Giving the Vancouver Sun some Stats on how Small the Fish Farm Industry is.

Look at the Van Sun article: https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/dfo-report-suggests-alternatives-to-open-net-salmon-farms-in-b-c-but-next-step-unclear?mc_cid=fe3237f704&mc_eid=5777c92bcd.

Now read my response to TI Crawford who wrote the article and which I ground proofed. And note my four point plan to put fish farms on land as noted below.

Hi TI Crawford.

Contrary to industry/DFO assertions, fish farms are much smaller than their claims. For example, the employment claim is 7000 jobs in the industry.

This is directly contradicted by the Province’s BC Stats Report. It says only 1800 so the industry claim is almost 400% too high.

See my post: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2019/03/mar-21-2019-bc-stats-report-2016.html.

You will note that jobs have been declining since 2000, at 5.3%.

Fish farms like to claim that on-land is not possible for monetary or other reasons. Well, my list now has found 372 on-land fish farms all around the world. So on-land is common.

See my link: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2016/05/152-different-on-land-fish-farm-systems.html.

And despite fish farms claiming that jobs in the Discovery Islands are 1500, my calculations puts the number at only 212, or only 13.1% of the industry claim: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2021/01/another-sleepless-night-thousands-of-bc.html.

Note that I have a four point plan to put fish farms on land in this post. Also, when all the US on-land plans come to fruition, they will wipe out the BC industry as 85% of their product goes to the States.

You might want to cruise my site when you are looking for stats on fish farms. And point out my four point plan.

DC(Dennis) Reid

DFO RAS Study Has Big Flaws - Jonathan Wilkinson?

Hi Jonathan Wilkinson (<min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>)

So you want to do a study of RAS systems, do you: https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2019/03/07/canada-salmon-aquaculture-study-kicks-off-to-take-close-look-at-ras/?utm_source=Undercurrent+News+Alerts&utm_campaign=78312ab316-Americas_briefing_Mar_07_2019&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_feb55e2e23-78312ab316-92426209.

There are several problems:

1. Lack of 'evidence and science' based DFO decision making. I cite a dozen examples on this site in the past year. A current one is that after the Feb 5, 2019 decision by Strickland that DFO must test for PRV, you coalesced your 'rapid science response' people to say PRV is not a problem.

See the well respected Brian Riddell nix your RSR: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/11/fake-science-by-dfo-riddell-response.html. Note that Riddell, currently CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, was formerly a scientist with DFO.

2. The recommendations you cite from the Popham finfish committee, are tainted. The committee had fish farm representatives on it. The committee that has come after it is the Wild Salmon Secretariat, for bringing back wild salmon. It has no fish farm representatives twisting the recommendations.

Here are the tainted recommendations that you cite:

• “A brief overview and economic analysis of existing and emerging technologies, including their state of commercialization; (Fish farms are dead set against on-land and will argue all day long that it doesn't make money, ignoring the huge value in protecting the ocean/salmon from using it as a free open sewer);

• “An analysis of the environmental impacts of these technologies; (Fish farms say there is no land for on-land, and use far more electricity than in ocean, overlooking the $10.4B in sewage damage they have caused in BC, PRV and so on, lice explosion in Clayoquot Sound in 2018, algal bloom for Grieg, etc).

• “An analysis of how sensor technologies and data could further address potential environmental impacts; (Sensors largely monitor the fish and do not assess environmental impacts).

• “An analysis of the social implications, including job creation and impacts on coastal/rural communities; (Fish farm stats are false. They claim 7,000 multiplier jobs, when the BC govt's own figure is 1800, making the fish farm stat 390% too high. I will shortly crunch the new BC Stats report, released in 2019).

• “A financial assessment of commercially available technologies, including an analysis of the main factors influencing their financial performance; (I have dozens of studies on how on-land makes money. See the 270 on land post below. It is led out by dozens of studies).

