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A Fish Farm Critic Vindicated
New research bolsters Morton's claims of sea lice devastation.
Alexandra Morton
Here is the wire story.
"The world's wild salmon population is being ravaged by sea lice infestation from fish farms, new Canadian research has confirmed.
"Up to 95 per cent of young wild salmon that migrate out to sea die after swimming through plumes of lice from infected fish farms, according to results of the research, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America.
"We know that fish farms raise sea lice levels, and we know that sea lice kill fish," said Martin Krkosek, the report's author and a mathematical biologist at the University of Alberta.
"This is the first study to estimate the total impact."
First, a quick geography lesson. The Broughton Archipelago is a series of islands near Johnston Strait where the mainland and Vancouver meet. Try this. Put your hand face-down and spread your fingers. The gaps thus simulate inlets. At the top of these spread fingers are salmon bearing rivers. Between these fingers are fish farms that, because of the hundreds of thousands of hosts -- the caged Atlantic Salmon, are home to millions of sea lice. The tiny pink and chum smolts must run the gauntlet of these farms as they migrate for their time in the ocean.
This is not, as you can see, rocket science.
Smearing a researcher
For five years, biologist Alexandra Morton has been testing and reporting on the horrible impact of sea lice on the pink and chum salmon runs in the Broughton Archipelago. Her findings have been consistently proved by independent scientists, yet she's been pilloried, threatened with arrest, slandered and libelled beyond belief. People like Dr. Dan Pauly of UBC, called by Time Magazine one of the top 50 scientists in the world; Dr. Patrick Gargan, probably the world expert on the impact of lice on salmonids; Dr. Neil Frazer and Dr. John Volpe, British Columbians and fish biologists; plus the David Suzuki Foundation have not only supported Alexandra Morton but have said the situation is even worse.
Every paper published in a recognized journal has backed what Morton has to say. She herself has had paper after paper peer reviewed and published. Put another way, you will look in vain to find an independent scientist in the world who disagrees with her.
Hear now the response to this devastating study from the president of the fish farmers' Campbell River-based Positive Aquaculture Awareness, (now isn't that a cute name!) Ian Roberts. True to the fish farmers' double speak he says that Morton used "net methodology for sampling fish, which erroneously selects for already sick and dying fish that float to the surface."
Permit me to put this in terms that fish farmers, Mr. Roberts and even flacks understand: that's horseshit.
Here is Alexandra Morton's devastating response. "Everyone working near us will know Ian Roberts is misinformed. The many salmon farmers who see us working around their sites know we use beach seines. They often visit us to see what we are doing and we talk. DFO, who some of us work with, know we don't use a dip net; the permits we apply for clearly state beach seines. Some days we are in the field side-by-side where all can see what we are doing and how."
Rationalizations
How the devil do you deal with corporations and often governments when they plainly tell lies, and hope that some of it sticks?
For the purposes of this article I'm ignoring other problems: the drug-filled fish crud all over the bottom of the sea under fish cages; dyes in that crud from farmers dying the flesh of their fish to suit customers' wishes; SLICE, a compound that kills the sea lice the farmers claim they don't have, also poisoning nearby crustaceans; the diseases from the cages; the toxins passed on to humans consuming these fish; and by no means least, the escape of these fish and their potential crowding of our wild fish off their spawning grounds. To all of this I must add the near extinction of some types of fish caught off the coast of South America and used for food for caged salmon. In fact it takes about seven pounds of someone else's fish per pound of caged Atlantics!
How has this been allowed to happen?
Every caucus that ever existed has leaks and this B.C. Liberal one is no exception. The self-serving excuses and explanations flowing among B.C. Liberal backbenchers, premier and cabinet include these:
"Rafe Mair is mentally ill, you know." (In fact he has been treated for depression for nearly 20 years.)
"Alexandra Morton is a California lefty who, while a specialist on Orcas, isn't a fish biologist." (She never said she was, but all her methodology and findings have been certified as proper by the best fish biologists in the world and her work is consistently printed in scientific journals.)
"The other biologists are a bunch of wackos not capable of belief." When you consider that these MLAs are paid to, amongst other things, look after the environment, you must wonder why it has not occurred to them that the fish farmers have not one single independent scientist in the world that agrees with them and the government's policy!
Orwellian public relations
The entire sad story can be likened to the Mad Hatter's tea party or perhaps to Orwell's 1984. Truth is fiction and lies are the truth. The Red Queen shouts "off with their heads" to all she doesn't like. Like Alice, those who understand fish farms see egregious crimes against nature, smothered with dissembling and lies, and can only shake their heads and cry out.
In the early days of the Liberal administration, Dr. John Volpe, a British Columbian then at the University of Alberta, told us that hundreds of thousands of escaped Atlantic salmon were now in the rivers on Vancouver Island. He didn't do this from a computer in a lab or a soft chair in the legislature, but by getting in the rivers with associates in wetsuits and counting. The then Agriculture Minister, in charge of licensing fish farms, John Van Dongen, easily the dimmest politician I've ever met (and that says something), told me that only three Atlantic salmon had ever been found in B.C. rivers!
