Cohen findings should not be misrepresented
The Daily News, Published: Saturday, November 10, 2012
Re: 'Salmon farms should be outlawed and removed' (Daily News, Nov. 3)
It's a shame that some have chosen to misrepresent the recommendations of the Cohen Report - a $26 million study looking at the recent decline of Fraser River sockeye.
Jim Erkiletian is wrong to suggest the study states that "salmon farms decimate wild salmon populations."
Judge Bruce Cohen actually states he found no evidence that salmon farms have a negative impact on Fraser River sockeye - but suggests that research continue to prove minimal risk. B.C. salmon farmers support this recommendation.
The three-year study does clearly state that there is "no smoking gun" and that a myriad of issues including rising water temperatures, habitat loss, implementation of the wild salmon policy and salmon enhancement require attention.
Salmon aquaculture takes fishing pressure off wild salmon - an important part of salmon conservation.
It's therefore important that people don't misrepresent the findings of a study that can help us focus on what is important to the long term sustainability of wild salmon.
Ian Roberts Marine Harvest Campbell River
Here is the Letter Ian responded to:
Salmon farms should be outlawed and removed
By Jim Erkiletian, The Daily News November 3, 2012
Now that the three-year, $26-million Cohen Report has been released, we are finally told the science shows salmon farms spread diseases and parasites that decimate wild salmon populations. (Not to mention that salmon farmers kill thousands of sea lions and seals that protect wild stocks by eating sharks, mackeral and other species that prey on salmon or compete with them for habitat).
These are obvious actions from an industry that see wild salmon stocks as competition, and should have been obvious to the government when these Norwegian corporations were allowed here. They had already trashed wild stocks in Norway and Scotland, and are destroying those of Chile and Peru.
They should be outlawed and removed from any waters used by wild salmon for migration to the ocean and return. Will the NDP do this, or are they still as enamoured of Norwegian ecocide as the liberals are?
Jim Erkiletian Nanaimo
