Letter to the Editor, Courier-Islander, April 09, 2010
The Pacific Salmon Forum final report stated: "Everyone calls for facts and science based processes, but every contending group offers its own 'facts'..." So it is with the Morton camp of researchers. In a letter by Twyla Roscovich (April 2) she states: "For example, in Dec 2007 Martin Krkosek, PhD and Morton had their research published in the journal Science outlining the future collapse of wild salmon in BC in the near future due to sea lice, and yet DFO, government and industry tried to call it pseudo-science." There are very good reasons why the term pseudo-science was used. The so-called research is a series of statistical models (with highly debated assumptions, see Science rebuttal)) that in 2007 predicted the extinction of the pink salmon in the Broughton. This did not come to pass. In fact the real world science found pink salmon returns to levels that permitted a fishery this past year. Models can be useful but when they do not match reality and are considered more important (by many anti-aquaculture activists) than the documented facts, they fall into the realm of pseudo-science.
The Pacific Salmon Forum final report resulted from four years of research (including research by Morton and Kroksek) came to the conclusion: "Our recommendations also see a future where salmon farming is viewed as an important economic driver and a legitimate user of the marine environment that is compatible with healthy wild salmon populations." I encourage everyone to read the report as it has very good recommendations for the sustainable future for both farmed and wild salmon in BC.
Robert Wager,
Vancouver Island University,
Nanaimo