What the hell can you say to someone like this?
He was followed by Stan Hagen, the minister of economic development, a man who corrected his colleague, saying that only two Atlantics had been found in B.C. streams! Is it any wonder that the Mad Hatter's tea party keeps coming to mind?
I have been struggling to figure out how this terrible propaganda has prevailed. I found the answer in last week's Guardian Weekly story of how Exxon keeps polluting and tobacco companies keep on maiming and killing. They use the very best of public relations companies (the biggest, Hill and Knowlton, works for the fish farmers), who exploit every doubt to raise more doubt. One example is the fish farmers' local high-priced flack, Patrick Moore, who stands accused by Dr. Helen Caldicott, the famous environmentalist medical doctor, of being in the pay of the nuclear industry.
Moore's own website discloses no published scientific papers that he has written. Moore knows the lingo and asks questions like "how do we know that the lice that allegedly kill the smolts come from the fish farms? After all it could have been lice that are prevalent in the oceans anyway."
This was knocked to hell by another, earlier study by Martin Krkosek, assisted and supervised by Dr. John Volpe, who in fact traced lice straight from the cages to the smolts.
Tell the truth
That wasn't good enough for the government. Most reluctantly, they forced the fish farms to fallow some of their farms to clear away the lice from a channel or two, and when nearly a million pinks that had used those lice-free channels returned, Moore bleated, "See, the sea lice aren't affecting the salmon." Doesn't this remind you of 1984? Are you beginning to visualize that Mad Hatter's tea party now?
British Columbians are victims of a fraud of the most egregious sort. The fish farmers, all from outside B.C., are raping our environment with the enthusiastic support of both senior governments.
We have seen the effects of fish farming on native species in Norway, Scotland and Ireland and learned nothing. A few years ago, Wendy and I went fishing on Lough Corrib in Galway with Dr. Patrick Gargan (the world expert on these matters). We visited his station and a technician asked, "Can't you people in British Columbia read? Don't you know what's happened in Europe to our salmonids left to the tender mercy of sea lice donated by fish farms?" I had to mumble, "Some of us can."
The fish farming companies, in my view, are utterly heartless and care not a whit for our environment. I believe that British Columbians have been systematically lied to.
Corporations, with full knowledge of what harm they will do, are deliberately destroying the symbol of our land, the Pacific salmon and it's all done with the enthusiastic support of governments -- governments that care nothing for our environment if a corporation that funds their elections can make a buck out of it. Premier Campbell, instead of admitting he is wrong -- I'm told that the thought of having to admit that Rafe Mair is right appalls him -- bluffs his way through, hoping it won't matter when the next election is called.
And he'll get away with it if we let him.
Rafe Mair writes a Monday column for The Tyee. His website is www.rafeonline.com.
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Right to Bear
5 years ago
Comments on "A Fish Farm Critic Vindicated"
Rafe said:
Hi Rafe...! How are things??
Spot on and an excellent article stock full of historic background.
Once again, as industry has so often shown, this is a sad and pathetic account of humans "ethical will" when it comes to selling out he Earth to the Mammon God $$$. I would like to say your efforts are commendable, but in truth, the accute and catastophic nature of this issue should call upon all of us to do the same. It should be considered a standard for humans to react to this Earth threatening issue imo. I have to say however, many of us on the Tyee Blog are very disturbed and are reacting to this issue. hannibal knows all a lot about this issue, and clearly cares deeply too...
Most of us know, the salmon are the reason for the health of the Great Bear Rainforests or just the coastal rainforests in general. They feed bears, wolves, maggots, giant trees and animals we do not even, as of yet, know exist. The ecology on the coast in intricatly entwined with the health and survival of this area, and as Rafe said...were allowing for the fish farm industry to fuk it up. O.k. he didn't quite use that language, but close...
I am thankful Rafe for the love you have for this area and its inhabitants. You are a much needed voice. We all have to speak up to get the devastation of this area stopped. That includes clearcutting its forests, and the potential for the oil\gas industry's impact on this pristine area as well.
Your efforts are so very much appreciated Rafe...
Peace and Love brother,
RTB
gasworks
5 years ago
Congratulations Rafe: You have finally morphed into a full- fledged Tyee CUCKOO...
Grumpy
5 years ago
Vindicated by science, yet the Premier refuses to believe it "not the science he has read" is his refrain. Premier Campbell also doesn't believe the Auditor General either about the Olympiv costs.
Years of honest debate is lost and the fish farms and their Corporate owners still do not give a damn!
Everyone should send a copy of the study to Jimmy Patison and AM 600 and CORUS radio, Brand-X manager, and Bill (I'm Bill Good and your not) Oder of Canada in waiting, Good!
The provincial Liberals, as well the NDP, have let this fish farm disaster continue for too long. Time to shut them dowm and go into dry land fish farms.
Thank you Rafe, you put your career on the line for this one and unfortunately people like gasworks are like the holocaust denyers, it doesn't matter how much information one has, they will deny, deny, and deny. Truth and honesty mean nothing. The environment means nothing. Life means nothing!
gasworks
5 years ago
Or it could just be that the water has become too warm and that's why many fish are disappearing.
