Salmon Confidential
By Mary Ellen Walling, Courier-Islander April 3, 2013
Salmon Farmers aren't often asked about our feelings, but lately, we've had a few calls inquiring about just that:
"How does it make you feel?" has been the key question from a few reporters recently, regarding the film Salmon Confidential, produced by Twyla Roscovich and featuring the fluid hypothesis of Alexandra Morton.
Our response is one word: frustrated. Frustrated that such misinformation is being circulated, that the filmmakers are intentionally trying to confuse the public, and that such disrespect can be shown to true experts in fish health and environmental management.
To state it simply, Salmon Confidential is the film version of a tale that has been spun together using speculation, misinformation and emotional visuals. Many of the allegations repeated in the 'documentary' have been proven wrong multiple times over the past few years, but here they appear again, all clipped together.
Here's just two examples of the misinformation included in the film:
CLAIM: The only salmon stocks that are successful are those that do not pass salmon farms.
IN FACT: The example of the Harrison Sockeye (which migrate around the west side of Vancouver Island) has been repeatedly corrected: the fact is that the Harrison run has a different life cycle than other sockeye - they enter the ocean almost immediately after hatching (like pink salmon) rather than rearing in lakes (like most sockeye stocks). They also pass farms which operate on the west side of Vancouver Island. In fact there are other species of Fraser River salmon (pinks, chum) that have increased since salmon farming began in BC.
CLAIM: Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) was found in BC salmon and DFO is the only agency unable to find it.
IN FACT: A preliminary screening test came back positive for ISA in a few poor-condition fish submitted for sampling by Ms. Morton. This does not mean that ISA was found - the notes by Dr. Kibenge, included in lab results, express specifically that these preliminary positives do not indicate the presence of ISA. Significant follow-up testing by both regulators and independent laboratories could never replicate the initial findings. Extensive additional testing - including samples from every active salmon farm - found no evidence of ISA. On the other hand, the DFO lab has shown it is quite capable of finding ISA in fish tested on the East Coast of Canada, where the virus occurs naturally.
We have limited space in this column - but there are dozens more examples of misinformation in this film.
We hope that by presenting two key examples, viewers will think critically about the other information provided.
Ms. Morton and her lawyer were given ample opportunity to present their case at the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of the Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River.
After three years, $26 million, and the testimony of dozens of expert witnesses, Judge Bruce Cohen stated in his final Cohen Commission report "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 speaks volumes that these filmmakers have to continuously rely on information that is misrepresented, outdated or simply incorrect.
It shows the real plain facts aren't enough to weave the story they want to tell to try and influence British Columbians.
We have faith that most people will continue to have real, productive conversations about how to ensure salmon farming continues to be the important sector it is on Vancouver Island while ensuring we operate responsibly and sustainably for years to come.
Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director, BC Salmon Farmers Association
