News we found of interest this week

May 8, 2015
News we found of interest this week – May 4 to May 8, 2015
 
The Garden Story at Raza Island
 
Farmers have one goal in common…grow it from scratch.
Samantha MacLeod, The Province, May 5, 2015.
Recently I heard about some fish farmers growing a vegetable garden and I was intrigued – when it comes to local farming may it be fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, or fish, I am always ready to explore, to know more. All I learnt about fish farming, I learnt from Bruce Banta, Farm Manager of Raza Farms…
 
Media sentiments changing?
Odd Grydeland, FishfarmingXpert, May 6, 2015
Ever since the largest run of sockeye salmon in a hundred years returned to the Fraser River in British Columbia during a public inquiry into the well-being of those fish, the Vancouver-based media has been wary of pointing fingers at the salmon farming business.
 
Fish farmers find unique way to keep up morale
Campbell River Mirror, May 8, 2015
...at Cermaq’s Raza Island fish farm, the crew are spending their leisure time in a whole different way – tending to a garden that yields fresh produce for the workers. Bruce Banta, the farm manager at Raza Island, said the garden started last spring after the plant’s former assistant manager brought bags of soil to work that he didn’t know what to do with.
Marine Harvest Canada
 
Court decision provides legal clarity for Marine Harvest Canada
May 7, 2015 – Campbell River, B.C.
A recent decision of the Federal Court involving British Columbia's largest salmon aquaculture company, Marine Harvest Canada, confirms its legal right to transport healthy salmon to and from its coastal BC operations. The lawsuit, initiated in May 2013 by anti-salmon farming activist Alexandra Morton, challenged the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans’ authority to allow Marine Harvest to transfer salmon from freshwater hatcheries to ocean-based farms. It also questioned the health of salmon transferred by Marine Harvest in March 2013. There was no evidence that Marine Harvest transferred unhealthy fish.
 
Another questionable Canadian court case
A federal court decision is hailed as a victory by environmentalists, but described as a non-issue by salmon farmers.
Odd Grydeland, FishfarmingXpert, May 8, 2015
As usual, when the anti-salmon farming activist Alexandra Morton claims to have won another court case against the salmon farming industry in British Columbia, the media coverage is instantaneous and fraught with inaccuracies.
 
Reference Link: Study confirms history of recently discovered fish virus
August 8, 2014 - A new study, published last month in the international peer-reviewed Journal of Fish Diseases, reports on extensive fish virus research and confirms that the recently identified fish virus (piscine reovirus) is a benign virus that has long been present in fish in the Pacific Northwest.
Letter to the Editor by Dr. Gary Marty
 
Sea lice study inconclusive
Letters, Vancouver Sun, May 8, 2015
Re: Sea lice limit young salmon’s ability to get food, April 30
 
The statements in the headline for this article are not supported by the data in the featured scientific paper.
 
Diseases and parasites are natural and common in wild salmon, the same way all living organisms including plants, pets, and people can become sick or be stricken by disease for unknown reasons. External parasites commonly infest fish that are sick for other reasons; this is similar to a person whose immune system is weakened — they can be more susceptible to catching other illnesses. This study is incomplete because it did not test the fish for diseases known to affect B.C. sockeye salmon.
 
Imagine a human hospital study that compares daily food consumption of people wearing hospital gowns with people wearing stethoscopes (e.g., doctors). The study would consistently find less feeding in groups wearing the gowns (e.g., patients) than in doctors. However, it would be incorrect to conclude the gowns were the reason for the decreased food intake.
 
Likewise, it is also incorrect to conclude sea lice were the reason for the decreased feeding by the sockeye salmon. As in the hospital, the cause of decreased sockeye salmon feeding might be pre-existing disease.
 
GARY MARTY
Senior Fish Pathologist, BC Ministry of Agriculture
BCSFA
 
Reducing Workplace Injuries by Putting Employees First
3BL/BCSFA. May 6, 2015
Cermaq Canada, one of the largest producers of farm-raised salmon in British Columbia, recognizes the importance maintaining high standards for the health and safety of its employees to ensure a more productive work environment.
 
Divers are an important part of #aquaculture operations. #BCSFA member @DiveSafetyInt discusses safety http://bit.ly/1R2m4V9  #NAOSHWeek
Alaska
 
Tit for Tat? Stop selling Alaskan salmon everywhere outside of Alaska.
Posted by Alaska Salmon Ranching on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 ·
A recent editorial in the Juneau Empire makes strong demands on the retail giant Costco. “We encourage Costco to stop selling farmed salmon immediately in Juneau, and, if this product is being sold elsewhere in Alaska, to discontinue sales in those stores as well,” states the editor. Does the State of Alaska really wanna play that game? Because, after all, the protectionist game works both ways.
PAA Note: Make sure to check out the comments posted
Of Interest

Packed program for aquaculture conference
Odd Grydeland, FishfarmingXpert, May 5, 2015
The Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC) is getting ready for the annual Aquaculture Canada conference, which is being held on Vancouver Island this year.
 
I posted 6 photos on Facebook in the album "Newest accommodation barge launched" http://fb.me/35lXLkWLY 
 
People need to get more fish in their diets
Daily Democrat,  By LeeAnn Weintraub, LA Daily News, May 5, 2015
We all know that fish, an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, provides many important health benefits...The health benefits of eating fish are endless.
Recipes Aquaculture Aware ‏@BCAquaculture  recently tweeted: 
 
Canadian LivingVerified account ‏@canadianliving   Heart-healthy & quick to make, this dish is a dinner winner. http://bit.ly/1DEYwv0 
 
Have a good weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!