Dear Mr. Tosoff: Thank you for your email regarding British Columbia's salmon aquaculture industry.

You raise concerns about the government's direction on salmon farming. The Government of British Columbia's decision to begin accepting applications for new salmon farms was announced September 12, 2002 and was made with careful consideration for all viewpoints: environmental protection and a healthy wild fishery, the needs of First Nations and coastal communities, and the viability of the aquaculture industry.

British Columbia has one of the most comprehensive environmental management regimes for salmon aquaculture. We will continue to work closely with other ministries and the federal government on salmon aquaculture matters in order to assure a coordinated approach to achieving environmental sustainability and economic development for the industry.

Our wild salmon are a precious resource that deserve special consideration. Continued close monitoring of industry performance, effective enforcement, and ongoing scientific research will allow government to take an adaptive management approach to regulation in order to ensure the long-term preservation of our wild fish resources.

Our Finfish Aquaculture webpage also provides a wide variety of information in these and other areas: .

Thank you again for writing to me with your concerns and suggestions. I have attached a link to a recent government news release on fish farms and the Broughton Archipelago, for your review. BC GOVERNMENT TACKLES FISH FARM CONCERNS

Sincerely,

Gordon Campbell ___________________________________________________________________________________________________


NDP MLA JOY MCPHAIL ON THE FISH FARM ISSUE

Joy McPhail, Member of the opposition NDP Party.

Message from Joy MacPhail re: Fish Farms

Thank you for contacting Jenny and me to express your opinion of the government's mishandling of the aquaculture file. As Leader of the Opposition I felt it was important to clarify our Caucus's position on this increasingly controversial issue.

As I am sure you know, just last week, scientists from around the world came to BC to discuss the critical situation in our waters. Through these discussions it became clear that BC is years behind other jurisdictions in terms of safeguards and regulations, that there is uniform certainty that sea lice are a tangible and immediate threat to both wild and farmed salmon stocks, and that immediate action is required from BC's government.

Since the current government took power, it has been steadfast in its drive to expand the presence of open-pen aquaculture in BC-ignoring repeated calls for stricter standards and denying the veracity, and sometimes the existence, of clear evidence of imminent danger presented by world-renowned scientists. As this fiasco has unfolded the Liberals have been supported by the large multinational corporations that dominate the aquaculture industry-corporations that contributed substantially to the Liberals' election campaign in 2001

Last year, during the Spring Legislative Session I introduced the Fisheries Act Amendment Act, 2002-a Private Members' Bill that proposed amending the Fisheries Act so that new finfish aquaculture licences would only be granted to closed-containment facilities. Private Members' Bill rarely, if ever, become law but they are often effective vehicles for spurring legislative debate on important issues. Unfortunately the government refused even to debate my bill and the issue of how to save our marine ecosystems and salmon stocks from aquaculture industry in its current form was swept under the rug.

This week I introduced the Fisheries Act Amendment Act, 2003-another Private Members' Bill with the same intent as the original bill. This bill is the first step towards reinventing the aquaculture industry in BC. The amendment proposed in my bill is a significant step forward in dealing with the vast array of environmental impacts from open-net fish farms that are plaguing our waters.

Unlike the government and the Minister, I have listened to both sides on this issue. I completely acknowledge that the aquaculture industry is important to many of our coastal communities, since they are starving for jobs and revenue. No one doubts the importance of jobs to our coastal communities, but we cannot afford to ignore the reality of the situation. There are clear threats to our wild salmon stocks.

The simple fact is that the time to act on this issue is now. British Columbia has the opportunity to become the leader in safe alternative aquaculture technologies and we still have a chance to save our wild salmon stocks. It is time the Liberals face the reality, break away from the hold multinational corporations have on them and stand up for the people and environment of BC.

I hope that this message has clarified our Caucus' position on this urgent issue and I urge you to continue your efforts to make the necessary changes. Please know that as you fight for the future of BC's coastal fisheries you have the support and gratitude of the Opposition Caucus.

