Efforts continue to reduce PCBs found in salmon
Grant Warkentin, Napa Valley Register, Feburary 2, 2013
Mark Worthing makes numerous errors in his recollection of facts about salmon farming and feed ingredients (“Salmon farming requires further research,” Jan. 25).
He misrepresents and ignores many facts in the testimony given in court when we sued anti-aquaculture activist Don Staniford for defamation. The facts were given by Jason Mann, who is in charge of nutrition and purchasing at our feed mill and sister company, EWOS Canada.
Worthing is wrong to state that EWOS Canada “is the primary fish farm food company operating in Canada.” As explained during the trial, EWOS Canada is one of two major feed mills supplying salmon farms in British Columbia; ocean ranches in Alaska; and B.C. wild salmon enhancement facilities.
EWOS Canada is the exclusive supplier of feed to all our Mainstream Canada farms. EWOS Canada does not supply salmon farms on the east coast of Canada.
While Worthing is correct that menhaden, fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico and landed in Louisiana and Texas, are used as feed ingredients, and correct that they undergo a “washing” process to remove PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) when they are made into fish oil, he is incorrect in his claim that they compose the “majority” of the marine ingredients used in our feed.
In fact, as Mr. Mann explained, menhaden make up at most
50 percent, as fish meal and fish oil from Chile and Peru is also used. Because of their geographical location and low exposure to industrial compounds, South American fish are naturally low in PCBs.
Mr. Mann pointed out this “washing” process is the same used by health supplement companies to produce fish oil capsules, a fact Worthing ignores when he tries to scare people about the fish on Napa Valley plates, people who may also be taking omega-3 supplements.
Worthing is wrong that this is done “to allow them to meet Canadian health standards.” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limit for PCBs in food and feed ingredients used to produce food for human consumption — the standard we follow and similar to the Canadian standard — is 2,000 parts per billion, and has been so for many years.
In the 1990s, before menhaden were “washed” to decrease PCBs, the typical amount of PCBs in salmon feed was 100 parts per billion, well within FDA limits. Today, the amount is around
30 parts per billion.
The amount of PCBs in farmed salmon has always been within safe limits, but we are constantly working to reduce them, because we are always looking for ways to improve. PCBs are omnipresent in our environment.
Roughly 85 percent of the PCBs Americans consume come from dairy products, pork and beef. We believe constantly working to reduce these compounds in our fish is the responsible thing to do, and it’s working — PCBs in our feed are only one-third what they were 12 years ago.
Worthing is incorrect that these amounts bio-accumulate in our salmon as we grow them. We regularly test our fish, and typically the PCB limits are so low as to be non-detectable by current standards, which test for parts per billion.
Finally, he is incorrect about the date of the court case: It took place in January and February of 2012, not 2011.
There is one thing right about Worthing’s letter — the headline. Salmon farming does require more research, and I encourage readers to do their research.
We are always open to answering any questions they might have about our fish and our business, and how we grow salmon that is safe, healthy and nutritious.
Grant Warkentin works for Mainstream Farms and lives in Campbell River, British Columbia.
Millions invested to ensure safe fish consumption
Scott Herbert, Napa Valley Register, February 01, 2013
I read the letter to the editor from Mark Worthing (“Salmon farming requires further research,” Jan. 25) and continue to question why people want to express their uneducated opinions, especially from someone who professes himself to be a journalist.
I did not read the original article that he was responding to (“Clarification of toxins in farmed fish,” Jan. 19), but a couple of his comments made me angry enough to reply.
The first topic is his claim that the majority of oils in the feed come from “manhayden.” The fish is menhaden, and while it is typically a significant portion of the fish oil, it is not the only one, and certainly not a majority.
The second topic is his understanding of fish oils from the Gulf of Mexico and his claim that they are some of the most toxic in North America. Gulf origin menhaden oil, specifically, is extremely low in toxins.
The menhaden are short-lived, plankton surface feeders, and do not live long enough to bio-accumulate toxins. The natural levels of dioxins, furans, PCBs, and heavy metals are far below U.S. and Canadian standards, and can be detected only by specialty labs in Europe.
To be extra cautious, the two menhaden processing companies have installed cleaning facilities to bind and remove the ultra-trace levels of these contaminants and are subsequently tested by specialty labs to levels below one part per trillion, which is way below the strictest standards in the world.
The Deep Water Horizon catastrophe caused both the processors and governmental authorities to dramatically increase the testing for a variety of contaminants, but principally PAHs (poly-aromatic hydrocarbons) and nothing has come up to a level of even 1 percent of the Food and Drug Administration level of concern.
