Salmon farmers share desire for solutions
By Mary Ellen Walling, Times Colonist, November 2, 2010
Re: "The people have spoken: Put fish farms on land in closed containment," Oct. 29.
On the same day D.C. Reid says the people spoke through a couple of hundred protesters at the Cohen Commission in Vancouver, 6,000 people employed due to the B.C. salmon farming industry began to have their voices heard as the commission's hearings kicked off.
The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association wants all the research, operational procedures and information we have to be part of Justice Bruce Cohen's investigation into the Fraser River sockeye. A release of raw data for five years on 21 farms, as requested by the commissioner, is the beginning of that sharing.
If the science were as clear as Reid alleges, the commission would not be needed.
In reality, there is science that highlights many factors impacting the survival of wild salmon stocks. From fisheries management to logging, rising ocean temperatures to plankton blooms, much needs to be considered.
To blame salmon farming alone is a disservice to a broader and more challenging debate.
B.C.'s salmon farmers are leading the way on research into closed containment technology, but it is not established enough to transfer the industry onto land. As we look at the potential of this emerging technology, we're ensuring that our ocean operations are being run to the highest standard.
Mary Ellen Walling
Executive director
B.C. Salmon Farmers Association
