No means no
By Mary Ellen Walling, Courier-Islander February 8, 2012
Re: Letter: A different investment, Feb. 3, Courier-Islander.
It's not surprising that the recent letter by Mr. Proboszcz and Mr. Orr accuses others of misrepresenting information while they, in the same very letter, misrepresent information.
These authors fail to note that laboratories testing for ISA didn't have consistent results on the same samples, that no virus has been isolated, and that the only consistent testing of salmon for ISA in the past decade has been on BC's farms (all results negative). Scientists have added that because the findings don't match ISA directly, it could be something slightly different. They don't know much more about what they're finding: it could have been here for centuries, it could be non-pathogenic (doesn't cause disease).
These are all important points to include in any discussion about ISA and B.C., along with the current results, testing procedures and historical record.
Salmon farmers don't say this to confuse the public or 'spin' as some would like people to think - we share that information to better inform the public who are often getting incomplete information. With a more fulsome picture of the situation, the public can understand that these issues are not cut and dry as critics try to make it out to be.
Our business depends on the health of our fish. That's why we pay such close attention to them and test and monitor regularly. We have a very high survival rate, and we release more information to the public than any other food production industry in BC.
Mary Ellen Walling Executive Director BC Salmon Farmers Association
To read the letter Mary Ellen was responding to and some additional commnets go here:
