Discovery Islands fish farms pose minimal risk to wild salmon, DFO says

CHEK
WatchThe Cohen Commission in 2012 recommended Sept. 30 30, 2020, as a deadline for DFO to force the closure of fish farms in the Discovery Islands if DFO couldn't prove they posed only a minimal risk to wild salmon stocks.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says 18 fish farms in the Discovery Islands, northeast of Campbell River, can stay where they are, for now.

The farms were the subject of a Sept. 30 deadline in a 2012 Commission on Fraser River salmon stocks.

The Cohen Commission recommended they be shut down unless Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) could prove they pose only a minimal risk to migrating salmon.

Local First Nations are disappointed with the decision.

“This disappointment is that in the Cohen Commission there was going to be, even if there was a minimal impact, they would move them on to land and from what I can see, the sockeye are not getting any better,” said Darren Blaney, Chief of the Homalco First Nation.

Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bernadette Jordan says her department will be consulting with seven First Nations communities — Tla’amin, Klahoose, Homalco, K’ómoks, We Wai Kai (Cape Mudge), Wei Wai Kum (Campbell River) and Kwiakah — that border the narrow channels through the Discovery Islands where the farms are located, with a goal of deciding whether or not to renew their aquaculture licences prior to a December 2020 deadline.

The Cohen Commission released several recommendations in 2012 including one that called for the prohibition of the Discovery Islands fish farms by Sept. 30, 2020, unless there is proof they pose only a “minimum risk of serious harm to the health of migrating Fraser River salmon.”

In a media briefing Monday, DFO said after completing nine peer-reviewed scientific assessments it concluded that pathogens from salmon farms pose a “minimal risk to the abundance and diversity of migrating Fraser River sockeye salmon in the area.”

“It feels like there’s the rented science and you just find the one that works for you and that fits your opinion and I think the real evidence is the decline of the salmon stocks,” added Blaney.

The BC Salmon Farmers Association released a statement Monday applauding the decision stating, “this work clearly shows that ocean-based salmon farms pose no more than a minimal risk of serious harm to wild salmon populations in the Discovery Islands. Salmon farming is part of the economic fabric of BC. Working closely and openly with Indigenous Peoples is how salmon farmers in BC are working to create a shared future of economic opportunity and environmental stewardship.”

The DFO says sea lice was not part of the nine risk assessments saying it’s “already been studied for years and there is an extensive body of knowledge that has helped inform decision.”

“In previous federal communications, their plan clearly stated they would evaluate the risk of 10 pathogens from salmon farms, and conduct a synthesis report that evaluated the combined risk of all 10 pathogens,” says Stan Proboszcz, Watershed Watch Salmon Society science advisor and past steering committee member of five of the nine DFO risk assessments. “However, they did not complete a risk assessment on sea lice nor a synthesis report. DFO’s true colours are on full display today. Their pro-salmon farming bias and disregard for B.C.’s wild salmon could not be more clear.”

Dean StoltzDean Stoltz

Recent Stories

Send us your news tips and videos!