. This is the largest number of escapes encountered at the Magaguadavic since 2001.
“The number is expected to rise, as additional fish have been observed at the fish ladder below the trap, added Jonathan Carr.
While people do pay greater attention to larger escapes, chronic low level escapes, year after year, can be just as threatening - and the Magaguadavic indicates that other regional rivers suffer this fate as well. Mr. Carr also notes that, without ASF’s monitoring program on the Magaguadavic River, these fish would have gone undetected.
“How many other escaped farmed fish are entering other rivers?” he asked. “We have no idea because there is no comprehensive monitoring program in N.B., despite salmon being farmed in the Bay of Fundy at some of the highest densities in the world.”
In other nearby Bay of Fundy rivers, there is no trap to prevent escapees from entering these rivers. Some of the escapes are sexually mature and the timing of this incident coincides with the wild salmon spawning season, which increases the likelihood and severity of negative interactions between wild and farmed fish. When farmed and wild salmon interbreed, the progeny are less fit to survive and are less likely to produce healthy offspring themselves.
This most recent unreported escape highlights the need for better containment of farmed salmon, as well as increased enforcement of existing provincial and federal regulations. ASF has long called for more transparency and accountability within the aquaculture industry, which will depend on stricter regulations by provincial and federal governments. Last week it was reported that between 20,000 and 50,000 mature farmed salmon escaped from a cage site on the South coast of Newfoundland, raising similar concerns in that province. The event was reported to DFO, which prompted officials to implement a fish recapture plan.
“The problem”, continued Mr. Carr, “is that reporting escape events is self-regulated by the industry. If they don’t report it, then we don’t know about it unless there is a monitoring station in place such as on the Magaguadavic”. In Maine, escaped farmed salmon can be traced back to the sea cage operator responsible using dna technology. “This helps to keep the industry honest”, said Mr. Carr.
“Our monitoring program on the Magaguadavic provides an early warning system for the salmon rivers in the region,” concluded Mr. Carr. “For instance, when escapes have been reported to Maine officials, they have set fences or traps in specific rivers to try to stop the infiltration of the escapes into those systems. These methods should also be adopted in Canada. Keeping these escaped salmon from interacting with endangered wild salmon in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy is fundamental to the recovery of Atlantic salmon populations
-30-
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well-being and survival depend. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and Western New England). The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.
ASF Contact: Sue Scott, VP Communications: SScott@asf.ca; 506-529-1027 (o); 506-467-6804
- See more at: http://asf.ca/escaped-farmed-salmon-found-in-large-numbers-in-nb-rivers.html#sthash.X8GOBm0m.dpuf
The wrong kind of salmon shows up in a New Brunswick river
Atlantic Salmon
CTV Atlantic
Published Tuesday, October 15, 2013 6:18PM ADT
You would think a large appearance of Atlantic salmon in a river where the fish had virtually disappeared would be cause for celebration.
Not so in New Brunswick, where the wrong kind of salmon are showing-up and no one knows precisely where they’re coming from.
Jonathan Carr pulled a six kilogram Atlantic Salmon out of a fish ladder on the Magaguadavic River Tuesday.
Five others were caught today, almost 80 this month alone.
The problem is, they’re not supposed to be there.
They are escapes from salmon farms, and Carr fears it means thousands of farmed salmon are infiltrating rivers along the Bay of Fundy.
“There’s dozens of other rivers in the Gulf of Maine, outer Bay of Fundy, inner Bay of Fundy, where these fish have free access right now,” explains Atlantic Salmon Federation Biologist Jonathon Carr.
So far, no one has reported a large escape of farmed salmon.
The Fish Farmers Association says it has a good record in preventing farm escapes.
It says the evidence in this case does not suggest one huge escape from a salmon cage.
“In this case, it appears we have fish of a variety of different sizes of fish,” says Pamela Parker of the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association. “Which seems to indicate that they would have come from a variety of farms.”
Scientists say the movement of large numbers of farmed salmon up a river like the Magaguadavic is nothing short of pollution, in this case, genetic pollution, and it threatens efforts to re-stock the river with wild fish.
It only takes one or two escapes entering the fresh water to spawn or interbreed with the wild fish to have disastrous consequences,” explains Carr.
Companies are supposed to report escapes involving more than 100 fish.
They can face hefty fines for allowing large numbers of fish to escape.
Biological samples are being taken from the escapes in an effort to trace the fish to a specific farm.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron
.
Read more: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/the-wron...a-new-brunswick-river-1.1498342#ixzz2hqy7rN4G
Atlantic Salmon
CTV Atlantic
Published Tuesday, October 15, 2013 6:18PM ADT
You would think a large appearance of Atlantic salmon in a river where the fish had virtually disappeared would be cause for celebration.
