POSITIVE AQUACULTURE AWARENESS
NEWS RELEASE
Grassroots aquaculture group says 'goodbye' to US based activists
May 7, 2010, Tomorrow is the final day of the 'Get Out Migration' campaign organized by a Washington, DC based protest group called Pure Salmon. The two week protest was promoted as an "effort to save wild salmon" and was calling on the support of hundreds of people to join activist Alexandra Morton on her 500 km journey down Vancouver Island to end in Victoria.
"Unfortunately, this organized campaign had nothing to do with protecting wild salmon" says Cory Percevault, President of Positive Aquaculture Awareness. "These activists are well funded and have a clear agenda - to drive down public confidence of a sustainable business that supports thousands of hard working British Columbians."
Percevault points out that Pure Salmon is funded by the PEW Foundation and that the Foundation has spent millions of dollars on similar campaigns that attempt to sway the consumer away from farm-raised salmon and thereby promote wild-caught salmon.
It seems the campaign has fallen short of its goal. Public support has been minimal at best and mainstream media has all but ignored the staged events.
"It seems as though the public is tired of hearing the same mis-information from the same people," says Phil Heyward, a Vancouver Island based salmon farmer. "I think people are starting to wake up to these tactics and I'm hearing from more and more people that they just don't believe the allegations from these activists."
For example, Heyward says that the 2009 pink salmon returns to the BC coast were some of the best ever recorded and that this contradicts claims from activists such as Alexandra Morton that pink salmon are soon to be extinct because of salmon farms.
"This campaign has spent thousands on promotion such as TV advertisements, radio spots and PR professionals. I'm pleased to see that British Columbians haven't fallen for a slick campaign based on conjecture, omissions and lies," Heyward adds. "I take great pride in producing a healthy, sustainable product that helps take pressure of wild salmon - that's a fact the consumer can feel good about."
On the final day, the campaigners are advertising a series of events at the Legislature in Victoria - which includes a bar-b-que featuring wild salmon."I've never seen a stranger way to protect wild salmon than to promote eating it," Percevault comments.
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