Try not to be as stupid as stupid Grump's....
Grumpy
5 years ago
I couldn't match you!
verso
5 years ago
Could be, do you have some evidence? The science, as noted above, is showing sea lice are the problem.
Looks like the smearing is still going on Rafe.
Gasworks, your ad hominem attacks on Rafe don't refute the science. You only give credence to Rafe's contention that those on the wrong side of science will say anything to discredit the critics. Thanks for proving his point.
kwl
5 years ago
People like Dr. Dan Pauly of UBC, called by Time Magazine one of the top 50 scientists in the world; Dr. Patrick Gargan, probably the world expert on the impact of lice on salmonids; Dr. Neil Frazer and Dr. John Volpe, British Columbians and fish biologists; plus the David Suzuki Foundation have not only supported Alexandra Morton but have said the situation is even worse.
Hmm, so Gaswerks, all of the people above are then Cuckoo?
Gary
5 years ago
In reading these responses I can't help wondering which fish farm gasworks works for,(or owns)
Great article Rafe. And as for the turncoat Moore I stopped beleiving anything he said when he left Greenpeace to help the Nukers. I just couldn't beleive that an educated man could spew such crap.
gasworks
5 years ago
And so it begins, i.e. the spew of the Rafe Mair 'Bottom Crawler's'....
Right to Bear
5 years ago
Gary said of Patrick Moore:
...money, money money Gary. Moore is a sell-out period. Educated sell-out's exist in droves unfortunately. Moore is no more than an Eco-Judas. Althought many know him as this, he still unfortunately catches a few in his net..
...Yeah, good question Gary. Which fish farm does gasworks work for or own??
Peace,
RTB
aalborg
5 years ago
gasworks....you may gain some credibility if you provided scientific data to support your claims. As it stands now, you are just living up to your name.
The island I live on rejected fish farm applications and every citizen here is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure fish farms don't happen.
The fact that researchers like Alexandra Morton have to endure the outrageous lies and distortion of her findings is beyond pathetic. The truth shall prevail and in this case I think we're getting there.
Grumpy
5 years ago
Gassy, so we are all bottom crawlers because we are concerned about fish farms and what they do to the environment. So we are also stupid because we read what scientists are saying about sea lice and Salmon fry mortality.
Like the Premier, you cannot tell the difference between a truth and a lie and resort to name calling.
So how is uncle Gordo?
Nana
5 years ago
To ad insult to injury, I understand that the fish farming industry is a money loser and is heavily subsidized. There would seem to be no legitimate reason for fish farms. So what is going on?
gasworks
5 years ago
So the water's not too warm and the fish are disappearing solely because of fish farming?
It's a "scientific" fact that because of low water in streams and river beds caused by extraordinarily warm weather, fish haven't had time to grow feet to help them reach the spawning grounds
I don't even eat salmon, Bob's my Uncle, and given your writing's, many of you do appear to be stupid (sorry I meant to say ignorant.
However, you should be concerned about where you will get your fish to fry in the future, because as I see it, fish farming in the far north may be the only alternative food supply.
Bailey
5 years ago
Some comments:
Nana; Seems to me one of those Ministers that had to 'spend more time with their families' a few years ago was a Fisheries minister who had forgiven his own father's fish farm company hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and penalties for poor practices and disregarding regulations.
Grumpy; It's not that the Premier can't tell the truth from a lie, it's that he can't tell right from wrong. He has demonstrated that he thinks that getting away with a lie is the same as telling the truth. In other words, a lie that gets you what you want is true. No matter what other consequences there are.
Mr. Mair and Ms. Morton; Ain't it nice to be proved right? Crying in the wilderness has always been a hard path. Thanks for your persistance.
gasworks
5 years ago
By the way Grump's. YES! - for sure, Rafe Mair's "bottom" crawlers.
hannibal
5 years ago
Boycott ! All Salmon products from the West Coast .
These idiots don't even label their Frankenfishfood as being farmed .
They just die the meat to closely resemble wild Pink Salmon .
I saw an excellent documentary concerning Alexandra's work and was horrified at how this woman has been villified by the so-called scientific community .
She has worked closely with biologusts around the planet .
It was amazing when the farms were allowed to stand fallow(ordered to) the sea lice all but disappeared from the smolts .
Can't remember the name of the documentary but it wad narrated by Jim Byrne .
SharingIsGood
5 years ago
Thank you, Mr. Mair and Ms. Morton, for years of "Crying in the wilderness," as Bailey said. I'll proudly be a bottom crawler on the inside passage with either one of you to protect our salmon and to help stop the insanity.
20-22 years ago, I rigged plumbing networks and built many types of buildings and holding tanks to nurture salmon eggs, smolts and fry to aid a fledgling industry just across the water from Campbell River. I am thankful on this Thanksgiving that the work I did at the time was for farming Pacific salmon. Sadly, much of the industry learned and grew from the work that I contracted to design and build. I was so exciting! It seemed like the greatest thing. I thought I was saving the wild stock. Little did I know what was to follow. It is now with dread that I remember images of myself assembling valves and lengths of pipe - all on dry land - but for fish that, in time, were bound for the open sea net pens.