Not so in New Brunswick, where the wrong kind of salmon are showing-up and no one knows precisely where they’re coming from.
Jonathan Carr pulled a six kilogram Atlantic Salmon out of a fish ladder on the Magaguadavic River Tuesday.
Five others were caught today, almost 80 this month alone.
The problem is, they’re not supposed to be there.
They are escapes from salmon farms, and Carr fears it means thousands of farmed salmon are infiltrating rivers along the Bay of Fundy.
“There’s dozens of other rivers in the Gulf of Maine, outer Bay of Fundy, inner Bay of Fundy, where these fish have free access right now,” explains Atlantic Salmon Federation Biologist Jonathon Carr.
So far, no one has reported a large escape of farmed salmon.
The Fish Farmers Association says it has a good record in preventing farm escapes.
It says the evidence in this case does not suggest one huge escape from a salmon cage.
“In this case, it appears we have fish of a variety of different sizes of fish,” says Pamela Parker of the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association. “Which seems to indicate that they would have come from a variety of farms.”
Scientists say the movement of large numbers of farmed salmon up a river like the Magaguadavic is nothing short of pollution, in this case, genetic pollution, and it threatens efforts to re-stock the river with wild fish.
It only takes one or two escapes entering the fresh water to spawn or interbreed with the wild fish to have disastrous consequences,” explains Carr.
Companies are supposed to report escapes involving more than 100 fish.
They can face hefty fines for allowing large numbers of fish to escape.
Biological samples are being taken from the escapes in an effort to trace the fish to a specific farm.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron
.
Read more: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/the-wron...a-new-brunswick-river-1.1498342#ixzz2hqy7rN4G
soxy
Member
Right on Rockfish.
soxy
Member
Fish Culls Cost Public $138 Million
CHRONICLE-HERALD
SELENA ROSS STAFF REPORTER
Published March 18
Over two decades, at least $138million of taxpayer money has compensated Canadian fish farms for sick, culled stocks.
All the culls were in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. Several East Coast environmental groups joined forces recently to count up the total cost of all known payouts.
The pattern in the numbers shows that disease is a built-in part of the aquaculture industry and has shown little improvement, said Raymond Plourde of the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax.
“Their model is flawed, it’s vulnerable for this and it’s time for the government to pull that system from them,” Plourde said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has made some of the compensation numbers public only recently, including $13 million to Cooke Aquaculture for a 2012 cull near Shelburne.
Nell Halse, a spokeswoman for Cooke, said the company has not been a frequent recipient of compensation money and is actively advancing its farming techniques.
The Ecology Action Centre, the Fundy Baykeeper and the Conservation Council of New Brunswick relied on government statements and news reports for their tally, they said in a news release.
Between 1996 and 2006, $75 million was paid by federal and provincial governments, they said, though they did not specify which companies and provincial governments were involved.
From 2007 to now, at least $63 million has been paid, including about $43 million for six culls on the south coast of Newfoundland in 2012 and 2013.
The money discourages technological advances that are desperately needed, said Plourde.
“It’s still very early days. The industry likes to say, ‘We’ve been around for 30 years.’ Not when you’re trying to domesticate an animal and turn it into a herd animal.”
Plourde said governments should be encouraging companies like Gray Aqua Group and Cooke Aquaculture to prevent disease. He said infectious salmon anemia, the most common reason for the culls, hasn’t been adequately proven to exist in local wild fish.
“What they should do is to put some money into research and development and engineering to design … a secure biological barrier between their factory food fish production animals and the wild environment.”
Developing and using such technology would bring the costs of ocean-based farms closer to those of closed-containment onshore facilities, said Plourde.
“Viruses and parasites are part of life for all farmers,” said Halse.
After Cooke’s 2012 cull, the company absorbed losses from a second outbreak, she said. There have been no diagnoses since.
“We follow best practices and are implementing a bay management farming system that involves crop rotation and fallowing or resting of farms between crops.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement that immediate disease reporting is “critical for disease control and market access,” and each case is handled individually.
Gray Aqua filed for bankruptcy protection last summer.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1194343-fish-farm-culls-cost-public-138m
- See more at: http://asf.ca/fish-culls-cost-public-138-million.html#sthash.70645lm2.dpuf
CHRONICLE-HERALD
SELENA ROSS STAFF REPORTER
Published March 18
Over two decades, at least $138million of taxpayer money has compensated Canadian fish farms for sick, culled stocks.
