Salmon farming in BC explained- Take II
At another time of heated debate over the merits of farming Atlantic salmon in British Columbia, the local industry association provides some useful and basic background information
Odd Grydeland, FishfarmingXpert, January 24, 2014
The document produced by the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) was originally aimed at a U.S. television station whose popular program “60 Minutes” was about to air a segment about the industry in BC, but a program that the salmon farmers feared might end up paying lip service to sound science in favour of succumbing to the sensational utterances of the many salmon farming critics in the region. The document provided by the BCSFA- “CBS 60 Minutes Backgrounder: Salmon Farming in British Columbia” also proved to be useful during the current debate about the appropriateness of the federal government’s opening of its offices for the receipt of applications for an expansion of the salmon farming industry in BC.
Some of the popular issues addressed in the report- which is available on the BCSFA web site- include:
Atlantic Salmon in the Pacific;
Many attempts have been made over the past 100 years to introduce Atlantic salmon in various water bodies throughout the Pacific Northwest. These attempts weren’t made by salmon farmers, but by sport fishing interests. None of these introductions were successful. In fact, all purposeful attempts by Canadian and U.S. governments and interest groups to colonize Atlantic salmon in the Pacific Northwest have failed because Atlantic salmon are poor colonizers outside their natural range.
Carotenoids and the Colour of Salmon
Wild and farm-raised salmon require carotenoids for healthy growth and reproduction. In the wild, salmon get these nutrients from the seafood they eat. For farm-raised salmon, carotenoids - astaxanthin and/or canthaxanthin - are included in the feed to ensure the salmon are receiving all their nutritional requirements. A byproduct of these healthy carotenoids is a change in the pigmentation of the flesh – which occurs in both wild and farm-raised salmon
Feed Conversion Ratios
Farm-raised salmon are amongst the most efficient users of feed; converting feed to “meat” at less than 1.2 : 1.0 (meaning 1.2 lbs of feed produce 1.0 lb of salmon). This efficiency is because salmon are cold blooded (conserve energy) and because they are neutrally buoyant in the water so they don’t require large bones to support their structure. Salmon farmers have also become much more skilled at feeding their salmon – using technology such as underwater cameras to ensure all of the feed is consumed.
Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA)
Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) has never been confirmed in the North Pacific despite thousands of wild, hatchery and farm-raised fish being tested.
Atlantic Veterinary College audit results
The lab that reported positive preliminary test results for ISAv in the North Pacific - from samples that were always negative after confirmatory tests - failed several quality audits performed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). As a result of these failed audits, the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) was removed as an IOE reference laboratory for ISAv in May 2013.
(Sea lice and the )Use of Emamectin Benzoate (SLICE®)
Emamectin benzoate (product name SLICE®) has been used in British Columbia since 1999 and is an effective tool to control sea lice, and is only authorized for use under the professional guidance of a licensed veterinarian. It is milled directly into the feed and used sparingly to ensure sea lice levels on farm-raised salmon remain low and are not a threat to out-migrating juvenile wild salmon.
Use of Antibiotics
Antibiotics are rarely used at BC salmon farms, and if required, can only be administered through the supervision of a veterinarian. Antibiotic use has declined over the last two decades.
Reference Link:
CBS 60 Minutes Backgrounder: Salmon Farming in British Columbia
http://www.salmonfarmers.org/cbs-60-minutes-backgrounder-salmon-farming-british-columbia
Article one, January 23, 2014:
Salmon farming in BC explained
A government announcement that applications for new fish farms are welcome set off a flurry of criticism- mostly by ingrained environmentalists and an ignorant public fed by an equally ignorant media
Odd Grydeland, FishfarmingXpert, January 23, 2014
An editorial last week in the Times Colonist newspaper from Victoria- the capitol of British Columbia- suggested that scientific information about the salmon farming industry in British Columbia is withheld by the federal government which has “muzzled its scientists”. The paper concludes its editorial by stating that “We are not stating flatly that fish farms are harmful — they are a significant component of B.C.’s economy, worth more than $400 million (~€ 268.4 million) in 2012. They produced more than 73,000 tonnes of fish that year, compared to 9,000 tonnes harvested in the wild salmon fishery. Done properly and safely, aquaculture can be a reliable food supply. But we need to be sure they are safe. Further research into the impacts of aquaculture will not only help protect the wild salmon fishery, it could be beneficial to the long-term viability of the fish-farm industry”.