For more information about where we stand on the issues that matter, please visit our website at http://www.opposition.bc.ca Sincerely,

Joy K. MacPhail

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
MINISTER STAN HAGEN ATTEMPT TO REMEDY FISH FARM FIASCO

Quotes from Minister Hagen and his position on the issue and how he thinks he is doing such a great job

Former minter Stan Hagen (now deceased), Minister responsible for the Aqua Culture industry has recently said the folowing:

“Our government set up last weekend’s science forum to look at the best way to prevent sea lice from spreading and protect the upcoming pink salmon run,” Hagen said. “It is clear that in order to protect wild salmon, all farms must monitor and treat sea lice. I fully expect every active site in the Broughton will be aggressively monitored and treated as required.” “Strategic fallowing of salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago this spring will ensure there is a clear route for young salmon to migrate out to sea,” Hagen said. “This affirmative action in the Broughton is specifically designed to protect the wild salmon while we continue to do scientific research into sea lice. “This is the beginning of our action plan to minimize risks to wild salmon in the Broughton Archipelago, not the end,” Hagen said. “If we identify that we need to do more, we will, and we will continue to work closely with the federal government.”

What the Minister really said is, oh every thing is just fine, we have it under control.

The man is misinformed and obviously blind to reason and doesn't know what he is talking about. He is just parroting what he is told to say. He has not done the research himself, he is not an expert, and he is not qualified even to be in the position of Minister of Fisheries for BC. If he cared about the wild salmon he would order those fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago to be fallowed, right now!!

Voters and Citizens of British Columbia, I think it is high time we stood up and made a stand on behalf of our heritage, Minister Hagen is not interested in saving the Wild Salmon, nor are the Federal Liberals. They would love to see this fish disappear from the face of the earth. It is time for us to harangue the hell out the the BC Liberals, Stan Hagen, Gorden Campbell and Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Robert Thibault. Get involved and find out more about this issue go to Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Group
Other resources to visit are the Living Oceans Society
VHS Fish Farm Issues


Note what this BBC Article said about the Aquaculture Experiment that devastates natural stocks. Fish Farms contributing to the global collapse of the world's wild fish stocks

Read what our American Friends in Alaska are saying about this foolishness of the moratorium being lifted.

On January 31, 2002, the Government of British Columbia announced that the provincial moratorium on fish farming would be lifted. This decision could have a substantial effect on the Alaskan economy and environment, both directly and indirectly. This resolution strongly encourages the Government of British Columbia to reinstate the moratorium on fish farming. In 2002 there were 29,000 accidental releases of farmed salmon from British Columbia salmon farms. Escaped farmed Atlantic salmon have been caught in Alaska commercial fisheries. The escaped Atlantic salmon pose a threat to Alaska's marine environment and the ecology of Pacific Salmon. Escaped Atlantic salmon from salmon farms in British Columbia are now spawning in approximately 80 streams on the west coast. These escaped salmon compete with wild Alaskan salmon for food and there is a continuing concern with possible disease transfers. Seafood is Alaska's number one international export and the commercial fishing industry is Alaska's largest private sector employer. Therefore the Fisheries Committee strongly encourages the Alaska State Legislature to support the reinstatement of the British Columbia moratorium on fish farming.

More from the Washington State Web Site Tide Pool which indicates similar feelings in regards to The BC Liberal Governments decision to open up the expansion of the aqua-culture industry to more of British Columbia's Coastal Waters
British Columbia expands its Atlantic salmon farms after a six year moratorium

Also read this startling news, while we in BC, that is our Government and Stan Hagen allow more expansion, Washington State tightens their regulations. Washington Bans Genetically Engineered Salmon

BC Atlantic Salmon considered a threat to future of Alaskan Fisheries

B.C. fish farms damage environment, former judge finds

L A Times Reports on Fish Farms calling them floating feed lots

They're like floating pig farms says said Daniel Pauly, professor of fisheries at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. "They consume a tremendous amount of highly concentrated protein pellets and they make a terrific mess

Disease and parasites, which would normally exist in relatively low levels in fish scattered around the oceans, can run rampant in densely packed fish farms.
Pesticides fed to the fish and toxic copper sulfate used to keep nets free of algae are building up in sea-floor sediments. Antibiotics have created resistant strains of disease that infect both wild and domesticated fish.

Clouds of sea lice, incubated by captive fish on farms, swarm wild salmon as they swim past on their migration to the ocean.

For more on this story go to Los Angeles Times article on the Fish Farm Industry