Tuesday 29 May 2018

DFO, Salmon and Killer Whales - Updated Mar 15, 2019


HI Dominic

I want to tell you that it is greatly disappointing that after 40 years of DFO managing BC salmon into extinction, here we are today, with you eliminating recreational fishing in areas of the Salish Sea/Juan de Fuca Strait for killer whale food, when the real solution is for DFO to have been doing freshwater habitat restoration and hatchery epigenetics work at a rate that would have seen salmon stocks stay at the same level as in the 1960s.

What you are doing now is with almost extinction levels of Fraser chinook, feeding almost extinct killer whales that DFO has not been doing enough for over the decades, and finally, when it won’t save the whales, eliminating a sport fishery, and they will likely become extinct, anyway. Note that from the east all we hear from  DFO is how 500 right whales are on the brink. Note that 76 BC orcas are only 15.2% of your eastern right whales.

Note the attached shot of a 1960’s morning’s sport catch from the Nahmint River, a small drainage in the Alberni Inlet. Where are the Nahmint and dozens of other chinook runs today, DFO?


Two things are required immediately: far greater money spent on freshwater habitat restoration, and netpens of chinook.

Freshwater Habitat Restoration

I think $100 million needs to be invested each year for the next 10 years to catch up. If you look at what $1.5 million did to the Clay Bank on the Cowichan River, it shows that money doesn’t go very far. I suggest you give the money to the Pacific Salmon Foundation because it leverages money 4 to 7 times, and the public, particularly students and sport fishers do most projects.

I spent more than a week’s time figuring out from DFO’s patchwork of data/reports (because DFO doesn’t have a final number) that there were, before escapement, 73 million salmon in the ocean. In perspective, this is 99.8% of all the salmon in Canada. Your eastern Atlantic salmon are a measly .2-to .4-million, or .2%.

In my estimation, there are four major problems that have lead to the downward spiral of wild BC salmon: lack of freshwater habitat restoration, DFO, in-ocean fish farms and climate change. We can change every major problem except climate change.

Netpens

I recommend an immediate establishment of a dozen netpens of 2 million chinook fry each. Use Robertson Creek and the Nitinat hatcheries for Juan de Fuca Strait, and Cowichan – a river that has had a large turnaround in the past few years – for  Strait of Georgia. That means 24 million fry each year for the next ten years. The point is that it has to be done quickly to save the killer whales, and though it is 4 years to adults, if we wait, it is those years plus 4 years to adults.

Pay attention to the issue of triploiding for netpens and epigenetics for an increased Salmon Enhancement Program in the specific rivers. And pay attention to the work done by the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, Sooke netpen operation using Nitinat stock, now releasing its second crop. Funding comes from members, mostly anglers. And a seal cull would help.

Finally, after buying out Kinder Morgan, you liberals are in deep trouble in BC, on two major issues. You need to do something major quickly, and a recent poll shows that BC holds salmon as dear as Quebec does French.

Thanks

DC Reid

See: https://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/index.php?threads/important-note-from-sfi-bc-sviac-re-fishing-regs.70431/.

See my plan for bringing back wild BC salmon:  https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/02/wild-bc-salmon-plan-contact-your-mla.html.


Thursday 17 May 2018

End Broughton Archipelago Fish Farm Tenures - China Favours On-Land


Hi john et al (Lana Popham, Andrew Weaver, Adam Olsen, Sonia Furstenau, Elizabeth May, Dominic LeBlanc):

Just in is that China is moving to get its in-water fish farms on land, for environmental reasons. That, along with the four new on-land plants in the USA -  Atlantic Sapphire being twice the size of BC’s industry, with the other three almost the same size again - the reality is that the BC market is severely compromised until it also gets on land: https://www.seafoodsource.com/features/costs-mounting-from-china-s-aquaculture-clean-up-program.

USA used to be 85% of the BC market, and it has been trying to develop Asian markets to keep itself afloat; however, with this new news, they are in real danger of collapsing, as China moves to supply Asia.