I wonder what has become of the Norwegian drifting net pens that were hauled way out to sea? Have they been successful, and have they needed to use the huge quantities of antibiotics etc. that they use in inside waters like Discovery Passage? Do they have problems with lice?
gasworks
5 years ago
I wonder if there's anything worse than a "Bjorn Again Fisherman".
Right to Bear
5 years ago
Hey hannibal...!!
Yeah my friend, this may be a good way to get some heads turning in this direction...
Indeed, Alexandra is a brave committed lady, and for this I am thankful. She has had a lot of conflict in her stating of the truth, but she bravely stood by her research.
hannibal, do you remember the fish farms in B.C. being caught using neurotoxins, and carciogenic substances to battle farmed fish diseases. Substances like SLICE, and MALACHITE GREEN were two of them...and yeah, dyeing the grey flesh to be as pink as "you" want... Frankenfish indeed.
Peace hannibal,
RTB
Grumpy
5 years ago
Gassy, you must be in the pay of the fish farm lobby, you offer no real debate, just name calling. Your bleat, bleat, bleat, like the sheep in Amimal Farm grows tiresome.
Here we have an independant study, confirming that sea lice is indeed increasing Salmon fry mortality, thus exposing West Coast Salmon to near extinction. Because Rafe, et al, have been vindicated, we are now known as bottom crawlers. Your willful blindness to the facts does you no credit, sorry to say.
Well if I'm a bottom crawler, you must be a slimey worm, blinded in the muck of despair!
By the way, the dead zones under the fish farms and the mass of sewerage spewed out by these concerns would be illegal elsewhere!
Grumpy
5 years ago
Alexandria should be given an "Order of Canada" and not Jennings. She shows a true loyalty to the nation and not just an expat.!
SharingIsGood
5 years ago
United Nations site on net pens:
http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2006/070.asp
Some history of fish "farms" in Norway *note in the article it says that all but one of the BC fish farms are foreign-owned (I don't know if that is true at this time, but even if half of them are, why would we allow foreigners, with no stake in the natural stock of this country to farm salmon here?):
http://northword.ca/fall-2006/comment-north-2
hannibal
5 years ago
High Bear : Happy Thanksgiving mate and to all of us " bottom crawlers ."
Yes, I remeber that well and was horrified that this stuff is now part and parcel of our food chain .
Couldn't believe they had a pinkness chart to determine how much dye to introduce into the feed . Oh, sure that is really good for human consumption .
Farmed fish is a grey gelatinous muck that bears little or no resemblence to'real' fish products .Yuck !
What,really,disturbs me the most is that no stores label this crap as being farmed they just toss it into their coolers with the rest of the sea food products .
There is soooo much difference it is frightening .
And all this crap is being spread through the eco-system .Horrible .
Eagles eat it as do other carion feeders .
I can see the entire eco-system in collapse in a few short years .
Time to bring on the eco terrorists I think .
Cheere Bear
Peace
gasworks
5 years ago
Yeah! Yeah Yeah Grumps - You still don't get it. You feed from Rafe's bottom and I don't.
It's no small wonder they think he's nutso. By the way, it's a big ocean...
Big-Man
5 years ago
Still sneaking in to use mom and dads computer when they aren't looking huh gassy?
Anybody have any idea or update on how our esteemed comrade Mr. Fraser is coming along with his comprehensive commission?
Our tax dollars hard at work...
Brutal.
spanky
5 years ago
who cares if the fish farms do not kill the salmon then logging or overfishing will. as a society we pathetic humans will find a way to screw up all good things that nature gave us.
gasworks
5 years ago
Good news,
The Indians have agreed to move some of their farms 12 to 15 klicks away from the mainstream run.
No buffalo left either. (Back in the good old days Big Bear and his Braves used to run a few thousand of them off a cliff to get a burger or two) - Ironic HUH!
RickW
5 years ago
gasworks:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/infocus/2005/20051011b/info_e.htm
Sea lice populations are affected by environmental conditions and thrive in warm water temperatures and high salinity levels. Ocean temperatures and lower levels of freshwater runoff from reduced annual rainfall along the BC coast may be contributing to higher levels of sea lice.
Could be you have a point there, GW. Only, the salmon are likely disappearing through habitat loss, among which would be the proliferation of sea lice (see above). The farmed salmon make a great "sink", giving the lice a place to thrive while the wild salmon make their ocean pilgrimage.
RickW
5 years ago
GW:
Hmm! A few thousand run off a cliff, out of 60 million, with a reproduction rate estinmated to be 10 mil a year. Yeah.....the "Indians" sure did in the bison......
Right to Bear
5 years ago
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours too hannibal...!! Much to give thanks for in this beautiful world indeed.
.
On the salmon issue, without change, very realistic words indeed bud, and yeah, I think we need to "communicate" our concerns for the salmon and the earth a lot more clearly in the near future indeed brother...
I heard the salmon were very late getting into their streams this Fall. These fish are in crisis. Their habitat is also under seige by the logging industries. Only a small percentage of the salmon bearing streams are even protected under the Great Bear Rainforest deal. Not such a great deal after all it seems. Yeah, communication is everything dude...
