Land- based aquaculture in early stages
by Ian Roberts as submitted to the Editor, Victoria Times Colonist, May 13, 2011
Dear Editor;
While we appreciate letter writer Bob Tritschler’s interest in the sustainability of our business (Land-based salmon farms here now, May 12), we would suggest that he learn more about how BC salmon farms operate today and our investments in land-based systems.
Yes, it is true that a farm in Washington state grows salmon to market size on land, but this is not “large” scale as Mr. Tritschler describes it. About 100 tonnes of salmon is grown annually at that farm, which represents about 1/800 of what we farm in BC.
BC salmon farmers know land-based aquaculture very well. For 1/3 of a farmed salmon’s life, they are grown in state-of-the-art recirculating aquaculture systems before being moved to the ocean for continued growth. Both land and ocean systems produce a very healthy product and both have their own benefits and challenges. The challenges for land based systems are complex, but as we continue to further develop these new technologies, these challenges may be overcome and that balance of land and ocean growing may shift.
Mr. Tritschler’s statement that we are “unwilling” and that we “lack foresight” to develop new technologies certainly does not describe the thousands of salmon farmers in BC.
Should Mr. Tritschler be interested in a tour to learn more about our business, he is welcome to contact me.
Ian's letter as edited by TC and published on May 15, 2011:
Land-based aquaculture in early stages
By Ian Roberts, Times Colonist May 15, 2011
Re: "Land-based salmon farms here now," May 12.
It is true that a farm in Washington state grows salmon to market size on land, but this is not "large" scale as the writer states. About 100 tonnes of salmon are grown annually at that farm. We farm about 800 times as much in B.C.
B.C. salmon farmers know land-based aquaculture well. For one-third of a farmed salmon's life, it is grown in recirculating aquaculture systems before being moved to the ocean for continued growth.
The challenges for land-based systems are complex, but as we continue to develop these new technologies, these challenges may be overcome and that balance of land and ocean growing may shift.
Ian Roberts, Marine Harvest Canada Campbell River
Ian was responding to the following letter to the Editor :
Land-based salmon farms here now
By Bob Tritschler, Times Colonist May 12, 2011
Re: "Land-based salmon farms not yet ready," May 7.
The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association's executive director still does not get it. She states that only small non-salmon sites are being used for land-based aquaculture.
In fact, large land-based facilities for salmon are being operated as I write. Salmon from a land-based facility in Washington state are being sold, delivering salmon for resale through SaveonFoods. These are truly the facilities of the future.
The pollution of pristine oceans and the conversion rate of two to one of protein from fish food to salmon is not green technology.
The only thing stopping land-based facilities in B.C. is a willingness to change from the status quo and get on with the process. The scare tactics about job losses are unfounded and the lack of foresight to ensure a bright future for the salmon aquaculture industry is shameful.
Let's be proactive and get on with the process of getting out of the wild west mentality and into something sustainable and needed for our future food supply.
Bob Tritschler
Parksville
Land-based salmon farms not yet ready
By Mary Ellen Walling, Times Colonist, May 7, 2011
Re: "They're standing up for wild salmon," May 4.
The debate regarding land-based aquaculture is not whether there is such a technology, it's whether that technology is developed to a point that it can maintain the current industry. We are using recirculation facilities already to grow our fish for one-third of our lives.
The examples of successful landbased farms are all for very small quantities of different varieties of fish.
Salmon farms operate in the water because it is the most natural environment for fish to be in, using green energy to grow a very efficient source of protein.
Our operations are highly regulated and based on extensive research to ensure that we are not adding to the stresses faced by B.C.'s wild fish populations.
Mary Ellen Walling Executive director B.C. Salmon Farmers Association Campbell RiverThe Times Colonist column that generated the Letters to the Editor:
They're standing up for wild salmon
By D.C. Reid, Times Colonist May 4, 2011
In need of a hip replacement, I finally had to use a cane to hobble over to the Parliament buildings on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to stand with several hundred concerned British Columbians. The message was simple: it's time to get fish farms out of our oceans and put them on land.
In this way, wild salmon can be saved from the parasites and viruses endemic to such operations. I have watched for many years, and it is clear the damage can be eliminated by putting farms on land. I have found 11 on-land, closed containment systems across North America. Two are franchising their operations across the land and one is a research facility that supports 200 on land systems. In other words, there are more on-land fish farms in North America than all the fish farms in the ocean in B.C. So why are they in the water at all?
There were aboriginals dancing and singing for our iconic fish. Denise Savoie took time from her busy day before the election to stand for salmon, too. Several MLAs were present. And Elizabeth May also stood with the people of British Columbia the day before the national election and told everyone the Greens stand for change on this vital issue. Last week the Times Colonist published the top ten Vancouver Island election issues. Two were fisheries issues: the other being the unfair halibut allocation granting 88 per cent to the commercial sector and only 12 per cent to the people of B.C.
Alexandra Morton has walked all over the province asking dozens of candidates if they stand for salmon. Virtually all said yes. Even a few Tories, who, I'm told, were asked not to comment. I received updated information every few days and there were more than 50 newspaper articles passed on from all over B.C. and several in the Globe and Mail. She and many of the aboriginal chiefs who walked with her were in very worn running shoes and many commented on their sore feet. But they were there.
I think Morton deserves the Order of Canada for making our wild salmon her life's work. She and the people are up against a huge industry. Last year the Earth's annual aquaculture products trade - seaweed to salmon - was $107 billion. And Cermaq, that has amusingly changed its name to Mainstream Canada here, along with Marine Harvest pumped out $5.9 billion in Atlantic salmon from Norwegian operations - 65 per cent of the world's supply.
One of the costs DFO should be charging is sewage clean up and repopulating the ocean bottom.