• “An analysis of trade-offs between environmental, economic and social impacts of the technologies reviewed; and, (The reality is that using the ocean as a free, open sewer far exceeds the revenue from the in-ocean sector, $777M is only 7.5% of the sewage damage: $10.4B. We can completely avoid the sewage cost and have increased revenue on land).

• “Recommendations to address potential obstacles to adoption of each of the technologies reviewed.” (Fish farms will argue all day long that on-land can't be done, even while the USA takes away almost 85% of its market by the big four on-land systems coming on line: Atlantic Sapphire, Whole Oceans, Nordic Aquafarms and Aquabanc, a total of 218,000mt).

Here is my list of 270 on-land fish farm systems, comprising almost 20,000 actual farms around the world: https://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2016/05/152-different-on-land-fish-farm-systems.html.

Here is my list of global news items on on-land, more than 70 items in the past three months:  http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/11/links-to-on-land-closed-containment.html. Note Pure Salmon in the list, aiming at 260,000mt on land around the world. The BC industry is slightly less than 100,000mt, or only 38.5% of this one companies plans. The in-ocean industry in BC is toast.

Jonathan how about you see the light and choose on-land fish farms? You might consider the hundreds of thousands of votes you'll get in the 2019 election, and announce on-land right now. BC residents, like all citizens who must live with in-ocean fish farms around the world, hate in-ocean fish farms.

D

******

Here is another example of DFO not doing science/managing fish farms:
368. DFO Not Managing Fish Farms - https://www.thetelegram.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor/letter-aquaculture-piling-more-pressure-on-salmon-stocks-296199/?utm_source=Watershed+Watch+Email+List&utm_campaign=e72633df9d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_03_11_24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_405944b1b5-e72633df9d-166907249&mc_cid=e72633df9d&mc_eid=5777c92bcd. Quote: "
A spring 2018 report on Canadian aquaculture, in both B.C. and Atlantic Canada, by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development stated, “We concluded that Fisheries and Oceans Canada did not adequately manage the risks associated with salmon aquaculture consistent with its mandate to protect wild fish. Although the Department had some measures to control the spread of infectious diseases and parasites to wild fish in British Columbia, it had not made sufficient progress in completing the risk assessments for key diseases that were required to understand the effects of salmon aquaculture on wild fish. It also had not defined how it would manage aquaculture in a precautionary manner in the face of scientific uncertainty. Moreover, the Department did not adequately enforce compliance with aquaculture regulations to protect wild fish.”" This is the link to the 2018 report: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_201804_01_e_42992.html.

The Future of On-land Fish Farms is Now, Updated Mar 9, 2017

Hi Justin/Dominic/Elizabeth/Finn/Todd/Chek/CBC/Van Sun/et al:

The fish farm industry has just been changed completely, and on-land farms are the future. There is no looking back, and BC and Atlantic farms need to come out of the water asap, to avoid being left behind.

Atlantic Sapphire is building a 90,000 tonne on-land fish farm in Florida: https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2017/03/03/atlantic-sapphire-thinks-big-after-approval-for-florida-salmon-farm/?utm_source=Undercurrent+News+Alerts&utm_campaign=977f05fcef-Americas_briefing_Mar_03_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_feb55e2e23-977f05fcef-92426209.

This gives the Norwegian firm a strangle hold on the NA continental market, and the ailing BC market is in deep trouble. The one Atlantic Sapphire on-land farm will be larger than the entire BC industry of 85,000 tonnes annual product. And BC, like Chile, has already been hit hard in the USA market. The USA rescinded a 26% tariff on Norwegian salmon two years ago, giving Marine Harvest, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood in Norway a huge competitive margin against their own operations in Canada and Chile.

Add Atlantic Sapphire on top of the current situation and BC is toast, as 85% of its product goes into the USA because Canadians will not buy in-ocean farmed salmon. Lots of jobs are going to be lost in Canada until fish farms are on-land and thus competitive in the USA.