Peace brother "h",
RTBear
SharingIsGood:
Yeah SIG, thanks for the sites. Good question. I feel the same way about the major multinational oil companies in Alberta. Why would we allow foreigners, who don't give a rats-ass about our enviroment, to be involved in Canadian industry. This allows them to (ie.Alberta oil sands)impliment their enviromental polices which have weak enviromental impact standards?? Whether these corporations use the oil or not, use the fish or not, basically, it is really all about making money while without a glance, destroying our eniviroment of which they have no stake in right?? So often, they are here because they have already destroyed there own enviroment...ie U.S.
Peace SIG,
RTBear
gasworks
5 years ago
Hmm! RdoubleYuk, At first I thought you were just acting stupid. Until I realized you can't act.
Right to Bear
5 years ago
...gasworks, either stop being sarcastic on such an important issue, or go take a flying jump in it...
Peace,
RTBear
gasworks
5 years ago
"Right to Bear" What?
Right to Bear
5 years ago
gasworks said:
...gasworks, did read what the fish farms are feeding these fish before they sell it to the public?? It is not an alternative food supply because it is not real food. These farmed fish do not even contain omega 3. They are full of saturated fats. Completely genetically modified.
gasworks, so much name calling and so on, really, my impression is you do not take this subject seriously. If I am wrong let me know, but if I am right, why?
This subject gasworks is not about "frying fish". It is about the fundamental survival of a species, their habitat, and the health of the rainforests that these fish support. They have found salmon nitrogen at the tops of the old cedars on the coast from animals dragging them into the forests when they eat them. Then the remains of their carcases decompose and support life, some of which we do not even know the names of... This gasworks is a serious issue. Without salmon, catastrophic is not even a strong enough word to describe the outcome for this precious land and the oceans that surrounds it.
Do you understand dude...
Peace,
RTBear
Grumpy
5 years ago
Gassy, one wonders what you are being paid to keep up this nonsnese. Your pure ignorance on the issue, combined with a libelous assult on those who disagree with your take on the sea-lice issue, makes one wonder if you are not a paid shill for the fish farms.
Your ilk is very sad, as your indifference to a serious issue is worrisome. I have trouble with your blind support for the fish farms and endemic hatred of Rafe Mair. you are blinded by evil and it's time to open thine eyes and see!
DPL
5 years ago
I expected the attack comments to be aimed at Rafe, but the harsh ones last time around targeting Morton seem not to be vocal. Maybe it's because one of the researchers were from Alberta. Morton was smeared as just some woman with a boat and a minor degree. We need wild salmon and a lot of us would never consider the drugged up ones. Real fish don't do drugs as the bumper clinc says.
IAMC
5 years ago
When I buy salmon I always buy Atlantic Farm Fresh Salmon. I don't really know where they come from, but they sure are tasty.
Did you know, that tin Australia, shark attacks go up proportionately with the amount of cream consumed by Australians. So obviously cream caused shark attacks. Really?
hannibal
5 years ago
Do you understand dude...
I think Gasworks has made my ignore forever list Bear at least until he can add something that makes a lick of sense .
Imagine if our bears were fed a steady diet of Frankenfish . They would die out in a ,very, short time .
And oh, about the buffalo it was the white man that hunted them to near extinction .
RickW
5 years ago
IAMC:
And some people think California strawberries taste good too. So I was down in Oxnard, Calif. recently and thought I would try Calif. strawberries right where they are grown. They taste the same as the Calif. pap they call strawberries on our grocery store shelves....
Right to Bear
5 years ago
hannibal said:
...right on hannibal, and they did this,nnnnnnooo, not to eat, but to starve the FN people in a genocidal effort, knowing the buffalo were their main food source...pathetic.
Anyways, just a point ...
Peace h,
RTBear
Grumpy
5 years ago
IMAC do you know anything about "Mad Cow" disease abd how it became a very big issue? If you eat farmed salmon, you better. See, in the UK until the 90's dead animals were rendered into protien and fed to animals. Mad Cow disease was not killed by the rendering process, thus it entered the food chain.
Farmed fish are fed rendered protien from dead animals (including cattle) and you may very well get Mad Cow disease or a host of other diseses as they enter the food chain.
You really want to take a chance?
smeebs
5 years ago
Gasworks.... your an idiot. Thanks for the update Rafe. I hope others pass it around before the next election. This issue alone will never have myself supporting Cambell
superjudge
5 years ago
Alaska got it right when they banned fish farms in their state. Too bad our politicians are too short sighted to do the same. Maybe not even short sighted but just plain don't give a sh*t. They've sold BC's environment part and parcel to the highest bidder and really for what? We can thank the Fraser Institute for inspiring this insipid government.
freebear
5 years ago
"And as for the turncoat Moore I stopped beleiving anything he said when he left Greenpeace to help the Nukers. I just couldn't beleive that an educated man could spew such crap."
There are a limited number of 'career' positions in the 'environmental movement' so Mr. Moore had to find a more lucrative career. Also the environmental movement often 'ousts' older engos so Mr. Moore was just practising self preservation.
