Dear Valued SOS Supporter;

There have been many developments in the last months that are creating momentum to change the practice of farming Atlantic salmon in open net-cages in British Columbia. 

We have strived to summarize these positive developments below. You'll note from the length of this update that 2010 is indeed proving to be the pivotal year that will determine the fate of millions of wild salmon on the B.C. Coast.

There are many reasons to be positive but . . . we’re not there yet.

SOS could not carry out its solutions directed work without your support at this very critical time. Please help – Save Our Salmon.

Kindest Regards,
Eric Hobson
President, The SOS Marine Conservation Foundation

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The welfare of B.C.’s wild salmon has advanced to being a top tier political issue.

In the last four months, Save Our Salmon has had the opportunity to present the SOS three-point solutions plan to many M.P.s, the B.C. Federal Conservative Caucus, the Fraser Institute and to Minister Shea and her advisers. Most recently, SOS testified to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) joined by Solutions Advisory Committee member Dr. Andrew Wright. Minutes will be posted under May 12th at this link on the FOPO website.

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As follow-up to the February 2009 court decision determining that aquaculture is to be federally regulated, on January 26th the B.C. Supreme Court granted an extension to the transfer deadline for finfish aquaculture to federal regulation until December 18, 2010. As part of this extension, the court ordered a suspension on approvals of all new marine finfish licenses in B.C. Click here for related articles and the court ruling.

SOS submitted recommendations for the Development of a New Regulatory Framework for the Management of Aquaculture in B.C. to DFO in response to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s discussion document Federal Regulation in British Columbia and National Strategic Action Plan Initiative for Aquaculture. A summary of these recommendations can be accessed here.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s draft aquaculture regulations are anticipated at the end of May 2010.

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January 2010: Target has become the first leading American food retailer to stop selling farmed salmon in its stores, citing the negative impact of salmon farming on the environment. Read coverage from the Financial Times.

April 2010: Walmart, joined Loblaw and Sobeys, in moving to sell only "green" varieties of frozen, wild and farmed fish. Read coverage in Yahoo Financial News.

May 2010: Overwaitea Food Group has secured exclusive rights to retail SweetSpring brand freshwater coho salmon grown by AquaSeed, the first commercially viable land-based salmon farm. Read news coverage.  In January 2010, AquaSeed closed containment coho received a Seafood Watch “best choice” rating.  Read the coverage in Scientific American.

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In February, Marine Harvest announced its plans to design and secure funding for a commercial-scale closed-containment pilot project early in 2010 and is currently in the process of hiring a manager to lead the pilot project. The project will be carried out in association with the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR). Read the announcement in the Times Colonist.

In late April, in collaboration with Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Centre for Coastal Studies and Tides Canada, SOS hosted a workshop to explore the viability of land-based closed-containment aquaculture. Over 60 participants from First Nations, government, industry, investors, environmental and conservation foundations, and academics came together to examine the current status of land based closed containment salmon aquaculture, discuss potential barriers to creating this new growth industry in B.C. and develop an action plan to aid in moving this industry forward. There was a convergence of views that one or more closed containment demonstration projects should be pursued.

The closed containment technology report by SOS Solutions Advisory Committee member, Dr. Andrew S. Wright is now in the public domain.  Dr. Wright’s Report entitled Technologies for Viable Salmon Aquaculture - An Examination of Land-Based Closed Containment Aquaculture was presented at the March 30 to 31 SFU Summit on Fraser River Sockeye and at the closed containment workshop referred to above. Click here to access the report and a summary of the media coverage.

Building on the positive findings of the Report, the SOS Foundation is working with the ‘Namgis First Nation to establish a land-based closed containment pilot project in the area of Northern Vancouver Island, B.C. The project is currently at the technical design stage with applications for a project manager now being accepted.

