Members of the Dzawada’enuxw First Nation filing a claim of Aboriginal title at the BC Supreme Court (submitted) A First Nation’s claim of Aboriginal title, filed today at the BC Supreme Court in Vancouver, threatens the future of some open net pen Atlantic salmon farms. Lawyer Jack Woodward, who filed
Continue readingTag: Salmon Farming and Aquaculture
The Common Sense Canadian: New poll: Most British Columbians favour banning salmon farms
Read this May 1 Chek story on a new poll conducted by Mainstreet Research, revealing that a majority of British Columbians – especially strong on Vancouver Island – would support banning open net pen Atlantic salmon farms. Figures from a new poll released Monday show three-quarters of British Columbians who have
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Washington State Senate votes to phase out Atlantic salmon farms
Atlantic salmon Read this March 2 Seattle Time article on the Washington State Senate’s intense battle over a new bill to phase out Atlantic salmon farms following the escape of as many as 263,000 fish last summer: Atlantic salmon net-pen farming will be phased out in Washington by 2025
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Caught on camera: More blood water from Tofino farmed salmon processing plant
A live camera this morning captured more blood water spilling from the outfall pipe of a farmed salmon processing plant in downtown Tofino. The footage, obtained by investigative diver and filmmaker Tavish Campbell, was posted to facebook with realtime commentary from Campbell and independent biologist and salmon farm critic Alexandra Morton.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Teen stands her ground after being booted off soccer team for criticizing fish farming sponsor
Check out this Nov. 2 story from CTV.ca on a Comox teen’s criticism team sponsor Marine Harvest’s open net pen salmon farms – a move that got her booted off the team. Regardless, 14-year-old Freyja Reed is standing her ground in what has proved a PR disaster for the company.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Liberal govt issues 4 new salmon farm tenures on eve of BC Day
An existing BC salmon farm (Damien Gillis) It was an unwelcome surprise on the eve of BC Day for critics of open net pen salmon farms: the Liberal government’s quiet doling out of four new tenures to the big three Norwegian aquaculture giants – Marine Harvest, Cermaq and Grieg Seafoods. While some
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Federal court ruling threatens bottom line for salmon farms
On May 6th, Justice Donald J. Rennie of the Federal Court ruled against Marine Harvest Canada and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, confirming that the transfer of young salmon infected with piscine reovirus into ocean net-pens was illegal. This victory by Alexandra Morton and her Ecojustice lawyers was dismissed
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Alexandra Morton explains her court win over salmon farm industry
Independent biologist Alexandra Morton explains her recent federal court victory over the salmon farming industry. The ruling prohibits salmon farmers from transferring diseased smolts to their open net pen operations – which could severely impact their financial health and limit their growth potential. Morton spoke to The Common Sense Canadian’s Damien Gillis
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Proposed new BC salmon farms net strong public opposition
Public meeting in Port McNeill, BC re: Greig’s proposed salmon farms (Twyla Roscovich) On February 10, 2015, Grieg Seafood held an open house in Port McNeill on two new salmon farm applications it is proposing – a requirement of the application process to the Province of BC. It was a
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Norway’s fjords flooded with escaped, diseased farmed fish
An escaped steelhead caught near Bergen, Norway, showing serious symptoms of disease On January 10, 2015 a hurricane of wind and snow hit the coast of Norway. They called it extreme weather Nina. When the winds finally calmed, the first sport fishermen to venture out on the fjords near Bergen
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Salmon Farmers’ ads more full of crap than seabed beneath their pens
Norwegian salmon farm (Karin Beate Nøsterud/norden.org) The BC Salmon Farmers’ Association continues to make assertions about open-net fish farms that don’t agree with the science, as a recent ad in the Globe and Mail demonstrates. It is surprising the industry, lead companies including the Norwegian Marine Harvest, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood,
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Harper’s new fish farm laws would open floodgates to waste dumping
The following is a letter by salmon farming critic and Common Sense Canadian contributor DC Reid to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on his government’s proposed gutting of aquaculture regulations, which would enable virtually unrestricted dumping of fish farm waste into our oceans. The public can comment on the proposed changes until October 22
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Pristine Coast doc reveals surprising, untold history of salmon farms
My first brush with the fish farming industry on our coast came around 2000 when I was broadcasting for CKNW. At that point, this was considered to be a “good” industry because their product would ease the pressure on the wild salmon. The big issue became the escape of Atlantic
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: New laws would enable fish farms to dump more waste, chemicals
Yardstick standing upright in waste layer below fish farm, up to 32 inch mark (Friends of Port Mouton Bay) Read this Aug. 27 story from CBC.ca on changes to aquaculture regulations that would enable the dumping of debris by fish farms, such as unused feed, feces, chemicals and anti-fouling agents.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Farmed salmon escapes far more common than industry admits: study
Farmed Atlantic salmon (Photo: World Wildlife Federation) A new study published in ICES Journal of Marine Science estimates that that up to 1.5 million farmed Atlantic salmon escape from Norwegian netpens into the wild every year – far more than acknowledged by the industry. The study was led by Ove T. Skilbrei of the Institute of Marine Research
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Morton seeks answers from Grieg over farmed salmon die-off
A “mort-sucker” removes dead farmed salmon from a Grieg pen in Nootka Sound (Alexandra Morton) The following is an open letter from independent salmon biologist Alexandra Morton to the Norwegian owner of Greig Seafood. Dear Mr. Per Grieg Jr. owner Grieg Seafood (per.grieg@grieg.no): Several weeks ago I received reports that
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Bloomberg: Farmed salmon a risky bet for environment, investment
A series of reports from the world’s leading business publication, Bloomberg, show the environmental, financial, and health challenges facing the farmed salmon industry are increasingly bubbling up to the surface. The three stories – dealing with the impacts of farmed fish on their wild counterparts, the risks of investing in
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Salmon Inquiry: First Nations angry at Harper’s lack of action
Chief Bob Chamberlin is one of many First Nations leaders frustrated with the lack of action of saving wild salmon Read this May 28 Globe and Mail story by Mark Hume on the increasing exasperation of many First Nations fisheries groups at the Harper Government’s lack of action on the $26 million Cohen Inquiry into
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: 60 Minutes grills BC salmon farmers, government
Top-rated American TV newsmagazine program 60 Minutes sunk its teeth into BC’s longstanding salmon farming controversy last night. While the program – hosted by renowned health commentator Dr. Sanjay Gupta – stopped short of passing judgement on the aquaculture industry, it left viewers with some real food for thought on
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Salmon farms: Has anything changed after a decade of controversy?
The David Suzuki Foundation and others have run ads over the past decade decrying British Columbia’s open net-cage salmon farm industry. With significant expansion planned for the West Coast, the question remains: Has B.C.’s salmon farm industry improved? Salmon farming threatens some of the planet’s last remaining viable wild salmon
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