I call the Fish Farms Sea Lice Hotels, and the study just confirms my intuition regarding ecological cycles and man's 'improvements'!!!!
Why do we continue to rise to the IAMC's of this forum?
Boycott IAMCs' and other of the same cloth postings as well as farmed salmon!
anne cameron
5 years ago
Well, I had an absolutely brilliant post which did a wonderful job of attacking the history of the fish feed lot industry and the government complicity in the assault on the ocean.
I mean it was BRILLIANT. And the in-house word police decided it was too long, and wouldn't add it to the list of replies to Rafe's article.
But it was brilliant, insightful, and even had elements of humour, so suffer, ya bottom dwellers by being denied the opportunity.
One thing I do want to repeat, however, is that Patrick Moore is not an *******. He is a colostomy bag, not at all natural. My admiration for the man knows bounds.
I haven't been able to find out the names of the relatives of government officials who own shares in the fish feed lot industry. If anyone does know which elected officials are familialy connected to the feed lots I'd really be interested.
If I knew Alexandra Morton's address I would personally send her a thank you card. She has taken incredible amounts of vile abuse over the years and I hope some day she can sue the bastards for libel!
Good article, Rafe. God, did you ever think the day would come when thee and me would be on the same side?!!
Clear Cut
5 years ago
The evidence is clear that fish farms are wiping out our wild salmon stocks and also destroying food sources and eco-systems in other parts of the world.
Fortunately in BC we have a forward-thinking opposition party that is willing to stand up to this morally-bankrupt industry and is leading the charge for a complete ban on fish farming.
This is just another example of why we need to concentrate our efforts to ensure the NDP wins the next election. They are clearly the only party that will protect both our natural resources and long-term jobs for ordinary British Columbians who work in the fishing industry.
hannibal
5 years ago
A Fish too far
Incredulous at this governments(?) lack of enviornmental understanding .
BC has unique eco-systems that exist only in BC and must be protected for the entire planet .
Who needs 'Frankenfish' ?
From what I understand farmed salmon is more expensive than wild and most chefs prefer the latter .
I know I do .
I would like to see a side by side test of known carcinogens that exist in wild and farmed fish .
The Health Guide now says no more than 1,portion of fish per month to stay healthy . This is nuts!
Time has come to shut down these stupid labs once and for all .
anne cameron
5 years ago
Clear cut, dear lad, it was the NDP first let this industry onto our coast.
The NDP is not leading a fight against the fish feed lot industry, they are trying hard not to offend those who support the fish feed lots in certain ridings...their attack is, at best, namby pamby.
doggone
5 years ago
Lynne and I toured the Broughton Group a couple of years ago. Most of the usable bays were filled up with a pen or two. We were only slightly offended and were lucky enough to catch one Coho with only a few Lice. Two fishing liscences = $75 so that fish cost about $7.50 per pound not including any other costs.
Stopped in at Alert Bay and talked with FN contractors who are now making a living trucking the garbage from the farms (this muck was and still very likely is, where no one objects, thrown up on the land adjacent to the float.) The buzz then was that most "farmers" were also applying for the crown land inshore from their particular float.
Watch out! At that time the feeling was that Gordon would be fairly happy with that arrangement. Anyone seen crown land being alienated near fish farm leases?
AnneC: I lost a couple of really good posts here too. They were more concerned with the Federales and sending soldiers to far away places, but I did wonder just what was happening at thetyee - shuffling servers?
Apparently.
Right to Bear
5 years ago
The Health Guide now says no more than 1,portion of fish per month to stay healthy . This is nuts!
Time has come to shut down these stupid labs once and for all .
...amen hannibal.
Bear
ps
Yeah Anne and doggone, I too lost a couple of good posts. hummmm...
By the way thanks for you support against the obvious eh...
Peace all,
Bear
Right to Bear
5 years ago
...See what I mean. This should have been in a quote form in the above post...
Bear
Cynic
5 years ago
Consider NAWAPA, the North American Water and Power Alliance. It's an engineering study done on how to send water to the southwest USA. It involves damning the Fraser and the Thompson. This will be a much easier sell if the natural salmon runs no longer exist. NAWAPA's eastern counterpart is the GRAND project.
Never underestimate the elite.
hannibal
5 years ago
High Bear :
A lot of different links with concerns to Fish farming.
http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=bc+fish+farms&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D5180ac404802a936%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3Dbc%2Bfish%2Bfarms%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wildernesscommittee.org%252Fcampaigns%252Fmarine%252Fpolicy%252Ffish_farms%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPResultsT%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildernesscommittee.org%2Fcampaigns%2Fmarine%2Fpolicy%2Ffish_farms
This is scarier than ' Jurrasic Park '
I know you are interested so I thought I'd pass this on .
Peace Bro
Frank
5 years ago
There's no reason to lose a post. When its happened to me I hit the back button and voila there's my post. Then I copy it to a blank text file in my word processor just in case and then I try to post it again. In the case of it being too long its just a matter of breaking it in two parts and sending separately.
