Farmed And Dangerous
We’re calling for emergency protection for wild salmon migrating through the Wild Salmon Narrows!
While we continue to work towards a coast-wide transition to closed containment aquaculture, CAAR is demanding the removal of active fish farms in Okisollo and Hoskyn Channels of the northern Georgia Strait. Clearing a critical migration route of open net-cage salmon farms is an emergency measure needed to reduce the pressure of sea lice infection on wild salmon.
The call for the removal of farms also has the support of esteemed scientists. In December 2009, a think tank of scientists gathered at Simon Fraser University to discuss possible causes of the Fraser River sockeye collapse and urgent next steps needed to protect this iconic species. The group released a statement noting that the 2009 return was the lowest in 50 years and that these sockeye have been declining since the mid-1990s to levels so low that they are almost unable to replace themselves.
The think tank’s recommendations include addressing the lack of available data on farmed salmon health and the potential for transfer of disease and parasites to wild salmon as well as immediate measures to experimentally remove salmon farms from sockeye migration routes.
There is also a growing list of organizations who have joined the call to remove the farms by signing onto our Wild Salmon Narrows Declaration which demands that the provincial and federal governments act now to clear this important migration route.
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