A public hanging gone wrong
Courier-Islander, November 11, 2011
In the end, to this point, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has said there is no Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) in British Columbia waters.
Earlier reports had indicated otherwise, and the news spread far and wide much to the chagrin of the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a public hanging. One in which the victim was left dangling, until the rope was cut at the last minute.
Certainly the concerns of an ISA breakout should cause us all to shudder, especially the industry itself. And the general public must be somewhat confused with headlines around the world that confirmed it had indeed broken out, and then more subdued headlines that it hadn't, according to the CFIA.
No matter on what side of the fence one sits, it is difficult not to think that the salmon farming industry got the raw end of the deal through it all.
It did no good for them, and it did little good for those who want to see fish farms moved out of the ocean environment.
It sends a clear message that we should not be jumping all over a probability.
Yet jump a lot of people did. The CFIA says it has more testing to do and in that the world awaits.
In the meantime the lesson is clear. Without fully substantiated facts, it is unfair and sadly malicious to suggest a high noon hanging is in order.