Just so that you know, in addition to this, Norway sold its farmed fish into the USA last year, deliberately beggaring their own operations in BC – Norway had lice and dumped a young harvest that was destined to be eaten alive – just after the USA eliminated a 26% dumping duty on Norwegian salmon. Note that this means that Marine Harvest, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood deliberately value BC jobs less than they do Norwegian jobs, and less than profits, and those leave BC for Norway.

It is time to close those Broughton Archipelago tenures.

If you want to know more, let me know. I follow global fish farming on a daily basis in almost 20 countries.

DC Reid

Thursday 10 May 2018

John Horgan - Remember to Cancel Those Fish Farm Tenures

British Columbians are counting on John Horgan doing the right thing. That means getting fish farms out of the water.

You will note the recent post that the new report - started under the Liberals - asks for science and thus fish farms will never be out of the water, unless a different tack is taken: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/04/the-bc-government-wants-fish-farms-in.html.

Well, John Horgan an overwhelming majority of British Columbians want fish farms out of the water. 75% of us said no to in-water: from my BAD NEWS BITES post: 152. 75% of British Columbians Want Fish Farms On Landhttps://www.cheknews.ca/mainstreet-poll-shows-majority-of-b-c-residents-support-immediate-ban-on-open-pen-net-salmon-farms-445224/?utm_source=Watershed+Watch+Email+List&utm_campaign=9fe849d938-SALMON_NEWS_2018_03_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_405944b1b5-9fe849d938-166907249&mc_cid=9fe849d938&mc_eid=5777c92bcd.

  And there is the Pacific Salmon Foundation deciding its policy on farmed salmon, and wants immediate closed containment, with long term on land: 170. Fish Farms in Closed Containment - PSF, BC: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-foundation-calls-for-contained-fish-farms-says-wild-salmon-in-bc/?utm_source=Watershed+Watch+Email+List&utm_campaign=b044c954c5-SALMON_NEWS_2018_03_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_405944b1b5-b044c954c5-166907249&mc_cid=b044c954c5&mc_eid=5777c92bcd.

And the new science on PRV and disease in wild chinook by Miller: 164. Farmed PRV Infecting Wild Salmon - BC, Miller: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/virus-killing-farmed-pacific-and-atlantic-salmon-raises-risk-for-wild-b-c-population-study-1.3918507.

And a new lice outbreak in Clayoquot Sound:  169. Fish Farm Lice Kill Salmon Fry - Clayoquot Sound, BC:  https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/05/04/dead-fish-swimming-lice-from-fish-farms-infecting-wild-baby-salmon-in-bc.html?utm_source=Watershed+Watch+Email+List&utm_campaign=b044c954c5-SALMON_NEWS_2018_03_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_405944b1b5-b044c954c5-166907249&mc_cid=b044c954c5&mc_eid=5777c92bcd.

And the Council of Canadians has just come out against BC fish farms: 168.  Council of Canadians Against Fish Farms - BC: https://canadians.org/blog/council-canadians-pacific-region-chapters-call-mlas-respect-undrip-reject-renewal-fish-farm?utm_source=Watershed+Watch+Email+List&utm_campaign=b044c954c5-SALMON_NEWS_2018_03_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_405944b1b5-b044c954c5-166907249&mc_cid=b044c954c5&mc_eid=5777c92bcd.

And some deeper comments on the PRV/Chinook story:
162. Disease - PRV Causes Disease in Wild Chinook - Non HSMI - BC, Riddell/Millerhttps://www.psf.ca/news-media/prv-virus-may-cause-disease-chinook-salmon. "
“Our study used novel molecular tools to show that PRV-1 was intimately involved in the development of jaundice/anemia in Chinook salmon,” said Dr. Kristi Miller-Saunders, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and lead scientist in the SSHI. “The study also reveals a difference in PRV-1 sensitivity between species that could easily explain why the virus causes inflammation in Atlantic salmon and cell death in Chinook salmon. Based on the results, we concluded that Chinook salmon may be at more than a minimal risk of disease from exposure to PRV occurring on salmon farms.” This is the link to the paper: https://www.psf.ca/sites/default/files/ISH%20Manuscript%20%2B%20Suppl%20mat.pdf.

