Hard truths on salmon accompanied by spin
The Daily News, Published: Saturday, November 10, 2012
Re: 'Saving Fraser River Sockeye' (Daily News, Nov. 8)
D.C. Reid fails in his most recent piece to cover his lack of understanding about salmon farms with verbosity and a modicum of wit. However, his piece did include some hard truths.
It's true that sockeye are "the fish B.C. residents like to eat the most" and that "there are plenty of other stressors" on them.
However, the rest of his interpretation of Justice Cohen's findings falls short of the mark.
Despite Reid's claims, there was no freeze of net-pen production recommended; the recommendation is actually for a freeze on expansion, and only in the Discovery Islands area, for a period of eight years.
He is also wrong about: the "viral signature" found by Dr. Miller, which was found in out-going smolts as well as in areas far from salmon farm production; wrong about sockeye "fry" going through Discovery Islands (sockeye do not go to sea until they are smolts); and about ISA, of which the judge found no evidence of its presence.
While Reid is usually eager to accuse salmon farmers of spin, it is very apparent that there are wheels turning (be they squeaky or otherwise) in his own camp as well.
James Costello Mainstream Canada
Here is the article James responded to:
Saving Fraser River Sockeye
By D.C. Reid, The Daily News November 8, 2012
The recently released Cohen Commission report is a far-ranging, bold document aimed at making the federal government perform its duties with respect to the Fraser River sockeye run, which is the second most important sockeye fishery - some years it's the most important - after Bristol Bay, Alaska, in the world. See: cohencommission.ca.
It has also made fish farm environmental damage hit mainstream Canada. The general public now realizes the damage of marine harvest - farms should be on land. Cohen stated: "Mitigation measures should not be delayed in the absence of scientific certainty." This is his formulation of the precautionary principle for creative salmon solutions.
Cohen recommended a freeze on net-pen salmon farm production in the Discovery Islands until Sept. 30, 2020 (the migration route of most Fraser sockeye fry). "If by that date, DFO cannot confidently say the risk of serious harm to wild stocks is minimal, it should then prohibit all net-pen salmon farms from operating in the Discovery Islands." If before that date the government determines that salmon farms pose more than a minimal risk to Fraser River sockeye, their operation should be prohibited immediately.
The research of DFO scientist, Dr. Kristi Miller, on the "viral signature" of Fraser sockeye that die before spawning by the millions, along with that of salmon leukemia virus in the '90s and findings of ISA back to 1988 are examples of such research already undertaken. There is a mountain of science on the internet.
There are plenty of other stressors of the fish B.C. residents like to eat the most. These range from forestry practices, water removal for farming, marine spills, algal blooms in the Strait of Georgia, acoustical evidence of fresh-and salt-water mortality, pesticides, pulp and paper, metal mining and municipal water effluents, lack of enforcement, enhanced fish effects and funding. He also called for eliminating the "client" handling of the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency.
If you want to cut to the chase in this 1,200 page, $26 million, three volume tome, read the summary of its 75 recommendations, pages 105 to 115 of Volume 3. At its heart, Cohen's report says there should be a new western director general charged with the responsibility of implementing the 2005 Wild Salmon Policy and the 1986 Habitat Policy.
Cohen calls on the new position to undertake responsibility for the environment, with greater emphasis on sections 35 and 36 of the Fisheries Act, as well as the Environmental Protection Act, and a greatly increased science budget for Fraser sockeye. Note that this would negate the gutting of those acts' fish protection clauses, and resist the layoffs of science people that the federal Stephen Harper government has completed in the last year.
Cohen calls for stakeholder comment, making DFO science public on its website, as well as responding to comments - publicly. This is much like a permanent Cohen Commission, without its legal evidentiary nature, that at times, did reduce progress to a snail's pace.
The purpose is for DFO to take positive action and not, as Cohen notes, simply ratchet down fisheries until only First Nations food and ceremonial fisheries remain. I would add that an independent panel of experts, such as Kibenge, Nylund, Miller - fish disease experts - and Pacific Ocean countries, makes sense, too. With creative salmon solutions, we can have great seafood.
