Sea Lice AND Salmon - Farmed And Dangerous

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Aquaculture1. WHAT IS AQUACULTURE?Aquaculture refers to the raising of aquaticorganisms such as fish, molluscs, crustaceans,and aquatic plants in environments modifiedto produce enhanced harvest rates, andincludes fish farms and some fish hatcheries.Aquaculturists own the animals and plantsthey raise. [1]There is evidence that aquaculture has beenpracticed the world over, for thousands ofyears—in China beginning about 4000 yearsago, and in Mesopotamia, about 3500 yearsago. The Roman Empire’s aquacultural practicesin the Mediterranean were later adoptedby Christian monasteries throughout centralEurope. [2]Many people hope aquaculture will supplementor even replace many of the traditionalcommercial fisheries now in decline. Somebelieve fish farming is preferable to harvestingwild fish because fish farmers have considerablecontrol over the environment in whichtheir fish grow, and can provide consistentquality fish year-round.The finfish farming industry is relatively newto British Columbia, and salmon are the maincrop. Though salmon are an integral part ofBritish Columbia’s economy, history and culture,runs of wild salmon have declined so precipitouslythat many of those who onceworked in the commercial salmon fishery—andwould prefer to do so now—are obliged towork in the salmon farming industry. The shiftraises a number of social and environmentalconcerns, and helps explain why salmon farminghas been controversial since it began hereover three decades ago.2. WHAT IS A SALMON FARM?Most commonly, farmed salmon are raised inopen net cages or mesh nets placed in shelteredbays and fjords along a coast. The netsof open-net farms are placed side by side,and are usually accessed by a floating wharf.Individual net pens used in BC are usuallysquare or circular, have surface areas rangingfrom 150 to 1000 m 2 , and are about 10 mdeep. [3, 5]BC’s farmed salmon are hatched in privatelyowned land-based hatcheries. ‘Brood-stock’eggs and milt are selected to produce fastgrowing,big fish—that is, fish that efficientlyconvert food into flesh and mature quickly—that can tolerate crowding. The salmon eggsare fertilized and incubated and the youngsalmon are raised in hatcheries until able tolive in saltwater pens, where they remain untilthey are harvested. [3]Salmon farms arefloating pens used forgrowing salmon.David Suzuki Foundation photo2 Sea Lice and Salmon: Elevating the Dialogue
3. CHRONOLOGY OF SALMON FARMING IN BCSalmon farming began in BC in the early 1970s. [4] Here are some of the industry’s milestones:1970s Salmon farming in BC begins withsmall, locally-owned farms, mainly onthe Sunshine Coast. Poor environmentalconditions, diseases and marketchallenges force many out of business;1980s First Nations, local communities, fishermenand environmentalists voiceconcerns about fish farms and theirimpact on the ocean and communities;1985 Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)permits Atlantic salmon eggs to beimported into BC despite disease dangersand possible displacement ofnative wild salmon;1986 Gillespie Inquiry. Massive losses offarmed salmon, poor placement ofsalmon farms and growing complaintsfrom the public force the provincialgovernment to impose a month-longmoratorium against approving newfarm sites;1985–90 BC’s salmon farming industryexpands from 10 to over 180 sites; [3]1991 First report of Atlantic salmon attemptingto spawn in a Pacific stream;1995 Provincial government moratoriumprevents new fish farms, and caps thenumber of tenures at 121. However,the size of farms is allowed toincrease. Fish production increasesduring the moratorium;1995–97 Environmental review of the fishfarming industry (the Salmon AquacultureReview—SAR) is initiated, presumablyto address public concerns;1997 The SAR’s 49 recommendations aremade public. The provincial governmentand the BC Salmon FarmersAssociation support the findings, andannounce plans to implement them; [5]2000 Federal Auditor General’s auditidentifies a conflict of interest betweenthe Department of Fisheries andOceans’ promotion of salmon farmingand its mandate to protect wild fishand wild fish habitat; [6]2001 Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries’report reveals that DFO disregardsits mandate to protect wild fishstocks; [7]2001 David Suzuki Foundation-fundedcritique of the aquaculture industry(Leggatt Inquiry) is conducted; [8]2002 Government of BC lifts its 1995moratorium on new tenures;2002 Broughton Archipelago pink salmonstocks crash. Fewer than 5% of theexpected run returns. Both DFO andthe Pacific Fisheries Resource ConservationCouncil (PFRCC) agree that thelow numbers are exceptional.[9] Academicand independent scientists, FirstNations, environmental groups, andlocal communities suspect sea liceinfestations are responsible;2002 The PFRCC releases an advisory tofederal and provincial fisheries ministers,urging the immediate removal ofBroughton Archipelago salmon farmsin order to protect outward boundjuvenile pink salmon in 2003; [9]2003 Broughton Archipelago salmon farmsremain open despite widespreadmedia coverage on the issue andincreasing public opposition to salmonaquaculture.Runs of wildsalmon havedeclined soprecipitously thatmany of thosewho once workedin the commercialsalmon fisheryare obliged towork in thesalmon farmingindustry.Sea Lice and Salmon: Elevating the Dialogue3
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Sea Lice AND Salmon - Farmed And Dangerous

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