The criticism seems to be unjustified if one takes a look at the semi-annual publication Canadian Aquaculture R&D Review- the latest of which was issued in 2013 by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in partnership with the Aquaculture Association of Canada. This latest review “contains over 220 project descriptions detailing an impressive range of topics, disciplines, species and geography”. The document is easily found on the Department’s web site, and DFO states that it “has a mandate to enable the sustainable development of Canada’s aquatic resources, including aquaculture, and to provide access to information on its scientific activities underway within the department and elsewhere in Canada”. Pretty much any project involving aquaculture research and federal scientists will find its way into this publication.
It is therefore frustrating to read the kind of comments provided by one Fiona Chambers following the Times Colonist editorial. She writes: “I grew up on the B.C. coast, where I still live, and my family has been here since the 1880s. I am so utterly and completely staggered by the federal government’s decision to allow more fish farms in B.C. waters that I am reeling. Given the clear scientific evidence over the past few years regarding the risks to our struggling wild salmon stocks posed by these (mostly foreign-owned) companies, I cannot understand the logic behind this announcement. What was the point of spending all that taxpayer money and government time on the Cohen Commission if the result is just to open up B.C.’s waters to a massive expansion of these farms? I am afraid that I am left with no logical conclusion except that our prime minister appears to have sold out the long-term interests of Canadians for short-term economic or political gain”.
The Cohen Commission was established to look into the reasons for an unexpected low return of sockeye salmon to the Fraser River in 2009. By the time the Commission was set up, an equally unexpected 100-year record run (over 30 million by most counts) of the same salmon came back to spawn in the same river the following year.
But as is the case most of the time, saner minds will eventually prevail. In a second letter to the same publication, also posted today, one Dr. Wayne Dwernychuk suggested that nature- rather than salmon farms- is responsible for fluctuations in salmon runs. He writes that “The editorial does not correctly identify what Justice Bruce Cohen found to be the most likely factor for the poor survival of 2009 Fraser River sockeye. This direct quote, taken from the final report, states with no ambiguity what Cohen deemed responsible: “I am also satisfied that marine conditions in both the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Sound in 2007 were likely to be the primary factors responsible for the poor returns in 2009. Abnormally high freshwater discharge, warmer-than-usual sea surface temperatures, strong winds and lower-than-normal salinity may have resulted in abnormally low phytoplankton and nitrate concentrations that could have led to poor zooplankton [food for sockeye] production.” Cohen’s statement alone is as close as one will ever get to a smoking gun — and it was held by Mother Nature. It is truly unfortunate that selective reading of the final report fostered misconceptions of responsibility”.
And Colleen Dane, Communications Manager B.C. Salmon Farmers Association provided an industry perspective in response to the Times Colonist editorial: “The editorial makes some important points about salmon farming, but we want to address a lingering misconception that a “moratorium” has been lifted on the entire B.C. coast. While a delay in site-amendment application processing was in place during the Cohen Commission, this delay has now ended, aside from a small area identified by Cohen as requiring more research where a moratorium is now in place. Most applications the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has on file were submitted before the Cohen Commission began. The acceptance of an application is the first step in a long, complex process, and this return to business does not mean there will be a flood of new applications or rapid expansion.
However, we do believe that well-managed growth is a good thing because of the reasons outlined in the editorial. Salmon farming is a significant component of B.C.’s economy. Done properly and safely, aquaculture is a reliable and healthy food supply that helps to conserve our oceans. We agree that government policy and regulations should be science-based and accept Cohen’s conclusion that while he found no evidence that salmon farms were impacting Fraser River sockeye, more data was needed to confirm his findings. This is why B.C.’s salmon farmers are supportive of and co-operating with new research on wild salmon in British Columbia. Allowing site-amendment applications to proceed will enable our member companies to continue doing business in B.C., setting the standard for environmental protection and sustainability while raising a world-class, in-demand and delicious food”.
Reference Links:
Link to this article on the PAA News page is at: http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/salmon-farming-bc-explained
