Big Fish Farms - Big Tobacco, Pretty Much the Same Thing, Take 3

 Go to the original post here: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/02/big-toobacco-big-fish-farms-pretty-much.html. Or go directly to the Sarah K. Cox report on PR and big fish farms, in BC: http://web.idv.nkmu.edu.tw/~tomhsiao/S%20T%20Management/DiminishingReturns_final.pdf.

 These are the recommendations from the Cox report. Made almost fifteen years ago, they are still relevant today, that is how little that DFO has been willing to side with BC residents and wild salmon.
Government policies

1. Redirect existing government funding for multinational salmon farmingcorporations and industry organizations to support closed-tank alternatives that will control disease and protect wild salmon stocks.

2. Initiate government-funded studies on the environmental and human health impacts of medications and other chemicals used on salmon farms.
3. Make government interactions with salmon farming corporations more transparent. This includes decreasing the cost and increasing the efficiency of Access to Information and Freedom of Information requests.

4. Evaluate the economics of salmon farming in B.C., with special consideration to employment trends, potential impact on wild fisheries and other industries, government financial support, and public revenue generated by the industry from sources such as rents and taxes.

Protection for wild salmon and the environment

5. Reinstate the moratorium on all new salmon farms in British Columbia. Halt the planned expansion of farms on the north and central coasts.

6. Ensure the safe passage of wild salmon through the Broughton Archipelago by fallowing and removing the necessary salmon farms.
7. Begin transition of open net cage salmon farms to closed-tank technology.

8. Increase regulatory requirements for protection of wild fish. This includes larger and more consistent fines for regulatory violations by salmon farming companies.

Use of antibiotics and therapeutants

9. Monitor and test salmon farm sites and their vicinities for antibiotic and Slice residues.

10. Ensure Health Canada’s testing for Slice and other therapeutants is adequate and that test results are publicly available.

In all of the above recommendations, it is critical that the legal rights and title of First Nations people be considered and respected.