Right to Bear
5 years ago
Hey Frank...! How are things? Thanks for this, as it has been frusterating. Yeah, I need to "save" just in case too.
Peace Frank,
Bear(RTB)
Thanks for the links brother hannibal. Yeah, this is a big deal and needs to be addressed big...
Peace h,
Bear
Moosebeer
5 years ago
That's a real classy comment Gasworks. Why didn't they just go to the local Safeway and buy some frozen burgers?
DPL
5 years ago
a fellow named john Reynolds used to be a Socred Minister. seems fish with two heads or other weird connections started showing up in Howe sound. He tried to ban some pollutants from some pulp mill up that way. a couple of phone calls to the Premier of the day. Bill vanderzam from some folks sure stopped that in a hurry. Business money talks. so now we have tons of evidence that sea lice is killing baby salmon who are simply overwhelmed by the lice as the little guys swim by those fenced in , subject to tear, and release. Of course the chemicals used on those farmed ones might be the cause of a lot of issues as well. I do recall that fish farms were started by the previous government, but also stopped from expanding as well, soon as some serious concerns were being raised. It's tough to live in a town that has lost it's major industry, logging and any job beats no job. The present government is supporting fish farms looking for votes, rather than getting those small town folks working at something besides throwing pellets of god knows what into a enclosure in our waters.
anne cameron
5 years ago
I used to have a huge file of "stuff" about fish farms..then I moved and now I can't find my "research" file so I have to rely on memory, which is always less than perfect.
An early problem for the feed lots was the processed pellets fell through the water so fast the fish couldn't get them and up to one-third of the feed was lost. Brain trust research solved part of the problem, they chop up feathers from the poultry processing industry and add that to the recipe. And while it might appear that it takes six or seven pounds of fish meal to raise one pound of salmon, it actually takes twenty to twenty-one pounds of protein so they get that from the floor of the slaughterhouses...
Slaughterhouses like that , it helps them solve their garbage problem and it also is a source of income. They used to sell the eyeballs, arsles, spinal cords, lips and eyelids to feed manufacturers but the regulations which came into effect because of the Mad Cow thing won't allow them to use the stuff for cattle feed now, so it's all going to fish food.
Hey, a penny saved is a penny earned, right? The prions which cause mad cow are not destroyed by the processing. And then there are the hormones. And the antibiotics. And the growth enhancers.
Num num. Munch it up, children. Num num
hannibal
5 years ago
Sidebar from the goon squad.
Talk about biggoted racists .
Ottawa working to merge B.C. salmon fisheries
Updated Thu. Oct. 12 2006 10:41 AM ET
Canadian Press
VANCOUVER -- The federal government is working on a plan to merge B.C's native and non-native commercial salmon fisheries.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn is busy with several initiatives to reintegrate the commercial fishery.
He said during a visit to Vancouver Wednesday that the rights of aboriginal people to a ceremonial fishery will be respected.
Harper also stresses natives will get a decent share of the commercial fishery through treaties and other arrangements.
But he says the government wants to move away from a segregated fishery.
The prime minister says he also expects an inquiry into the collapse of the Fraser River Salmon fishery will take place soon.
hannibal
5 years ago
B.C. coast used as a 'sewer' by salmon farmers: scientist
Last Updated: Thursday, October 12, 2006 | 10:23 AM PT
CBC News
B.C. salmon farmers upset about a recent University of Alberta study on sea lice killing wild salmon are more concerned with making money than protecting the coast, says the study's co-author.
'They use the coast as a sewer, basically, so they're naturally not going to like any science that would stop them from making money'-Neil Frazer
Speaking to B.C.'s Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture at a meeting in the fishing community of Campbell River, Neil Frazer said salmon farmers are "blowing smoke" when they attack the study's credibility.
"Many people choose their science the way they choose their religion: to support their view of the world as they would like it to be, rather than the way it really is," he said.
Frazer told the committee that the study published earlier this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences involved excellent, peer-reviewed science. But he said he isn't surprised the salmon farmers don't like it.
"Not having to go to closed containment saves them money. They use the coast as a sewer, basically, so they're naturally not going to like any science that would stop them from making money."
Frazer said fish farms have increased sea lice numbers by providing more hosts. And they keep sea lice numbers artificially high in the spring when young wild salmon head out to sea.
Continue Article
hannibal
5 years ago
B.C. Salmon Farmers Association spokeswoman Mary Ellen Walling said the study was incomplete.
"They are not including the information that's been provided from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. They've not included things like salinity. They haven't looked at climate conditions.
"And the results that they are asserting don't match up to what we're seeing on the ground."
Frazer said scientists with Fisheries and Oceans have been misleading the public with "propaganda" science.
clubofrome
5 years ago
A recent study conducted in the Indian Arm region of Burrard inlet, concludes that the Spring Salmon we caught on Saturday was at least 25 lbs...
hannibal
5 years ago
Your point being ?
Kam Lee
5 years ago
Again, Gordo and his minions are destroying the wild salmon. He has so many hidden agendas, whether its killing off seniors, starving the poor, over-drinking, way to many casinos, selling off our province. He has to go, perhaps we should force-feed him some "safe" farmed salmon every day, say for a month. See what happens. Could solve many problems
hannibal
5 years ago
Wow! Now I know why I glow in the dark .