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Cohen Commission
Twenty groups were awarded standing in the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the  decline of the Fraser River Sockeye. These include the Pacific Salmon Commission, the BC Salmon Farmers Association, the Coastal Alliance on Aquaculture Reform and the Musgagmagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council (MTTC) from the Broughton Archipelago. In early June, a discussion paper will be released setting out the commission’s preliminary views on the issues to be investigated. Open hearings will be held in mid-June where official participants will have an opportunity to make submissions about which issues will be dealt with by the Commission. The evidentiary hearing begins in early September. An interim report will be submitted on or before August 1, 2010 and the final report will be submitted on or before May 1, 2011. Read news coverage. Access the Cohen Commission webpage.

Class Action Lawsuit
The certification hearing has been held for the class action lawsuit by the Kwicksutaineuk Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation of the Broughton Archipelago against the B.C. Government for damages caused by salmon farming to wild stocks. The hearing was in April with a decision on whether the suit is certifiable expected by mid-July. Read coverage in the Globe and Mail.

By-catch Prosecution
The Public Prosecution Service of Canada has filed indictment in the Provincial Court of British Columbia against a fish farm company for cases of “by-caught” wild fish. The company "is charged with two counts of catching and failing to release wild pink salmon last June, and two counts of catching and failing to release herring between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6.” Read the news coverage in the Globe and Mail. 

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For a summary of the science related to the impacts of open net-cage salmon farms, see Dr. Martin Krkosek’s May 3rd testimony to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. Dr. Krokosek is the author of numerous peer-reviewed, published papers related to sea lice and is the recipient of a Governor General's Gold Medal for his PhD dissertation.

In December 2009, SFU held an invitational Think Tank of Scientists on the Decline of the Fraser River Sockeye. The four recommendations put forward by the scientists included “we need to compile historical data on the abundance and health of farmed salmon along the sockeye migration route in order to better understand the potential for transmission of disease and parasites to wild salmon.” Read the full Statement from the Think Tank of Scientists.

The SOS supported study by Michael Price et al on parasite infection patterns on sockeye salmon in the Discovery Islands area was presented at the March 30 to 31 SFU Summit on Fraser River Sockeye and at the May 9 to 12 International Sea Lice Conference.  The study’s findings are that open net-cage salmon farms are the most probable source for sea lice infecting Fraser River sockeye during their early marine migration.

Initial research on juvenile Chinook and chum salmon in Clayoquot Sound has found that levels of lice infestation were higher in close proximity to salmon farms. Read the coverage in the Westerley.

There are increasing concerns about sea lice developing resistance to “Slice” the pesticide used in open net-cage salmon farms. Media coverage on the May International Sea Lice Conference relates “It is almost inevitable that sea lice at B.C. salmon farms will become resistant to the chemical pesticide used to kill them.” Read the story in the Vancouver Sun.

The work of Brendan Connors, SFU, has shown that "sea lice are adept at jumping off of the pink salmon as they are being eaten and attaching themselves to the coho that were eating them."  Read more in the Vancouver Sun.

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In February, Georg Rieber-Mohn, a former Norwegian attorney general, related that the lessons learned in Norway are “that open-net salmon farming can probably never successfully co-exist with wild salmon populations.” Read the coverage on CBC News.

On March 3rd, NBC aired an “Our Planet” feature in which Tom Brokaw reported on “The Plight of the Pacific Salmon”. Click here to view the feature. 

Grieg Seafood and Mainstream Canada have joined Marine Harvest Canada in working with the Coastal Alliance on Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) to reduce sea lice on farm fish and fallow some farms during out-migration of pink salmon through the Broughton Archipelago. Read coverage in the Times Colonist. 

Significant media attention and public engagement resulted from biologist Alexandra Morton’s “Get Out Migration” a 500 km walk from Sointula to Victoria that culminated in more than 4,000 people collecting at the B.C. Legislature on May 8th. Click here for news coverage. Simon Fraser University has awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Science, stating that her “work linking sea lice infestation in wild salmon to fish farming in the Broughton Archipelago has drawn international attention and challenged both the salmon farm industry and the government officials who regulate it.” Read more here. 

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