Thursday 29 June 2023

Nearly 80% of BC Residents Don't like In-ocean Fish Farms


The most recent poll has determined that almost 80% of BC residents don't like in-ocean fish farms. They want them removed and placed on land to avoid polluting the ocean with sewage and killing wild salmon with lice and viruses.
See here: The reported results? 78% of respondents want fish farms out of BC waters. Read more.

Here is the most recent poll: https://www.clayoquotaction.org/what-we-heard-report/.
The previous poll, on this site, said 75%. Well, now it is 78%, or four out of every five British Columbians.

From the Claoquote Sound group that wants fish farms out of the water, here is the text from the report:

"The Transition Planning Team found almost exactly the same results. Yet they hid those in ‘ANNEX B’, on page 31 of their 34 page report. Here you will find that 78% of respondents want fish farms removed from the water, with economic supports focussed “into other sectors not related to aquaculture” (such as tourism).

"The report goes on to say “In general…Industry Representatives support a transition to…salmon aquaculture industry which drives innovation and supports the use of new technology”. In other words: ‘slow down here, we’ll keep on innovating and tweaking unproven and unworkable technologies in the ocean, until the last wild salmon is gone’."

Here is what Clayoquot Action says:

"This is not polarized

"The Department’s Framework for Discussion states: “There are strongly held, polarized views among Canadians on the benefits and risks of open-net pen salmon aquaculture in BC”. Political polarization is defined as “the divergence of political attitudes away from the center, towards ideological extremes”. That’s not what is happening here: the removal of salmon farms is supported by all the groups mentioned above, as well as the entire west coast commercial salmon fishing fleet and the union which represents the shoreworkers, tenders, and fishers.

"The salmon farming industry’s only support comes from people who directly benefit, whether they are First Nations, workers, bosses or shareholders. The membership of Nations and family members of workers are willing to (and do) speak out against salmon farms."