Getting Fish Farms Out of the Ocean and set up On Land in BC

Hi Bernadette/Justin

I want to confirm for you that the vast majority of British Columbians want fish farms taken out of the ocean and we expect you to do this, not just come up with a plan in five years.

The latest survey puts it at 75% want fish farms out.

Wild BC salmon are in crisis. I say this after writing about fisheries polity and salmon for almost 50 years.

There just is no more ten years to go.

Jobs are minimal at 1800 and have actually declined 5.3% in the past two decades. So says the BC Govt’s BC Stats report.

In addition, the sewage cost in BC is conservatively estimated at $10.4 B. That is vastly more than GDP from these major polluters – even added up over decades. Most of the money goes back to Norway to shareholders.

Similarly in eastern Canada, fish farm employment has declined a very large 32%. So says a recent paper by Inka Milewski.

Furthermore, Norway produces ten times more farmed salmon than Canada but with ten percent of the employees in Canada. When that automation is brought here, the Canadian jobs number will drop a further 80%.

Fish farms are about pollution, and all the other problems, as the ocean is free for them, until you match Norway’s licences of $32- to $40-million for staying in the water, and offer the same free licences for on-land offered now in Norway. They are not about jobs and revenue as their communications’ spin tries to persuade you politicians. And they came to Canada because our laws are weaker than in Norway, and their margins typically run from 20- to 80-%. They wanted more.

Take fish farms out of the water ASAP. My list of on-land farms has 308 on-land farms around the world, despite fish farms saying on-land is not possible. They know all of what I am telling you, and are ‘fibbing’ with you.

And my list of good news press about on-land around the world, now has more than 325 articles in it about the new wave of on-land. If your staff supports in-ocean, they are out of date by a decade. They need to educate themselves, or get out of the way.

You can verify all these figures on my www.fishfarmnews.blogspot.com  site, or simply ask me to give you the links to read the science yourself.

DC (Dennis) Reid

Justin Trudeau: <Justin.Trudeau@parl.gc.ca>
Bernadette Jordan: Bernadette.Jordan@parl.gc.ca

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For those who read my site: Let me know your query of any comment or number used above, and I'll post the link. I never say anything that does not have a reference. And, when I calculate a figure, I do so having worked at Treasury Board Staff in the Ministry of Finance, BC. We were expected to be the best analyzers in government.