I have pointed out previously that in-ocean fish farms make no environmental or economic sense. You can find numerous posts on my: www.fishfarmnews.blogspot.com that detail the figures.

You need to wake up and take action or watch the Canadian industry go down the tubes. In BC you are struggling badly because of your Kinder Morgan decision. You can get an offsetting lift by getting fish farms out of the water of wild Pacific salmon, which are as important to BC as French is to Quebec:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-residents-consider-salmon-a-cultural-touchstone-survey-finds/article1998476. 

Even your own BC MPs voted against party lines on Fin Donnelly’s Bill C-228, that would have gotten fish farms out of the water and put on land. 70% of BC Liberals voted against you. They know they will never be re-elected if they do not stand with wild Pacific salmon.

My list of on-land fish farms is now 175 different on-land systems, comprising almost 20,000 actual on-land fish farms around the world. Denmark has 50% of its fish farms on land; Finland has 100% on land, and forbids them in its ocean. Here is the list: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2016/05/152-different-on-land-fish-farm-systems.html.

You need to take action.

DC (Dennis) Reid

Update Mar 9, 2017:

Global Fish Farm Newsletters brings the news, that on-land, RAS to reach 150,000 mt by 2020:  https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2017/03/09/dnb-estimates-ras-farming-will-produce-150000t-by-2020/?utm_source=Undercurrent+News+Alerts&utm_campaign=5396d44906-Americas_briefing_Mar_09_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_feb55e2e23-5396d44906-92426209. This is twice the size of the BC industry, in three years.

Lice Numbers Don't Match Up in BC and with Marine Harvest CEO, Updated Feb 26, 2016

You may have read the Randy Shore article in the Vancouver Sun, or heard a news clip on CHEK and other television stations in BC that fish farms, Marine Harvest, Cermaq, Grieg Seafood et al think that sea lice on outbound salmon fry don't come from fish farms.

Marine Harvest CEO Aarskog asked for help last year because lice are the number one problem around the world in fish farms. Hmm.

Here is the research that BC Marine Harvest has overlooked that show that fish farm lice infect wild salmon fry in BC. It is a long list:

Peacock, S., M. Krkosek, A. Bateman & M. Lewis, 2015. Parasite-mediated release from predation in a juvenile salmon food web. Ecosphere. 6:art264.

Rees, E., S. St-Hilaire, S. Jones, M. Krkosek, S. DeDominicis, M. Foreman, T. Patanasatienkul & C. Revie, 2015. Spatial patterns of sea lice infection among wild and captive salmon in western Canada. Landscape Ecology, 30, 989-1004.

Krkosek, M. & J. Drake, 2014. On signals of phase transitions in salmon population dynamics. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 281, 20133221.

Peacock, S., B. Connors, M. Krkosek, J. Irvine, & M. Lewis. 2014. Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 281, 20132913.

Krkosek, M., J. Ashander, L.N. Frazer, & M. Lewis, 2013. Allee effect from parasite spill-back. American Naturalist, 182, 640-652.

Patanasatienkul, T., J. Sanchez, E.E. Rees, M. Krkosek, S.R.M. Jones & C.W. Revie, 2013. Sea lice infestations on juvenile chum and pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago, Canada from 2003 to 2012. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 105, 149-161.

Rogers, L., S. Peacock, P. McKenzie, S. DeDominicis, S. Jones, P. Chandler, M. Foreman, C. Revie, & M. Krkosek, 2013. Modeling parasite dynamics on farmed salmon for precautionary conservation management of wild salmon. PLoS ONE. 8: e60096.

Peacock, S., M. Krkosek, S. Proboszcz, C. Orr, & M. Lewis, 2013. Cessation of a salmon decline with control of parasites. Ecological Applications. 23, 606-620.

Ashander, J., M. Krkosek, & M. Lewis, 2012. Aquaculture-induced changes to dynamics of a migratory host and specialist parasite: a case study of pink salmon and sea lice. Theoretical Ecology. 5, 231-252.

