GAPI Report - Aquaculture Awards Not Environmentally Justifyable - June 2, 2012

Go look at this report that shows that farmed salmon, and rating systems, do not merit green environmental ratings: http://web.uvic.ca/~serg/papers/GAPI_Benchmarking_Report_2011.pdf.

There are a proliferation of environmental awards and so on for fish farms these days, many of which are industry supported, and thus conflicted, for example, the BAPs are funded through fish farms themselves.

However, the WWF and other, apparently reasonable environmental awards, have unusually low standards. When I contacted the WWF last year, for instance, I was told, well, we know this is not as good as we would like, but it is a place to start.

Recently, the Canadian government came out with an environmental 'award'. What was not mentioned was that the board was stacked with DFO (DFO is conflicted in that it has a responsibility to advance aquaculture while at the same time protecting wild Paficic salmon)and fish farm members. The organic labeling passed with 50% plus one vote - there being only 2 environmental organizations given seats among the voters. Not much of an endorsement.

Here in BC, in the past week CAAR (Coastal Alliance for Aquculture Reform, David Suzuki F. T Buck Suzuki org, Georia Strait Association and Living Oceans) dropped from the study with Marine Harvest - most other environmental groups had already dropped off over the years. The point was that fish farms, confirmed through Clare Blackman from MH, have no intention of moving from the ocean. Part of the bargain was that environmental organizations would not protest against fish farms during the agreement period.

"Essentially, all of the work that we had negotiated to do together, was going nowhere," Ruby Berry, of the Georgia Strait Alliance, told the Courier-Islander Monday. "For awhile it looked like (working together) was going to be possible, but the company's dragging its heals, they're backing out of anything substantial. There's really no significant change."

 

CAAR said a benefit-cost analysis comparing net-pen salmon farming to closed containment systems was cancelled by Marine Harvest, as was design of a land-based closed containment pilot system.

A Care2 informal poll shows 95% of respondents believe fish farms harm wild salmon. The likely outcome here is environmental groups stepping up their protests once again. This comes at a time when 7 fish farm facilities in BC and Washington have tested positive for disease, and that at least one on Bainbridge Island, WA, is slaughtering fish to sell them to the public in mainstream food retailers. Would you buy one?

See:  http://www.care2.com/causes/lethal-virus-found-in-farmed-salmon.html.