Fish Farm News And Science

Hi John Horgan et al [Adam Olsen, Andrew Weaver, Lana Popham, Sonia Furstenau]

Your fish farm plan has gone over like a lead balloon. Even I have criticized you, and I would like to be on your side: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/07/john-horgan-what-are-you-thinking-four.html?showComment=1530823583272#c9026406336797317256.

What you can do that would turn things around is to put $25 million into freshwater habitat restoration right now – the only real solution for bringing back wild salmon – giving the money to the Pacific Salmon Foundation that leverages money 4 to 7 times for habitat projects (in other words, the effect of $100- to $175-million). Then, every year for the following 10 years, add $10 Million each year. Announce it as $125 Million for wild salmon, making it the biggest plan ever devised.

Point out that the leveraging figures, are: year one: $100- $175-million; plus an additional for ten years of $400- to $700-million.

The bad press you have been getting on your fish farm non-plan would be undercut as you would have tied the two issues together with a bold positive plan for wild salmon – fish farms/habitat - all on a very reasonable amount of money.

Please put the money into wild salmon and get the good press. Even from me.

DC Reid

Adam Olsen, MLA, has just come out with his wild salmon policy and deep disappointment with the Horgan government's lack of action. His top four areas: four more years before action on fish farms; trust DFO?; inter-First Nation conflict; and climate change.

He has much more to say, and I suggest you go read his document: http://adamolsen.bcgreencaucus.ca/four-reasons-i-am-frustrated-about-fish-farm-announcement/.

When I read Olsen's document, I was surprised how closely his major reasons are to the ones I would identify. My top four problems with respect to bringing back wild salmon are: habitat restoration; DFO; fish farms; and climate change.

In addition, this is his background Wild Salmon Secretariat policy: http://bcgreencaucus.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018_Wild-Salmon_BCgreen-Caucus.pdf.

It is hard not to express anger at the Horgan government for lack of action on the 22 Broughton Archipelago fish farm tenures (up for renewal, June 20, 2018); this was the root of Olsen's press release.

Here is what I have to say:

Dear John Horgan, Premier, BC

Re Fish Farm Tenures: What Are You Thinking? Four-year Deal? First Nation’s Approval?

That gives fish farms four years to give money to First Nations.

1. $10 Million is a drop in the bucket for a fish farm. What figure per$uades a poor FN?

2. Some FN like fish farms.

3. 28 years to close/put them on land? You won’t be in power. (27)

Marine Harvest is putting $100 million into closed containment in Norway. In BC, MH says on-land can’t be done. Wake up! (1a)

Controversy? There is no controversy. Only fish farms support fish farms. BC residents are against fish farms, just like residents in almost 20 countries with fish farms, including Norway. Just close tenures after a crop is harvested.

Fish farms create fake news. No controversy. Just fake news. (1b)

On-land is going to decimate the in-ocean BC industry. (2)

1.     238 on-land fish farm systems. (3)
2.     Atlantic Sapphire, USA, 150,000MT. (4)
3.     Whole Oceans, USA, 25,000MT. (5)
4.     Nordic Aquafarms, USA, 33,000MT. (6)
5.     Aquabanq, USA, 10,000MT. (7)
6.     That’s 218,000 Metric Tonnes, coming on stream, on land in the USA.

Critical stocks remain unprotected:

1.     Fraser sockeye.
2.     Fraser chinook, 4-2s, 5-2s, Harrisons.
3.     Cultus lake sockeye.
4.     Broughton Archipelago pinks.
5.     Kingcome Inlet chinook.
6.     Clayoquot Sound chinook.
7.     Clayoquot Sound sockeye.
8.     Chum stocks trending way down on WCVI.
9.     Coho stocks trended way down in the 1990s, ECVI.
10. Extinction level chinook are now feeding extinction level killer whales.

Doesn’t deal with sewage problem. $10.4- to $31.2-Billion comprises the conservative sewage externality we taxpayers pay for. We don’t want to pay. (8)

No lice problem? MH CEO says it’s their worst problem and has 90 studies. That also corrupts science. (9)

1. Sea lice Cermaq, 2018, out of control, 2 million l peroxide, Paramove 50. (10)
2. Sea Lice Problem – 30 studies in BC, 800 studies worldwide. (11)

Catastrophic losses are common:

1.     53M to lice, Norway, 2016. (12)
2.     10M to lice, Scotland, 2016. (13)
3.     38M to algal bloom, 2016 Chile. (14)
4.     That’s 100 million dead fish, in just three countries, 2.5 times the size of BC industry.

BC losses:

1. 250,000 Grieg Seafood, algal bloom, 2018. (15)

2. 263,000 escaped in WA, 2017, Cooke. (16)

3. IHN Cermaq, Grieg Seafood, millions paid for diseased dead fish. (17)

4. Furunculosis, Skuna Bay, Grieg Seafood. (18)

5. Kudoa, myoliquifaction, MH, is known for this parasite. (19)

6. 53 Sea Lions/seal killed, Skuna Bay, Grieg Seafood. (20)

7. 150,000 escapes/leakage in BC per harvest. (21)

8. Sea Lice epidemic, Broughton/Queen Charlotte Strait. (22)

9. Chinook have PRV, Clayoquot Sound, 2018. (28)

Fish Farms are Small: Their Jobs and Revenue Numbers Are False: 6,600 jobs and $1.5B? More than 300% higher than BC Gov figures: 1,700, and $469M for all aqua. If 20% are aboriginal, 820 X .2 = only 164 jobs. (23)

BC doesn’t trust DFO:

1.     Conflict of interest with fish farms.
2.     No real ‘progress’ on Cohen Commission recommendations.
3.     DFO/CFIA fraud case over contracting for no disease in BC. (24)
4.     DFO has to be sued to prevent PRV fish put in netpens. (25)
5.     DFO says farmed fish can’t survive outside netpens while research has shown Atlantics and progeny in 97% of Van isle Rivers studied. Shocking. (21)
6.     DFO, where is that $100 million per year for ten years money for freshwater habitat restoration?
7.     Forty years managing wild salmon into extinction. Fraser 4-2s, 5-2s, Nahmint Chinook.

Best sites for fish farms? DFO sought advice on critical areas to avoid, then placed farms directly on those spots in Broughton Archipelago. (26)

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References:

1. a). MH $100 M: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2016/06/closed-containment-marine-harvest.html.

b). Fake News: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/06/conservation-orgs-support-in-ocean-fish.html.

2. On land: DNB study: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/03/on-land-prospects-have-never-looked.html.

3. 236 On-land fish farm systems: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2016/05/152-different-on-land-fish-farm-systems.html.

4. Atlantic Sapphire is item 176 on the 236 on-land system post in reference 3. 150,000MT.

5. Whole Oceans, item 163 on the 236 post in ref 3, 25,000MT.

6. Nordic Aquafarms is item 211 & 212 on the 236 post in ref 3. 33,000MT.

7. Aquabanc, item 216, 10,000 MT.

8. Sewage cost: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2017/02/fish-farm-sewage-huge-cost-to-bc.html.