Sea Lice AND Salmon - Farmed And Dangerous

6. WHAT SPECIES OF SALMONARE FARMED IN BC?Over 80% of the salmon currently raised inBC’s fish farms are Atlantic salmon. Theremainder are two of the Pacific species,Chinook and coho. [10] Until 1985, fish farmersrelied on the native coho and Chinook, and didpoorly. The industry prospered after itswitched to the easier-to-raise Atlantic salmon.From 1986 to 2001, the production of farmedsalmon increased from 400 to 68,000 tonnes [11]—despite the moratorium which preventedexpansion of the industry from 1995 to 2002.7. HOW ADEQUATE ARE BC’SSALMON FARMING REGULATIONS?Salmon farming in BC is conducted prettymuch as it is elsewhere throughout the world.Fish in large, open net-pens in shallow baysare fed commercial feed, treated with antibioticsand other drugs, harvested at a specifiedFIGURE 2FIGURE 3size, and sold the world over. What differs arethe regulations from one country to another.Although BC’s aquaculture industry is relativelysmall (Norway had 854 salmon farms in 2000)[12], the province has yet to establish regulationsbeyond pollution control—which seemsinadequate considering what BC has to lose.Although BC still has many of its original racesof wild salmon, many of them are now atrisk—from overfishing, habitat loss, and otherproblems. [13, 14] The diversity of wild Pacificsalmon populations is a product of thousandsof years of evolution. There are six mainspecies of Pacific salmon (coho, sockeye, pink,chum, steelhead and Chinook) and only onespecies of Atlantic salmon. That BC still hasvast areas of wilderness and that many animals,people and ecosystems rely on wildsalmon underscores how foolhardy it is tointroduce an alien species.8. WHY ARE ATLANTIC SALMONFARMED ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN?Commercial salmon farming originatedin Europe, and then expanded to Canada’sMaritime Provinces. Atlantic salmonwere, and still are, the preferredsalmon. They are more easily domesticated,have higher net-pen growthrates, and are more stress-resistant thantheir Pacific relatives. British Columbianfish farmers were having limited successfarming Pacific salmon, so theypressured the Provincial and Federalgovernments to permit the introductionof Atlantic salmon into Canada’s Pacificregion—as Washington State hadalready been pressured into doing. [15]9. ARE THERE MORE FARMED ORWILD SALMON IN THE OCEAN?There are still more wild than farmedsalmon in BC’s coastal waters. However,in coastal waters of countries such asNorway—where salmon farming is moreintensive and where wild salmon stockshave severely declined—farmed salmonoften outnumber wild salmon by a widemargin.That BC stillhas vast areasof wildernessand thatmany animals,people andecosystems relyon wild salmonunderscoreshow foolhardyit is to introducean alien species.Sea Lice and Salmon: Elevating the Dialogue5