“The findings in the most recent study add to the concerns of scientists, environmental groups and the BC salmon community that PRV is having negative effects on wild Pacific salmon in our coastal waters,” concluded Riddell. “I certainly hope that industry and regulators consider these findings seriously as they look at the future of the aquaculture industry in BC.”"

And, John, those classic videos of sick, deformed, clouded in fecal matter farmed fish: 159. Emaciated, Sick Behaviour, Malignant, Deformed, Clouds of Fecal Matter - BC, Morton, 2017 fish farm video. This is the classic list of about a dozen fish farms with sick, malignant fish, sick behaviour and clouds of fecal matter:  http://www.mercyforanimals.org/canadians-take-a-stand-poll-finds-75-percent. Jeremy Dunn in La La Land. This post has the poll results saying 75% of BC citizens want fish farms banned.

And, the federal auditing commissioner who gave DFO a failing grade: 153. DFO Not Protecting Wild Salmon - Commissioner, CDN:  https://www.thenorthernview.com/news/mismanaged-salmon-farms-unacceptable-cullen/?utm_source=Watershed+Watch+Email+List&utm_campaign=9fe849d938-SALMON_NEWS_2018_03_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_405944b1b5-9fe849d938-166907249&mc_cid=9fe849d938&mc_eid=5777c92bcd.

And,  the BC Wildlife Federation has this to say about the big need to protect wild fish: 146. 'DFO Has No Timelines or Plans' - to protect wild salmon and trout, BCWF, see report:  http://www.bcwf.net/images/M_images/2018-may/Steelhead-Submission-sent-april-28-2018.pdf.
 "Dear Commissioner Gelfand and Auditor General Ferguson:

RE: Request for an Examination of Canada’s Failure to Protect Endangered Pacific Salmon and Anadromous Trout Species under the Species at Risk Act.

Introduction
On behalf of the B.C. Wildlife Federation, we request that you undertake an examination of the systematic refusal of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to protect endangered Pacific salmon and anadromous trout species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). 1. We make this request pursuant to s. 7(2), s. 21.1 and s. 23(1) of theAuditor General Act."

And DFO attention to science has just been indicted: 141. DFO Science Woes - Stop Pretending There is a Scientific Debate on Fish Farms - BC: Stan P, good article:  https://www.desmog.ca/2018/04/12/government-should-stop-pretending-there-s-scientific-debate-about-salmon-farming.

And rare glass sponge reef killed by fish farm sewage: 140. Reef Smothered by Fish Farm Sewage - BC, glass sponge, ancient:  https://www.desmog.ca/2018/04/27/ancient-glass-sponge-reef-smothered-salmon-farm-waste?utm_source=Watershed+Watch+Email+List&utm_campaign=9fe849d938-SALMON_NEWS_2018_03_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_405944b1b5-9fe849d938-166907249&mc_cid=9fe849d938&mc_eid=5777c92bcd.

And the Broughton Archipelago 'Namgis opposition to fish farms: 137. Aboriginals Against Fish Farms - Ernest Alfred: https://www.spreaker.com/user/redeye/critical-point-in-struggle-against-fish-.

And the chefs of BC are against in-ocean fish farms: 135. Chefs Call for On-land - BC:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/big-name-b-c-chefs-protest-salmon-farms-1.4607421.

And Alex Morton has just done a brilliant job of showing that DFO and the CFIA have been fraudulently handling the issue of diseases in BC fish farms. This is one that should result in both agencies taken to court: http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2018/04/part-2-isa-virus-briefing-to-chief-scientist-of-canada.html#_ftn59. Part 2 Briefing to Chief Scientist Of Canada, ISA Virus. Post dated April 23, 2018.

