Picking and choosing from Cohen's final report
Campbell River Courier-Islander, February 21, 2014
Campbell River - Letter writer Alexandra Morton (Feb 12) cherry picks a quote from the 1,200 page final report of the Cohen Inquiry to create concern about the potential risk of salmon farming in BC: "I therefore conclude that the potential harm posed to Fraser River sockeye from salmon farms is serious or irreversible."
A scary quote indeed, especially without mentioning of the myriad of other potential risks to salmon also noted in the report.
Cohen's final report also spoke to the potential risk of salmon enhancement - which provides millions of fish for the Pacific Northwest's recreational and commercial fisheries - and concluded that "interactions between Fraser River sockeye salmon and enhanced fish in the marine environment do pose a risk of serious harm to Fraser River sockeye" (Final Report, Vol. 3, p. 28).
These dire warnings from Justice Cohen were encouraged by the legion of anti-aquaculture activists present during each day of the aquaculture hearings at the Cohen Inquiry. Not surprisingly, these same activists weren't present during the other 1.8 years of court testimony that discussed other science, potential risks to salmon, and what is done to reduce or eliminate those risks.
Also missing from the Feb. 12 letter was that fact that Cohen concluded that "data presented during this Inquiry did not show that salmon farms were having a significant negative impact on Fraser River sockeye" (Final Report, Volume 3, p. 24, column 2).
It's too bad that Justice Cohen's mandate was not to look into what also benefits BC salmon. He then could have provided us with juicy quotes that spoke to the importance of aquaculture (enhanced, farm-raised, or ranched): to help conserve our oceans while providing a healthy food choice for a growing population. Unfortunately, salmon enhancement volunteers, salmon farmers, and salmon ranchers couldn't be present during the weekday court hearings to get these messages to Cohen. We were all too busy growing salmon.
Graeme Bull
Campbell River
The following is the letter by Alexandra Morton Graeme Bull responded to:
Alexandra Morton / Campbell River Courier-Islander, February 12, 2014
In response to Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea's letter of Feb 7 in the Courier-Islander.
The statements by Minister of Fisheries Gail Shea beg ground-truthing. If DFO's management of salmon farms is indeed "absolutely consistent with Justice Cohen's recommendations," then the following has occurred according to Cohen's numbered recommendations: 1. Gail Shea has stopped promoting the economic the benefits of salmon farming (recommendation #3) 2. There will be no biomass increase for the Thurlow site application
(#14) 3. Each salmon farm licence in the Discovery Islands is only for one year (#14) 4. Revision of siting criteria took place March 2013 based on comments from First Nations, stakeholders and scientific peer review. (#16) 5. This revised siting criteria has been applied and salmon farms that don't meet it have been moved.
As we enter an era of highly uncertain times we need to be able to trust government. And so I ask DFO the following:
Why is the DFO telling us about how important salmon farms are when Cohen recommended DFO be removed from salmon farm promotion?
Are there changes to biomass are applied for at Thurlow?
What is the duration of each salmon farm licence issued in Fish Health Zone 3-2?
Where is the siting revision document that took place by March 2013? This is not a trivial issue.
Wild salmon are a $1.6 billion industry in BC, they are essential to life and the economy of British Columbia and they are irreplaceable. We need to think about what the next generation is going to need to survive. I quote Justice Cohen: "I therefore conclude that the potential harm posed to Fraser River sockeye from salmon farms is serious or irreversible."
"DFO science has done little or no research to assess the combined impact on sockeye salmon as they migrate past several different salmon farms along their migratory route."
I look forward to DFO's answers, this will inform us if DFO's management of salmon farms is indeed "absolutely consistent with Justice Cohen's recommendations" as Shea wrote in her letter.
And here is letter by Gail Shea Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Morton responded to:
Gail Shea Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Courier Islander,
With the global demand for seafood expected to increase by seven per cent every year, it's clear that aquaculture has great economic potential. Our government supports aquaculture development that is both economically sound and environmentally responsible. Canada has a transparent regulatory system - one of the most rigorous in the world - to ensure that the industry is ecologically sustainable and protects our marine resources.
In 2011, our Government made the decision not to allow expansion of aquaculture production until the Cohen Commission had reported its findings. What we are doing now is absolutely consistent with Justice Cohen's recommendations on aquaculture: we are maintaining the moratorium on new developments in the Discovery Islands area, and are further investing in science.
Economic Action Plan 2013 included three major measures that directly respond to Justice Cohen's recommendations. Our Government committed $54 million that will help bolster our environmental protection in the aquaculture sector through science, an enhanced regulatory regime, and improved reporting.
We also introduced a new program to support recreational fisheries conservation activities through partnerships with community groups. Twenty-eight projects related to Pacific salmon in B.C., totalling $1.8 million, were approved in the first round of the program.
In addition, we are dedicating all revenue collected from the Salmon Conservation Stamp to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, which will mean approximately $1 million more every year to support the Foundation's great work.
All of these initiatives are in addition to our government's annual investments related to Pacific salmon. Currently we invest more than $65 million per year, of which about $20 million is directly related to Fraser River sockeye.
Let's keep in mind that after the very low returns in 2009, more than 30 million sockeye returned to the Fraser River in 2010 - the most in almost a century.
In 2013, the sockeye runs were above average and 26 million pink salmon returned, more than double what was expected. Other rivers saw similarly encouraging results.
Our government has recently decided to resume the review of applications for new aquaculture sites and amendments to existing sites in British Columbia, outside of the Discovery Islands area. I want to stress, however, that all applications that are received will continue to be carefully evaluated through the lens of environmental sustainability.
Our government is committed to protecting Pacific salmon, including Fraser River sockeye. We are confident that we can achieve that while allowing the aquaculture industry to thrive and create much needed jobs in rural areas and Aboriginal communities.
Gail Shea Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