Frazer, L.N., A. Morton, & M. Krkosek, 2012. Critical thresholds in sea lice epidemics: evidence, sensitivity, and subcritical estimation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 279, 1950-1958.

Krkosek, M., B. Connors, M. Lewis, & R. Poulin, 2012. Allee effects may slow the spread of parasites in a coastal marine ecosystem. American Naturalist, 179, 401-412.

Morton, A., A. McConnell, R. Routledge, M. Krkosek. 2011. Sea lice dispersion and salmon survival in relation to fallowing and chemical treatment on salmon farms. ICES Journal of Marine Science. 68, 144-156.

Krkosek, M., B. Connors, A. Morton, M. Lewis, L. Dill, & R. Hilborn, 2011. Effects of parasites from salmon farms on wild salmon populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 108, 14700-14704.

Krkosek, M., R. Hilborn, R. Peterman, & T. Quinn. 2011. Cycles, stochastcity, and density dependence in pink salmon population dynamics. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 278, 2060-2068.

Krkosek, M., & R. Hilborn. 2011. Sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestations and the productivity of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 68, 17-29.

Krkosek, M., B. Connors, H. Ford, S. Peacock, P. Mages, J. Ford, A. Morton, J. Volpe, R. Hilborn, L. Dill,& M. Lewis, 2011. Fish farms, parasites, and predators: Implications for salmon population dynamics. Ecological Applications. 21, 897-914.

Krkosek, M., A. Bateman, S. Proboscsz, & C. Orr. 2010. Dynamics of outbreak and control of salmon lice on two salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago. Aquaculture Environment Interactions. 1, 137-146.

Connors, B., M. Krkosek, J. Ford, & L. Dill. 2010. Coho salmon productivity in relation to direct and trophic transmission of sea lice from salmon aquaculture. Journal of Applied Ecology. 47, 1372-1377.

Krkosek, M. 2010. Host density thresholds and disease control for fisheries and aquaculture. Aquaculture Environment Interactions. 1, 21-32.

Krkosek, M. 2010. Sea lice and salmon in Pacific Canada: Ecology and policy. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 8, 201-209.

Krkosek, M., A. Morton, J. Volpe, & M. Lewis. 2009. Sea lice and salmon population dynamics: Effects of exposure time for migratory fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 276, 2819-2828.

Krkosek, M., J. Ford, A. Morton, S. Lele, & M. Lewis, 2008. Response to comment on "Declining wild salmon populations in relation to parasites from farm salmon". Science. 322, 1790-1791.

Connors, B., M. Krkosek, & L. Dill, 2008. Sea lice escape predation on their host. Biology Letters. 4, 455-457.

Krkosek, M., J. Ford, A. Morton, S. Lele, & M. Lewis, 2008. Sea lice and pink salmon declines: response to Brooks and Jones. Reviews in Fisheries Science. 16, 413-420.

Morton, A., R. Routledge, & M. Krkosek. 2008. Sea lice infestation of juvenile salmon and herring associated with fish farms off the east central coast of British Columbia. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 28, 523-532.

Krkosek, M., J. Ford, A. Morton, S. Lele, R.A. Myers,& M. Lewis, 2007. Declining wild salmon populations in relation to parasites from farm salmon. Science. 318, 1772-1775.

Krkosek, M., A. Gottesfeld, B. Proctor, D. Rolston, C. Carr-Harris, & M. Lewis, 2007. Effects of host migration, diversity, and aquaculture on sea lice threats to wild Pacific salmon populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 274, 1341-3149.

Krkosek, M., M. Lewis, A. Morton, L.N. Frazer & J. Volpe. 2006. Epizootics of wild fish induced by farm fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 103, 15506-15510.