And a major new study on on-land fish farms as the way of the future:  130. On-land Aqua Way of Future - major studyhttps://phys.org/news/2018-04-farming-fish.html.

John, Lana, Andrew et al, I think you get the point: BC wants fish farms taken out of the ocean. Give us what we want. 

Hi everyone, how about sending this link to our BC politicians:  John Horgan: premier@gov.bc.ca; Lana Popham: AGR.Minister@gov.bc.ca; Andrew Weaver: andrew.weaver.mla@leg.bc.ca; Adam Olsen: info@bcgreens.ca; and, Sonia Furstenau: Sonia.Furstenau.MLA@leg.bc.ca.

You can find your MLA's email address here: https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-committees/Pages/MLA-Contact-Information.aspx.


Sunday 6 May 2018

Most Popular Posts - April 2018

These are the most popular posts of April 2018, as in those that got the most pageviews.

1. DFO Fibs on Farmed Salmon Escapes, BC: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/03/dfo-fibs-on-farmed-salmon-escapes-bc.html. Literally thousands of page views on information catching DFO 'fibbing' for a couple of decades that farmed salmon don't escape in BC. The most conservative estimate, I derived from the literature's rate of escapes, is that 153,000 farmed salmon in BC leak/escape per crop. Thousands of page views.

2. Auditor General: DFO You Don't Cut It - Wake Up: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/04/auditor-general-dfo-you-dont-cut-it.html. The AG listed the faults with DFO in BC.

3. The BC Government Wants Fish Farms in the Water - Against Citizen Wishes: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/04/the-bc-government-wants-fish-farms-in.html. And this one has aboriginals hopping mad against fish farms. Thank goodness for Chief Ernest Alfred et al.

4. Fish Farm Spin - DC Reid, READ THIS DOCUMENT: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/01/fish-farm-spin-dc-reid-read-this.html. If you only have time to read one document this year on fish farms read this one, as it covers all the bases and also gives you extensive links to go read up on information you want to understand better. Huge page views for this one.

5. A Stinging Indictment of Farmed Fish as Food - Dr. Mercola: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/04/stinging-indictment-of-farmed-salmon-as.html. Thousands of people went away vowing not to buy farmed BC salmon.

6. New Science Committee? - Don't Bother Dominic: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/02/new-science-copmmittee-dont-bother.html. BC residents overwhelmingly, 75%, want fish farms out of our water and set up on land. Give us what we want.

7. 232 On-Land Fish Farm Systems - comprising 20,000 actual on-land farms: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2016/05/152-different-on-land-fish-farm-systems.html. One of the all time greats on this site. The question needs to be asked: When is enough enough to put fish farms on land? The tipping point came four years ago, and in-ocean are dinosaurs, needing to be on land.

8. Otto Langer On Farmed Fish - Escapes/Leakage: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2018/03/otto-langer-on-farmed-fish-escapes.html.

Friday 4 May 2018

LIce Outbreak in Clayoquot Sound - Billions of Lice

AS if there were not enough evidence that lice breakout in huge numbers in BC - and every place else in the world their are fish farms - now a new outbreak in Clayoquot Sound.
 
 
 
 The last post on this site has a link to 30 BC lice studies, 90 studies by Marine Harvest, and the latest is a list of 800 lice studies around the world: See this abstract: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24042912_The_global_economic_cost_of_sea_lice_to_the_salmonid_farming_industry.

CEO, Helge Aarskog, MH, has stated that lice are their worst problem: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2015/05/marine-harvest-lice-are-our-worst.html.

Here is a link to the 30 lice studies in BC:  http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2016/02/lice-numbers-dont-match-up-in-bc-and.html. The post includes just 2 from Marine Harvest. And DFO's numbers from 2015 show that Quatsino farmed salmon had 300 - to 800-% more lice over the limit of 3 lice per fish.