All the culls were in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. Several East Coast environmental groups joined forces recently to count up the total cost of all known payouts.
The pattern in the numbers shows that disease is a built-in part of the aquaculture industry and has shown little improvement, said Raymond Plourde of the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax.
“Their model is flawed, it’s vulnerable for this and it’s time for the government to pull that system from them,” Plourde said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has made some of the compensation numbers public only recently, including $13 million to Cooke Aquaculture for a 2012 cull near Shelburne.
Nell Halse, a spokeswoman for Cooke, said the company has not been a frequent recipient of compensation money and is actively advancing its farming techniques.
The Ecology Action Centre, the Fundy Baykeeper and the Conservation Council of New Brunswick relied on government statements and news reports for their tally, they said in a news release.
Between 1996 and 2006, $75 million was paid by federal and provincial governments, they said, though they did not specify which companies and provincial governments were involved.
From 2007 to now, at least $63 million has been paid, including about $43 million for six culls on the south coast of Newfoundland in 2012 and 2013.
The money discourages technological advances that are desperately needed, said Plourde.
“It’s still very early days. The industry likes to say, ‘We’ve been around for 30 years.’ Not when you’re trying to domesticate an animal and turn it into a herd animal.”
Plourde said governments should be encouraging companies like Gray Aqua Group and Cooke Aquaculture to prevent disease. He said infectious salmon anemia, the most common reason for the culls, hasn’t been adequately proven to exist in local wild fish.
“What they should do is to put some money into research and development and engineering to design … a secure biological barrier between their factory food fish production animals and the wild environment.”
Developing and using such technology would bring the costs of ocean-based farms closer to those of closed-containment onshore facilities, said Plourde.
“Viruses and parasites are part of life for all farmers,” said Halse.
After Cooke’s 2012 cull, the company absorbed losses from a second outbreak, she said. There have been no diagnoses since.
“We follow best practices and are implementing a bay management farming system that involves crop rotation and fallowing or resting of farms between crops.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement that immediate disease reporting is “critical for disease control and market access,” and each case is handled individually.
Gray Aqua filed for bankruptcy protection last summer.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1194343-fish-farm-culls-cost-public-138m
- See more at: http://asf.ca/fish-culls-cost-public-138-million.html#sthash.70645lm2.dpuf
Abandonned Cage Sites Show No Recovery After Two Years
CHRONICLE HERALD
JULY 18, 2014
BRIAN MEDEL YARMOUTH BUREAU
Abandoned location in harbour shows no recovery after two years, scientist says
SHELBURNE - Two years after an aquaculture company's salmon pen location in Shelburne Harbour was abandoned, part of the harbour bottom is still dead, an independent study has revealed.
Inka Milewski, a marine biologist who currently serves as the science adviser for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, has been studying selected areas of the Shelburne harbour bottom since 2011.
"It's not a good news story, because we don't have recovery," Milewski said this week in Shelburne.
She studied a lease site off Sandy Point where a salmon cage had held fish. The lease site was surrendered back to the province in 2011, Milewski said.
The site was held for several years before that.
No new cages are operating off Sandy Point, but other parts of Shelburne harbour have cages.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has established sediment quality guidelines across the country for marine and fresh water.
Milewski said her findings show guidelines have been exceeded.
There's an assumption, she said, "that if you fallow a site for six to 12 months, ... that that will be sufficient time for recovery of the sea bottom."
But on what do industry and government base this assumption?
"That's a good question," Milewski said.
Maybe they measure sulphide levels in bottom goop, she said.
"The amount of sulphides in the sediment is a function of the amount of organic material in the sediment," said Milewski.
"The Nova Scotia government wants farm sites to maintain a level of sulphides in the sediments that are below 1,500 micro-molars of sulphide," she said, using the unit of measure for sulphides.
A farm that begins to exceed that level would have to take action by either having fewer fish or moving the fish to a new site, she said. "They got as high as 11,000 before the (site) was eventually abandoned," Milewski said about sulphide levels.
"It's the organic material, primarily the feces of the fish and the uneaten food that settles on the bottom and begins this decomposition process, that results in the production of these sulphides."
Copper and zinc were also found in bottom sludge at higher levels than expected.
Feed is a probable source and some netting is likely treated with a copper-based solution to help prevent seaweed from growing on the ropes and gear, Milewski said.
"The farm is likely the source of these high copper levels," she said.
The metals may inhibit organisms like some marine worms from coming in and helping to break down the sulphides, which also remain high, she suggested.
Jon Grant, the NSERC-Cooke industrial research chair in sustainable aquaculture at Dalhousie University, is also studying the area. Some of his students were there last week collecting samples.
