BCSFA and Bloggers from Protest the Protesters and Salmon Farm Science respond to Alexandra Mortons latest attempt to create controversy about BC Salmon Farming.
HSMI and piscine reovirus (PRV)
BCSFA, April 16, 2012
Key Points
•HSMI has never been found in B.C. farmed salmon.
•BC salmon farmers are not observing any clinical symptoms of the disease in farmed fish, which would suggest the virus is present.
•It is not uniformly accepted among scientists that PRV causes HSMI; in fact scientists are still investigating whether or not there is actually a connection.
•Statements in the press release circulated by Alexandra Morton and Salmon are Sacred go well beyond the current state of scientific knowledge regarding PRV or HSMI. This follows a track record by this group of seeking to sensationalize information in create unfounded concern.
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Fear mongering
Protesting the Protesters, April 14, 2012
Alexandra Morton got more press time today and yesterday after putting out a press release to promote her latest home made science experiment.
Fear mongering (or scaremongering or scare tactics) is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end. The feared object or subject is sometimes exaggerated, and the pattern of fear mongering is usually one of repetition, in order to continuously reinforce the intended effects of this tactic, sometimes in the form of a vicious circle.
This is the tactic used by Alexandra Morton and the supporters of the group Salmon are Sacred. They try to make people believe that fish farms are evil and should be feared, . They use repetition until people finally believe that sea lice will be the death of all wild salmon and fish farms are to blame. This despite the fact that research done by Morton herself has shown this to not be the case.
The survival of the pink salmon cohort was not statistically
different from a reference region without salmon farms.
At least here we have a scientific paper that can be referenced and reviewed. However, Morton’s newest favourite topic is disease transfer. If there is a disease on a salmon farm, there is a risk of it spreading to wild stocks. Even if in reality the risk of transfer is miniscule, Morton tries to get people to believe that any risk, even tiny, is unacceptable.
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Another day another virus scare
Salmon Farm Science, April 13, 2012
Apparently Alexandra Morton is now claiming the farmed fish she bought at T&T Supermarkets shows evidence of some new virus.
How come it only takes four women with shopping carts to find it, she crows on her blog.
We answer with this: maybe only she is finding these things because they are in her imagination. She is wrong, and practicing bad science, and not really finding anything, just like Bigfoot ‘experts’ and UFO hunters.
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