Letter misrepresents Cohen report
Whistler Question, December 13, 2012
Geoff Swan makes several incorrect statements about the Cohen Commission, salmon farms and wild fish in his Dec. 6 letter “Cohen report no surprise.”
He claims wild salmon are “extinct in Ireland, Norway etc.”
This is not true. There are still wild Atlantic salmon in Ireland and Norway, and although their numbers have been greatly diminished by centuries of overfishing, they are not extinct.
As well, he claims Bill C-38 will “increase the tenure of the existing salmon farms.”
This is not true, either. Tenure decisions are up to the provincial government, not the federal, and have nothing to do with bill C-38.
Finally, he misrepresents the main conclusion of the Cohen Commission report, which stated that there is no “smoking gun” and no evidence that anything in particular, e.g. salmon farms, are causing harm to Fraser sockeye. Justice Cohen calls for more research and for science-based decision making, which as salmon farmers, we fully support.
Laurie Jensen
Mainstream Canada
Here is the letter Laurie Jensen responded to:
Cohen report no surprise
Whistler Question, December 6, 2012
Well there you have it — the Bruce Cohen Report on the ongoing annihilation of salmon in our province.
Eleven hundred pages, 18 months of hearings and $26 million later we have uncovered the same main reasons that wild salmon are extinct in Ireland, Norway etc.
For a 26-cent text message to the department of fisheries in Ireland we could have saved some funds. "Hello … How come your salmon over there are no more? What's that you say? Diseases, viruses, sea lice from salmon farms and over fishing with methods that are unsustainable."
So, having received this vital shocking report what do the conservatives do? Table bill C-38, which increases the tenure of the existing salmon farms, dismantles environmental protection agencies and orders another study.
Where did the $26 million go? Well to start with $12.4 million went to lawyers, I should say no more in case they sue me, and a further $1.98 million went for communications. I guess the price of stamps went up.
Geoff Swan
Whistler