Morton, A.B. and Williams, R. 2006. Response of the Sea Louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis infestation levels on juvenile wild Pink, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, and Chum, O. keta, salmon, to arrival of parasitized wild adult salmon. Canadian Field Naturalist. 120:2

Morton, A. B. and Routledge (2006) Mortality rates for juvenile pink and chum salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha and keta) infested with sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) in the Broughton Archipelago. Alaska Fisheries Research Bulletin. 11:2, 146-152.

Krkosek, M., M. Lewis, J. Volpe, & A. Morton. 2006. Fish Farms and sea lice infestations of wild juvenile salmon in the Broughton Archipelago – A rebuttal to Brooks (2005). Reviews in Fisheries Science. 14: 1-11.

Morton, A.B., Routledge, R, and Williams R. 2005 Temporal patterns of sea lice infestation on wild Pacific salmon in relation to the fallowing of Atlantic salmon farms. American Journal of Fisheries Management. 25: 811-821

Krkosek, M., M.A. Lewis, & J.P. Volpe. 2005. Transmission dynamics of parasitic sea lice from farm to wild salmon. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 272, 689-696.

Krkosek, M., A. Morton, & J.P. Volpe. 2005. Non-lethal assessment of juvenile Pacific salmon for parasitic sea lice infections and fish health. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 134, 711-716.

Morton, A.B., Routledge, R., Peet, C. and Ladwig, A 2004 Sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, infection rates on juvenile chum and pink salmon in the nearshore marine environment in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 61: 147-157.

Morton, A.B., and Williams R . 2003 Infestation of the sea louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer) on juvenile pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum) in British Columbia, Canadian Field Naturalist, 117: 634-641

- See more at: http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2016/02/bc-salmon-farmers-dodge-responsibility-for-sea-lice.html#sthash.2HwY3Sjr.dpuf. 

Yes, a long list, indeed - more than 30 published papers -that Marine Harvest ignores. Now, the short list from them:

1. http://marineharvest.ca/globalassets/canada/pdf/asc-dashboard-2016/broughton-archipelago-sea-lice-2015.pdf.

2. http://marineharvest.ca/globalassets/canada/pdf/asc-dashboard-2015/quatsino-sound-sea-lice-2015.pdf. Do read these as they are fascinating accounts of beach seining, if nothing else.

Now, DFO's own numbers from Quatstino Sound summer of 2015:
http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/oceans-update/dec15/salmonFarming_farmsOverLiceThresholdClassified_oct2015.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Oceans%20Update%20-%20December%202015&utm_content=Oceans%20Update%20-%20December%202015+CID_1fc9093a2ee700e75fc65e3bc396340b&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Map%20of%20salmon%20farms%20with%20sea%20lice%20infestations.

Yes, all the fish farms in Quatsino were over the 3 lice limit last year. And one was 300% to 800% higher than the limit, coming in at more than 27 lice per fish.

So how is it that Marine Harvest figures are so low and they claim lice don't come from fish farms? Seems a pretty shaky assertion to me.

I would add that the April - May time period may catch chum and pink - there aren't that many in Quatsino. But coho migrate to saltwater in July and chinook are estuarial for as much as 6 months after leaving their river of origin, in the summer, not April/May.

I would add that the beach seines were right across from farms so the discrepancy is likely the result of finding figures in the wrong place, as well as at the wrong time. It is not common for fry to be found on beaches, other than chum.

But I would add that as they only found one searun cutthroat trout, that is strong evidence - not followed up - that fish that spend their lives in shallow water just aren't there. They may have died from sea lice and thus not be in the sample, a species of greater interest given that they spend their whole lives in Quatsino Sound -  on beaches in 3 feet of water. No steelhead fry were found either. I can't speculate on their number being zero, but they are the species of greatest concern for being near the limits of extinction given their small population size - often runs can have as few as 150 individuals.

                                                                  ***

Now, go look at a list of problems in fish farms/seafood industry. Scan the boldfacing. I think you will be shocked: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2015/07/key-document-fish-farm-news-bites.html.