Fish farms garner more and more support
By Carmen Weld, HQ Comox Valley, Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Fish farms are a hot topic right now and many politicians are being asked to voice their opinion for or against the industry.
Last week Campbell River Mayor Walter Jakeway and Liberal North Island MLA candidate Nick Facey went out on tour of a local salmon fish farms.
“The BC Salmon Farmers Association wants politicians to see how much care and responsibility we feel when we are farming out there. So when they come back and they talk about the economic benefits the industry provides to these communities they can also feel confident that it is not be with sacrifice to the environment. That we are doing both and we are doing both very well,” shared BC Salmon Farmer’s Communication Manager Colleen Dane on the dock after the tour.
Jakeway and Facey commented they were very impressed with the farm they visited, stating that it is a healthy, sustainable and economical option for food and jobs in BC and on North Vancouver Island.
But the industry it is not without its controversy, especially when it comes to environmental concerns, but Dane said even those opinions are changing.
“A couple years ago when I started this job you would hear a lot more about whether or not we should be doing aquaculture, and if we should be doing aquaculture in BC. Now I am finding more and more that the conversations we are having with the public is not whether or not we should be doing it, but how can we make sure we are doing it in the most responsible way,” said Dane.
“One of the most important parts is the amount of work that our industry puts into making sure that what we are doing is being done really well and being done responsibly,” added Dane. Which she said is not only important to the farmers but also British Columbians who care a lot about the ocean and our shared environment.
She also claimed on the farm tour that the industry in itself it’s a lot cleaner and more efficient that other protein farming, such as cattle.
“Cattle for example you would need to provide 8 kilograms of feed for 1 kilogram of meat, pork would be about 6 to 1, chicken about 2 to 1, and salmon right now are at 1.2 to 1 and some companies are even starting to beat that. So we are very close to becoming a net protein producer which is amazing when we talk about the future of food production and how we are going to be able to continue to feed the world,” said Dane.
She adds that in BC alone, aquaculture generates about $800 million dollars a year of economic activity.