I would suspect that the seafood from the Gulf of Mexico has been the most tested of any seafood in the world since the incident.
The salmon farmers and their feed manufacturers have been very aware of the concerns regarding toxins and contaminants, and have invested millions in research to assure a safe and healthy product to their customers.
These industries are very environmentally conscious and have very stringent requirements for the ingredient suppliers. The suppliers are required to undergo third-party audits by accredited certification bodies, as well as customer audits to assure that the suppliers are providing wholesome, safe, and sustainable ingredients.
Scott Herbert / New Orleans
Reference Link - The Menhaden Fishoil Facts
EWOS, February 2013
The Gulf of Mexico menhaden fish oil is extremely low in toxins. Menhaden fish are short lived plankton feeders that do not live long enough to bio-accumulate toxins. The levels of dioxins, furans, PCB's and heavy metals are far below US and Canadian standards and can only be detected by specialty labs in Europe.
As an extra precaution, the Gulf's 2 menhaden processors have installed facilities to bind and remove ultra low trace levels of these contaminants to levels below 1 part per trillion. This is better than the strictest standards found anywhere in the world.
The Deep Water Horizon catastrophe caused both the processors and governmental authorities to dramatically increase the testing for contaminants such as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's). These tests have not shown any contamination even approaching the 1% FDA level of concern.
The seafood from the Gulf of Mexico has been the most extensively tested of any seafood in the world since this unfortunate incident. The menhaden fisheries, feed manufacturers and salmon farmers are aware of these perceived contamination risks and have invested millions into research to assure that safe and healthy products reach the consumer. All of these industries are conscious of their environmental responsibility and have stringent requirements that are monitored by 3rd party auditors, accredited certification bodies, government agencies and customers. This results in wholesome, safe and sustainable ingredients. (Daybrook).
Omega Protein has responded to this ongoing discussion as well and their comments can be found by clicking here.
Here is the letter Grant Warkentin and Scott Herbert responded to:
Salmon Farming Requires More Research
Mark Worthing, Napa Valley Register, January 24, 2013
I am writing the following letter to the editor in response to the Jan. 18 letter written by Ruth Salmon, “Clarification of toxins in farmed fish.”
I am an ecologist, journalist, and a resident of the area where open-net pen salmon aquaculture has the highest concentration of farms in Canada: Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
I was alerted to this letter to the editor through Twitter, in which Ruth Salmon; the public relations and “media” watchdog of the industry, was impertinently spreading what she argued was “out-dated” information about salmon aquaculture.
I am writing to encourage your readership to inquire further than industry spokespeople who merely have the best interests of their business in mind when they claim to dispel myths.
While they are knowledgeable about their industry, they are not the authority on the health effects of their product or the effect of their industry on the wild salmon stocks of British Columbia and their dependent ecosystems.
In British Columbia, along with everywhere in the world where open-net pen salmon aquaculture operates, there have been endless problems with their product, and the environment in which they operate.
It is Ruth Salmon’s job to find publications of critical opinions of salmon aquaculture, and seek to meddle with the legitimate health and environmental concerns expressed.
EWOS Canada is the primary fish farm food company operating in Canada, and the majority of the oils that compose the feed that farmed fish served in California come from are from Manhayden fish in the gulf of Mexico.
It is my understanding that the oils in fish in the Gulf of Mexico are some of the most toxic fish in North America as a result of the industrial waste-stream from the Mississippi River Delta, and recent historic oil industry disasters.
The oils must undergo a “wash,” which is a coal-activated filtration process that extracts toxins from the oils to allow them to meet Canadian health standards. They bio-accumulate once again in farmed salmon. Toxins from the Gulf of Mexico, by means of the British Columbian salmon farming industry, end up on Napa Valley plates.
I learned this from a Canadian Supreme Court testimony from the EWOS Canada director of purchasing and nutrition in the court case of Don Staniford v. Mainstream Canada court case, Jan. 24, 2011, in Vancouver, B.C.
There are many concerns about the validity of the testing methods for PCBs, dioxins, furans, and many other cancer-causing chemicals present in British Columbian farmed salmon further examined in this court case.
Worthing lives in Broughton Archipelago, B.C., Canada
Here is a sampling of some of the comments that were posted on the Letter submitted by Mark Worthing:
Comments
This is getting kind of interesting, and I thank you for offering your opinion here Mr Worthing.
I noticed that there were immediately several out of town letters on this issue once this showed up in our local paper. That's unusual, so it shows someone is watching closely on this issue.
