Letter submitted to the Editor of the Vancouver Province
By Clare Backman, October 26, 2010
In response to Ian Austin’s article, “Activists paddle to save salmon” (October 25, 2010), it is disappointing that the Province would take such a one-dimensional view, despite our efforts to give your newspaper accurate information to explain our side of this matter. Frankly, the 525 people who work for Marine Harvest Canada and who depend on salmon farming to provide for their families are tired of media coverage that simply promotes these colourful but misinformed campaigns. Articles such as this deny the salmon farmers’ voice and exclude them from any public discussion.
Had you bothered to ask us, you may have learned that:
The BC Salmon Farmers Association has standing at the Cohen Commission of enquiry into the decline of Fraser River Sockeye salmon. The salmon farmers have responded to the commission's recent order by providing five years of site by site data on fish health at BC Salmon Farms in those areas where the young sockeye salmon likely migrate.
We expect that the commission will see that this information is in agreement with years of public fish health reporting by our regulators. We hope that they will see the data as evidence showing that our farmed fish are healthy, have always been healthy and are not disease reservoirs putting wild salmon at risk.
Protection of our wild salmon is a value we share with all BC residents and we contribute to the restoration and enhancement of salmon stocks in the neighborhoods where we live. We resent being cast as uncaring or unconcerned about declines to salmon streams regardless of whether it is the Fraser River or a small unnamed creek where we volunteer in our local community.
Finally we expect that the Province newspaper would not be simple play to the antics of camera friendly protestors. This simply dilutes our appreciation of the important work of Justice Cohen as he leads his assessment of the many and varied impacts to the survival of the Fraser River sockeye.
We are sure that your newspaper will have the courage to represent voices from all sides of this issue in the future.
Clare Backman RP Bio.
Director of Sustainability
Marine Harvest Canada
(Note: Letter to the Editor was submitted not published)
