Get Out Migration in Campbell River, Courier-Islander, April 30, 2010
Alexandra Morton's Get Out Migration continued to spark growing support, criticism and publicity as it passed through the Campbell River region Tuesday and Wednesday...
...But other First Nations support the industry. Sean Matilpi of the Kitasoo First Nation, watched the Atlantic salmon demonstration Wednesday. He called it misinformation. He said sea lice were around long before the fish farms.
"Some guys are for it and some guys are against it, but like I say, it feeds my family and I make a good living at it so I'm not going to put it down."
Missing from Wednesday's demonstration was any form of counter-rally from industry workers.
"There are activists like we see today that refuse to engage with companies, so there's no sense in getting out and butting heads with these people," said Marine Harvest spokesperson Ian Roberts. "They don't listen to facts. We have little time or energy for these type of stunts that were pulled today."
He said the march presented an opportunity to discuss real industry issues. He said many people aren't aware of the industry's efforts to work with stakeholders to minimize risks to wild salmon. Roberts said the call to remove fish farms from wild salmon migration routes is misinformed.
"There's no science that backs up their claim that those farms in that channel are harming wild sockeye salmon, which is their claim," he said. "But regardless of that, salmon farmers acknowledge that the risk is there, so we are taking actions in the spring, like we do for the pink salmon, for the coho, for the sockeye to ensure that our fish are healthy. Yes, we get sea lice transferred to our fish from wild fish. We need to manage our fish during this period and we think that there is minimal, if not zero risk, to wild salmon coming through."
Meanwhile the BC Salmon Farmers Association said Morton was spreading "misinformation about sea lice treatments, disease and the effects of salmon farming on wild salmon." Positive Aquaculture Awareness - which describes itself as "a grassroots group of aquaculture workers and suppliers" - ridiculed the small number of boats in Tuesday's flotilla, saying "if you blinked you would have missed it."
"There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that these few farms are a threat to wild salmon, yet they ask for the elimination of hundreds of jobs," president Cory Percevault said in a release. "This is outrageous."
