Article on fish tracking was misleading
Letter: David Welch, The Daily News, September 18, 2010
Re: 'Science used to track fish hints at fish-farming link' (Daily News, Sept. 16)
I was disappointed to read the recent article on my company's research and the linkage to fish farms. The good news is that a "Made in Nanaimo" company is achieving world-leading advances to measure salmon survival at sea. Unfortunately, the article is misleading; first, our results are not "adding fuel to the fire" in the debate over salmon aquaculture--our results clearly showed that young sockeye passed the area containing fish farms with high survival in 2007. The 2009 adult survival problem probably developed several weeks later, beyond the fish farms. Our results thus help to change the focus of the debate because they indicate wild smolts do not immediately die as a result of migrating through areas with fish farms, as past studies (concentrated around the farms) have assumed. Second, these results are well-known to DFO's science branch, who have already included them in two recent review documents. Third, although I spoke at the Cohen Commission's meeting in Nanaimo, I did not present our research there, as the article claims--I stated my personal view that the Commission should keep the broadest possible perspective as to the possible causes.
David Welch, President
Kintama Research
Nanaimo
“Mr. Welch was responding to the article “Science used to track fish hints at fish-farming link to dead salmon”
http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=8e1565a6-e800...