DPL
5 years ago
Hey there Kam Lee, what a great idea. Add to that the PR lady from the fish farm companies. A lot of the sales go offshore. I don't know anyone around here who would eat the stuff, many restaurants won't cook it up as the customers , the end users simply stayed away. One store was flogging the stuff so I asked the store owner if it was farmed or fresh. he got very evasive and our family doesn't buy fish from him anymore. If the customers want farmed salmon, well go ahead and admit you are selling the stuff. The farmer in our family says the idea of fish farming is OK but in large pens with propery flushing of the stuff they don't eat. Reduce the chemicals, tell the customer what it is and see what happens.
clubofrome
5 years ago
It's a fish tale! A story or anecdote. I'm opposed to the way this industry has developed. If I see that a store sells farmed salmon, I don't shop there period. Quite frankly it's our consumer dollar that drives much of the greed and the evil machine heating up the planet and destroying our natural biota. So what are we to do about this human flock of sheep, who appear so ignorant as to bring us to the verge of extinction because they can't make an educated decision on how to shop or vote or interpret the news? Yeah, that's it! That's my point.
hannibal
5 years ago
Okay. That explains it then .
I totally agree with your position .
I am trying to find the necessary links to get the message out that farmed(Frankenfish) must be labelled for the protection of the consumer .
No more than 1 one ounce serving is recommended every five months .
Fish has always been an integral part of my diet and I demand to know where it comes from .
Ninety per cent of fish sold in grocery stores is of the farmed variety so finding good'clean' fish has become a real chore .
clubofrome
5 years ago
It's funny, when you're at the market and you'll hear someone ask "is this Salmon fresh?" You have to interject, "Excuse me, don't you mean wild?" Sometimes you get that blank stare, you know the one that confirms that this person is completely unaware that there is anything beyond there own three foot personal buffer zone...
freebear
5 years ago
"It's funny, when you're at the market and you'll hear someone ask "is this Salmon fresh?"".
Fresh from the Sea Lice Hotel!
Right to Bear
5 years ago
hannibal dude said,
Good chit chat all, you'all mind if I step in...
Yeah hannibal, "good clean fish" is becoming an oxymoron eh. But even the wild fish from lakes and ocean are not clean :-( What I do for fish generally, is eat small fish like sardines or mackeral. They apparently do not live long enough to get real contaminated. It is o.k. but a good salmon steak is a tad more pleasing :-)
Peace all,
Bear
SharingIsGood
5 years ago
I recall Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997) interview in which the ancient oceanographer declared that he no longer ate fish from the sea. His reason: fish are either bottom dwellers or they eat bottom dwellers. As the ocean bottoms were fully polluted with PCBs etc. from Antarctica to the Bearing Sea, there was nothing he wanted to eat from the ocean. Imagine what he had to say about fish feedlots!
Right to Bear
5 years ago
SIG said,
...hummm and he would know eh SIG.
Yeah, who knew that industry would go to such lows as actually producing toxic waste to feed out children, and all in the name of money $$$$...
It seems people are so untrusting of what they hear these dayz. I think we are in an "over-information" age. It seems that by the time someone believes something, it changes. So they do not trust information really. But also, it must be sweet to live in a bubble of ignorance. No concerns...then you die.
Anyways, as with you, hannibal, freebear, and other Tyee bloggers, what do we questioners know about this and indeed this is not an option for us. We continue to attempt to keep the democratic system of our country responsible to the public sector... Yeah, blinders and ignorance...not an option ;-)...
Peace friends,
Bear
Kam Lee
5 years ago
Just some food for thought...
One of gordo's largest contributors are the fish farmers and their taskmasters. Maybe thats why we have so mnay sewer-rat fish on our coast. It's time we realize what this is all about. Maybe get rid of the fish and he might leave also?
doggone
5 years ago
naturaly I have arrived here with no idea what I want to contribute. I imagine that Bear above got me going: I remember Jacque.
I also remember catching cod and salmon in the southern Georgia Strait.
Not that long ago.
I remember diving in that area and finding what appeared to be paper on the floor of the channels and when it washed up on the beaches it was fairly unmistakably
Paper
I live between what used to be called "HarmacK",Crofton, and the other mill up by Squamish which have all found much more "User Freindly" names lately so you simply do not know who is poluting (or "Endeavoring to reduce their environmental impact but still preserving employment")
Blah!
Many people I consider to be friends and thinkers make their living servicing fish farms. I have also drawn wages constructing plants (t'anks god that one was land based).
I ain't sayin': "it's over" quite yet
But it don't look good
Isabella2
5 years ago
One week ago, Nana asked, "...so what IS going on?"
Good question, Nana. It makes me hark back to the conclusion that Rafe had reluctantly come to while he was still on AM-600...."There is no logical reason for what the Liberals are doing than this one: When there are no more fish, there is no more reason to protect our rivers and streams from industry or Hydro."
Now, Nana - go look at what Alcan is up to - again. Trouble is, this time around there's no Rafe on air to fight the fight for us.