Stan Proboszcz: New threat to BC wild salmon revealed
April 20, 2021
By: Meghan Rooney
Stan Proboszcz
Last year, our federal government promised to transition away from open-net pen salmon farms in B.C. waters by 2025. They also decided to remove factory farms from the Discovery Islands, a key wild salmon migration route.
Since these decisions, we’ve learned the situation is even more urgent than before. Recent government documents reveal Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) staff were shown new research indicating a bacteria that causes a disease called mouth rot in Atlantic salmon is hitting B.C. factory farms hard.
The documents also reveal this infectious bacteria is decreasing the survival of wild salmon that pass by the farms. The mouth-rot bacteria is naturally present in the marine environment; but, its infection pressure peaks near salmon farms at more than 12 times background levels. These bacteria affect wild sockeye, coho and Chinook.
As if out-of-control sea lice on salmon farms weren’t bad enough, right now, millions of juvenile salmon are leaving B.C.’s rivers and streams, swimming out into the ocean for the first time, and migrating past these disease-ridden fish farms, a huge risk for these young fish.
Clearly, the 2025 timeline is not short enough for wild salmon.
The substantial majority of salmon farm licences expire in June 2022. We are calling on the federal government NOT TO RENEW these licences in 2022. It is time to give all open-net salmon farms notice now. We don’t want them operating in B.C. waters.
Can you send your MP an email telling them NOT TO RENEW in JUNE 2022?
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Stan Proboszcz: New threat to BC wild salmon revealed
April 20, 2021
By: Meghan Rooney
Stan Proboszcz
Last year, our federal government promised to transition away from open-net pen salmon farms in B.C. waters by 2025. They also decided to remove factory farms from the Discovery Islands, a key wild salmon migration route.
Since these decisions, we’ve learned the situation is even more urgent than before. Recent government documents reveal Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) staff were shown new research indicating a bacteria that causes a disease called mouth rot in Atlantic salmon is hitting B.C. factory farms hard.
The documents also reveal this infectious bacteria is decreasing the survival of wild salmon that pass by the farms. The mouth-rot bacteria is naturally present in the marine environment; but, its infection pressure peaks near salmon farms at more than 12 times background levels. These bacteria affect wild sockeye, coho and Chinook.
As if out-of-control sea lice on salmon farms weren’t bad enough, right now, millions of juvenile salmon are leaving B.C.’s rivers and streams, swimming out into the ocean for the first time, and migrating past these disease-ridden fish farms, a huge risk for these young fish.
Clearly, the 2025 timeline is not short enough for wild salmon.
The substantial majority of salmon farm licences expire in June 2022. We are calling on the federal government NOT TO RENEW these licences in 2022. It is time to give all open-net salmon farms notice now. We don’t want them operating in B.C. waters.
Can you send your MP an email telling them NOT TO RENEW in JUNE 2022?
These open net pen salmon farms have to go now ! They need to be removed from the ocean there polluting ways can not be tolerated any longer. Wild salmon all species are on the brink of extinction time is of the essence.
No more wasting time with “eventual consideration” and “great concern.” Just do it–there is no time to waste. I don’t know anybody who actually buys and eats “farmed” fish.
Can you provide a link to the new documents? Would love to dive into the details!
https://watershedwatch.ca/resource/dfo-access-to-information-re-t-maritimum-mouth-rot-bacterium/
Open net pen farms have clearly demonstrated their danger and damage to our wild salmon. As ocean stewards we have a responsibility to remove the nets now and stop the problems these “farms” are causing. Please take immediate action.
Please please please shut the fish farms down!
These fish farm corporations only care about their profits at the environment and our expense and when they destroy our wild salmon runs and our environment they will just move on. They spend a little money around the community to pretend they are good corporate citizens when they are destroying everyone else’s environment and our wild salmon stocks. We need jobs but not at the cost this destructive industry.
Please get rid of salmon farms now!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you
….don’t know which MPs are listening but I posted on Sophie Grégoire Trudeau facebook page hoping she might take an interest in these matters involving our iconic species which need major intervention from all canada…….otherwise facing extermination by dfo/farmers/etc….
We and the fish are in this together. Get fish farms out!
Wild salmon were so plentiful when I was Young. It. Is hard to witness their decline. For a start let u’s remove open net pens from The Ocean.
It’s great to see so many people that care about wild salmon!
No more delay–remove fish farms now!