"We're doing some work there," Grant said Friday.
The site has not recovered readily, he said.
"It does seem to be a little bit exceptional," Grant said. "The question is, if it has not received new material, why hasn't it recovered?
"I think it has to do with the sulphate chemistry," he said about a residual component left behind by the fish pen.
"Metals don't decompose but industrial sites that have been harder hit by metals have recovered."
Milewski said her studies cost about $10,000 per year.
She receives funding from foundations for grant proposals and has shared her results with the provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
A department spokeswoman said you just can't with certainty say how long it will take for an area to fully recover.
"We have to review the study," department spokeswoman Krista Higdon said in an email.
The information it contains will be considered as the government develops new regulations for a sustainable and environmentally friendly aquaculture industry in Nova Scotia, she said.
Government also continues to monitor the site in Milewski's study, "which indicates a positive recovery trend," said Higdon.
"Recovery time is site-specific. We do not put a time frame on site recovery."
Reference for story:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1223810-study-fish-pen-site-still-inert
- See more at: http://asf.ca/abandonned-cage-sites-show-no-recovery-after-two-years.html#sthash.qZHQGk9b.dpuf
CHRONICLE HERALD
JULY 18, 2014
BRIAN MEDEL YARMOUTH BUREAU
Abandoned location in harbour shows no recovery after two years, scientist says
SHELBURNE - Two years after an aquaculture company's salmon pen location in Shelburne Harbour was abandoned, part of the harbour bottom is still dead, an independent study has revealed.
Inka Milewski, a marine biologist who currently serves as the science adviser for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, has been studying selected areas of the Shelburne harbour bottom since 2011.
"It's not a good news story, because we don't have recovery," Milewski said this week in Shelburne.
She studied a lease site off Sandy Point where a salmon cage had held fish. The lease site was surrendered back to the province in 2011, Milewski said.
The site was held for several years before that.
No new cages are operating off Sandy Point, but other parts of Shelburne harbour have cages.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has established sediment quality guidelines across the country for marine and fresh water.
Milewski said her findings show guidelines have been exceeded.
There's an assumption, she said, "that if you fallow a site for six to 12 months, ... that that will be sufficient time for recovery of the sea bottom."
But on what do industry and government base this assumption?
"That's a good question," Milewski said.
Maybe they measure sulphide levels in bottom goop, she said.
"The amount of sulphides in the sediment is a function of the amount of organic material in the sediment," said Milewski.
"The Nova Scotia government wants farm sites to maintain a level of sulphides in the sediments that are below 1,500 micro-molars of sulphide," she said, using the unit of measure for sulphides.
A farm that begins to exceed that level would have to take action by either having fewer fish or moving the fish to a new site, she said. "They got as high as 11,000 before the (site) was eventually abandoned," Milewski said about sulphide levels.
"It's the organic material, primarily the feces of the fish and the uneaten food that settles on the bottom and begins this decomposition process, that results in the production of these sulphides."
Copper and zinc were also found in bottom sludge at higher levels than expected.
Feed is a probable source and some netting is likely treated with a copper-based solution to help prevent seaweed from growing on the ropes and gear, Milewski said.
"The farm is likely the source of these high copper levels," she said.
The metals may inhibit organisms like some marine worms from coming in and helping to break down the sulphides, which also remain high, she suggested.
Jon Grant, the NSERC-Cooke industrial research chair in sustainable aquaculture at Dalhousie University, is also studying the area. Some of his students were there last week collecting samples.
"We're doing some work there," Grant said Friday.
The site has not recovered readily, he said.
"It does seem to be a little bit exceptional," Grant said. "The question is, if it has not received new material, why hasn't it recovered?
"I think it has to do with the sulphate chemistry," he said about a residual component left behind by the fish pen.
"Metals don't decompose but industrial sites that have been harder hit by metals have recovered."
Milewski said her studies cost about $10,000 per year.
She receives funding from foundations for grant proposals and has shared her results with the provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
A department spokeswoman said you just can't with certainty say how long it will take for an area to fully recover.
"We have to review the study," department spokeswoman Krista Higdon said in an email.
The information it contains will be considered as the government develops new regulations for a sustainable and environmentally friendly aquaculture industry in Nova Scotia, she said.
Government also continues to monitor the site in Milewski's study, "which indicates a positive recovery trend," said Higdon.
"Recovery time is site-specific. We do not put a time frame on site recovery."
Reference for story:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1223810-study-fish-pen-site-still-inert
- See more at: http://asf.ca/abandonned-cage-sites-show-no-recovery-after-two-years.html#sthash.qZHQGk9b.dpuf
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