Now, Clayoquot Sound. Zero sockeye spawners returned in 2017.  In 2012 there were only 501 chinook in a half dozen rivers. These are extinction numbers. And the sound has 20 fish farms in a body of water that has only one exit, thus the lice, disease and fecal matter simply floats around. And you will recall that Cermaq applied, and actually got, a licence for 2 million litres of hydrogen peroxide, Paramove 50, to try and kill them all.

Here are photos of 2018 fry in Clayoquot: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ps-GumjM4j7RmsYT-kVu1GjJR2ojltqz. Note that this also has a copy of the news release.

Here is text from the Clayoquot Action Group on the number of lice: "Tofino, May 3, 2018—A massive outbreak of salmon lice in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is threatening to wipe out this year’s salmon run. Cermaq’s documentation on salmon lice for April show that the numbers of salmon lice on seven of their fourteen Clayoquot farm sites are up to ten times higher than the threshold which requires treatment. The regulatory threshold is three motile salmon lice per farm fish."

There are 20 fish farms in Clayoquot, which, by the way is a UNESCO Biosphere - why there are fish farms in such special water is a question that has been hanging here for 20 years.

Let me give you a calculation that will make your jaw drop. If there is only one female louse per farmed salmon, and it can produce 1000 lice at a time, here is the number of lice from one farm: 1 farm X 600,000 fish/farm X 1000 lice/female = 600,000,000. Yes, that is 600 million, and Cermaq has problems with 14 farms, (yes, that means 600M X 14 = 8,400 million) and lice counts are up to ten times higher than the threshold that requires action - typically 3 lice per farmed salmon, not 10 times 3 = 30 lice per farmed fish, meaning the number is even higher. And there are 20 farms in total so the number is even higher. 

That is the reality with fish farms, and why CEO Aarskog, has those 90 studies on the go to try and solve this problem.

CAG points out that: "Cermaq recently received a controversial permit to use a new pesticide to control salmon lice in Clayoquot Sound. The treatment—Paramove 50—is known to suppress the immune system of the farm fish and trigger outbreaks of viruses such as Piscine Reovirus (PRV)"

Oh, and in case this is not obvious, Cermaq will be releasing the 2 million litres of lice chemicals into the waters of Clayoquot Sound - little wonder why people have lost faith in DFO/BC. And, as we have noted many times on this site, lice become resistant to the chemicals very quickly, that is why they constantly need new ones. The straight forward answer here is fish farms need to be on land. Why hasn't DFO/BC done this already?

Here is what CAG says about the lice treatment: “This is a band-aid solution for a serious problem that the salmon farming industry is unable to solve. Clearly a new approach is needed, which is why we’re seeing a global shift to land-based salmon farming”, said Ms. Glambeck. “Why are we sacrificing local food security, the wild salmon economy, and the iconic ecosystems of Clayoquot Sound, when the writing is clearly on the wall?”

Why, indeed. Please send a note to John Horgan: premier@gov.bc.ca, and to Dominic LeBlanc: dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca. Ask them to put fish farms on land. The answer is so simple, it should have happened decades ago.

You can pass on my list of 232 on-land fish farms systems that I have found: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2016/05/152-different-on-land-fish-farm-systems.html.

Thanks.

One more thing, here is the list of lice numbers per fish at the farms: 


Cermaq Canada’s sea lice counts from the ASC-certified and in assessment Clayoquot Sound farms:

• Ross Pass — 31.88 motile per fish / 14.9 adult female per fish (1 May 2018) HARVESTING
• Dixon Bay — 24.83 motile per fish / 13.07 adult female per fish (28 April 2018)HARVESTING
• Millar Channel — 29.13 motile per fish / 8.07 adult female per fish (29 April 2018)HARVESTING
• Saranac — 18.47 motile per fish / 5 adult female per fish (29 April 2018)
• Mussel Rock — 8.67 motile per fish / 4.53 adult female per fish (28 April 2018)
• Bawden — 18.82 motile per fish / 10.97 adult female per fish (25 April 2018)