Two very good Letters to the Editor in the Vancouver Sun:
Alaska's salmon ranching vs. B.C.'s salmon farms
By Mary Ellen Walling, Vancouver Sun February 9, 2011
While there may be different perspectives on the implications of Vivian's Krause's research regarding foundation funding, there is some incorrect information in Rick Burns' letter that needs to be corrected, regardless of opinion on B.C.'s salmon farming industry.
Firstly, it is wrong to suggest that the provincial and/or federal government subsidize salmon farming in B.C. While there are some cases of research partnerships into innovation that receive direct, targeted funding, companies operating here support themselves through their regular operations.
It is unfortunate that such an obviously-wrong statement was allowed to be published.
As for the difference in regulations between wild fisheries and salmon farming -the reason is simply that they are different industries. Salmon farmers are required to maintain water quality and ocean bottom standards while ensuring fish health is protected both for the sake of the farmed fish in the pens, and for their wild cousins beyond.
Many Canadians recognize the industry as a key economic driver in coastal communities and opportunity for meaningful employment.
They also see it as a means to meet an ever-increasing world appetite for salmon that wild stocks cannot provide for.
Mary Ellen Walling
Executive Director, BC Salmon Farmers Assoc. Campbell River
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Alaska's salmon ranching vs. B.C.'s salmon farms
By Vivian Krause, Vancouver Sun February 9, 2011
Re: Wild salmon versus farmed salmon: Who's the underdog? Letters, Feb. 5
The poorest parts of B.C. are the north end of Vancouver Island and the north coast.
This is precisely where salmon farming could provide well-paying jobs that are sorely needed.
Despite the controversy over farmed salmon, production in Norway has doubled since 2003. It's not the Norwegian companies that are losing out, it's consumers that are turned away from a heart-healthy food and the rural communities that could grow it. Six thousand jobs hinge on whether this industry can get out of the penalty box.
Nevertheless, if salmon farming threatens wild salmon, forget the jobs. What gets forgotten is that salmon farming avoids some of the worst risks to wild salmon such as over-fishing and bycatch.
More than 95 per cent of Alaskan ranched salmon are never harvested. They get eaten by other fish. All of the feed pellets given to these hatchery salmon -at a cost to Alaska of $20 million per year -are virtually wasted.
Worse still, before ranched salmon die, they consume about 11 million metric tons of wild forage feed per year.
That's an enormous strain on the food chain and the carrying capacity of the Pacific ecosystem.
To put that into perspective, that's five times the total annual production of both wild and farmed salmon.
Is it any wonder that some wild salmon aren't returning like they used to?
Last year, federal payments for Aboriginal fisheries and aquatic resources were $81 million. On top of that, government spends $30 million per year on unemployment insurance for commercial fishers in B.C. alone. In comparison, for 2009/2010, federal grants for aquaculture were $4.6 million.
Vivian Krause
Vancouver
