Setting Undercurrent News Straight - Global Fish Farm/Seafood Industry 'Press'

Hi Jason

Just so you know, the Discovery Islands are 250 kms north west of Victoria, they are not close by, as your article says: https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2019/02/07/british-columbia-prv-report-winds-minimal-risk-to-wild-sockeye/.

It is also wrong to say that the Washington State Cooke collapse affected anything in BC – different countries.

The Broughton Archipelago situation has been contentious for 30 years with the local First Nations wanting fish farms out – nothing to do with Cooke. And Clayoquot Sound is the next place for First Nation action.

The science is poorly characterized by DFO as saying PRV doesn’t affect wild BC salmon. In fact, DFO’s own, and star scientist, Kristi Miller has published papers on PRV causing HSMI in BC, as well as jaundice/anemia in chinook salmon.

DFO is overlooking this as it doesn’t agree with what it wants to do, which is support in-ocean fish farms. It’s Rapid Science Response was criticized by former DFO scientist and Pacific Salmon Foundation CEO Brian Riddell as not passing the test on science. Here is one post: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/11/fake-science-by-dfo-riddell-response.html. That post also has the long term view on DFO managing wild salmon into extinction for 50 years, and the linked post shows what to do.

The reality here is that the Wild Salmon Advisory Council, a BC initiative, may actually end up solving the wild salmon problem. You see, Ottawa, where DFO is from, is some 3,500 miles from BC, and a five hour flight to Toronto, with connections to and through Vancouver and Ottawa, requiring even more time each way. DFO is in a different country and does not get BC.

We can only hope that BC, which can have responsibility for freshwater habitat restoration, will finally take over wild salmon from the bureaucrats in Ottawa.

Here is a cut-to-the-chase response on the BC Council’s recent recommendations for wild salmon: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2019/03/report-made-in-bc-wild-salmon-strategy.html.

In closing, let me add that the Dzawada’enuxw court case may cause big changes as well. The recent Tsilhqot’in decision is relevant to the question of land/water ownership and they have the same lawyer who won that case, Woodward.

DC (Dennis) Reid