It is sort of like the GMO issue, one side says no problems at all, the other, lots of problems. Unless you study it yourself extensively it is hard to know who is right.
kevin - January 25, 2013 One problem with "facts" is that we now have the capability of testing to a degree never known before. We can test for substances down to "parts per billion" which means you can find "toxins" in almost ANYTHING if you look hard enough...
Ian Roberts - January 25, 2013 Wow, so the discussion about salmon aquaculture in the Napa Register has how become an ad hominem attack on a person (Ruth in this case). Thousands of hardworking salmon farmers - too busy working to respond to letters - have every right to have people who communicate their business on their behalf.
More concerning is: Worthing is wrong. Even his weird, convoluted link with Gulf of Mexico is wrong - not much, if any, fish meal is derived from Gulf of Mexico for BC farm-raised salmon. And health concerns? Apparently Worthing disagrees with all the health authorities who recommend oily fish like farmed and wild salmon twice weekly.
As for what he learned at "Supreme Court Staniford Trial". Well, have a read about what the Judge thought about Staniford's credibility. A pretty poor source of information - hardly Worthing of a mention.
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/blog/mr-staniford-akin-zealot
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/blog/mr-staniford-akin-zealot-–-part-2
DC Reid - January 26, 2013 Go look at this link on my site about the cancer causing and other chemicals in farmed salmon: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2011/11/key-documents-levels-of-pcbs-pop....
Then go read this article on my site about how they neutralized a Science article that pointed out the cancer causing and other chemicals in farmed salmon in Scotland: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2011/10/key-document-fish-farm-tactics.html.
Once you finish the second article you will no longer believe any claim that fish farms make about their products ever again.
Ian Roberts - January 28, 2013 9:43 Then after reading DC Reid's personal blog that he provides links to (he not a dietician or nutritionist) you can visit the governing health bodies in the USA and Canada who clearly state that our diet should include 1 or 2 meals of oily fish such as farm-raised and wild salmon. Here's one - http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/PolicyDoc/PolicyDoc.pdf
Fact is, farm-raised and wild-caught salmon is high in omega 3 content and low in mercury.
Personal blogs with emotional nonsense and bogus government conspiracy theories aren't going to change this fact.
safefish - January 28, 2013 I read the letter to the editor from Mark Worthing titled “Salmon farming requires further research” and continue to question why people want to express their uneducated opinions especially from someone who professes himself to be a journalist. I did not read the original article that he was responding to but a couple of his comments made me angry enough to reply. The first topic was “the majority of oils in the feed come from Manhayden” – the fish is Menhaden and while it is typically a significant portion of the fish oil it is not the only one and certainly not a majority. The 2nd topic is “his understanding is fishoils from the Gulf of Mexico are some of the most toxic in North America” – specifically Gulf origin menhaden oil is EXTREMELY low in toxins. The menhaden are short lived, plankton surface feeders and do not live long enough to bio-accumulate toxins. The natural levels of dioxins, furans, PCB’s, and heavy metals are far below US and Canadian standards and can only be detected by specialty labs in Europe. To be extra cautious the two menhaden processing companies have installed cleaning facilities to bind and remove the ultra-trace levels of these contaminants and are subsequently tested by specialty labs to levels below 1 part per TRILLION which is way below the strictest standards in the world. The Deep Water Horizon catastrophe caused both the processors and governmental authorities to dramatically increase the testing for a variety of contaminants but principally PAH’s (poly-aromatic hydrocarbons) and nothing has come up to a level of even 1% of the FDA level of concern (LOC). I would suspect that the seafood from the Gulf of Mexico has been the most tested of any seafood in the world since the incident.
The salmon farmers and their feed manufacturers have been very aware of the concerns regarding toxins and contaminants and have invested millions in research to assure a safe and healthy product to their customers. These industries are very environmentally conscience and have very stringent requirements for the ingredient suppliers. The suppliers are required to undergo 3rd party audits by accredited certification bodies as well as customer audits to assure that the suppliers are providing wholesome, safe, and sustainable ingredients.
More Letters to the Editor below:
Outdated salmon research leads to confusion
Ian Roberts, Napa Valley Register, January 19, 2013
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/outdated-farm-raised-salmon-research-leads-confusion
Clarification of toxins in farmed fish
Ruth Salmon, Napa Valley Register, January 19, 2013
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/clarification-toxins-farmed-fish
Misconceptions about farmed fish
Ian Roberts: Napa Valley Register, Decmber 12, 2012
http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/misconceptions-about-farmed-fish
