Monday, October 24, 2016

Why Does the Federal Department of Fisheries Condone This?

I know, I know. So you're in Ontario and you think this doesn't matter to you. Think again. Go to your grocery store and buy that great looking "Atlantic salmon." Only it's not from the Atlantic. It's from a pen along the B.C. coast where this goes on before it gets to your dinner table.




11 comments:

Toby said...

My first post was erased so I'll try again. This didn't take either. Google is up to its stunts again.

Do you think NAFTA's Chapter 11 or any other investor dispute deal prevents Canada from doing anything to regulate the fish farms?

The Mound of Sound said...

Interesting point, Toby. I don't know. I expect if we tried to implement regulations on health and safety to protect wild species they might well go after us.

This could be a perfect venue for a "Boston Tea Party" resistance. This video demonstrates that sea lice are just one problem.

After watching Harper's legacy being kept alive by Trudeau, I'm coming to see that large scale civil disobedience may be our last, best hope.

the salamander said...

.. good on you for raising this issue .. I've been a huge fan of Alecia Morton for years, and was truly impressed when Paul Watson's Sea Wolves offered her the use of one of their water craft to further her efforts..

Atlantic Salmon.. are a species or type of salmonid of course.. & one of the most efficient re growth cycle.. thus we see see eggs, figerlings etc proliferating in farmed fish operations - in Ireland, South America, western Canada & the Maritimes etc etc. In the past I have mentioned Keith Ashfield, Gail Shea, Joe Oliver, Gerry Ritz, Peter Kent.. and now it seems we have Trudeau's various ministers, defending the bizarre allegiance to Norwegian farmed fish interests. That farmed salmon may cause the collapse of the west coast wild salmon fisheries & help crush First Nations traditional harvests, somehow seems irrelevant at federal and provincial levels..

Oh right ! I forgot, every single such fish farm provides a couple of jobs.. though hardly in the realm of wild fisheries, sport fishing or the First Nations fisheries. I recall when Alicia Morton visited east coast locations, she was shocked by the fear people had of going up against the Norwegian juggernaut & the subtle implied violence therof.. it was like West Virginia & going up against the coal mining factions

For Trudeau to allow the conspiracy of this foreign owned industry.. such as Harper/Novak & underling ministers fostered is ludicrous.. its a wonderful example on smaller but still large scale - of how government functions as a captured public service - servicing specific industries.. and I've always maintained there is a Pulitzer awaiting an intrepid journalist who can follow Ms Morton & her associates efforts

This scandal went to the very top at the PM & PMO level & was enacted & supported for some truly insane reasons by Fisheries & Oceans, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment Ministries - and functioned hand in hand with the muzzling of science & biologists..

Anonymous said...

Canada is has a predominately resource based economy.
Whilst , on occasion, we have tried to reduce that dependency under right wing and centre right Governments we have fallen back to dig it and log it in a way not seen for many years.
Forestry,fishing and farming are sustainable industries that are being run in an unsustainable way.
The farmed fish industry is just one example of how we have allowed the industry itself to dictate environmental and sustainability issues.
Logging is another example of how the tail wags the dog with the BC Forestry act trumping just about all other laws in BC( including fresh water).
At the end of the day we have reduced ourselves to taking the easiest ,quickest and often dirtiest route to driving an economy and putting $$ into the hands of the laziest most unimaginative dirt bags you can think of whilst praising their virtues as entrepreneurs.
Look around to see the closed fish canneries and sawmills.
Look at the farmland turned to housing .

TB

Anonymous said...

Once people in Ontario or other provinces have watched the video, I also encourage them to log on to Google Earth and see how many of these fish farms have proliferated up and down the west coast of Canada/British Columbia. They are extremely easy to see in the satellite photos.

mr perfect

The Mound of Sound said...

trailblazer, please clarify which right wing and centre-right have tried to reduce our dependency on a resource economy. What great conservative technological and industrial initiatives have I missed?

The Mound of Sound said...


Sal raises an important point. It's been a year since the gags were ostensibly taken off federal government scientists but that doesn't seem to have triggered any outpouring of information and comments.

What have the federal boffins to say about this plan to push bitumen in order to support the effort to wean ourselves off fossil energy? What do the DFO research and monitoring types have to say about the merits of fish farming in the midst of critical natural habitat for wild species? What have they said about using Corexit as an oil spill dispersant? What is their take on carbon pricing and its effectiveness?

Trudeau pledged to follow scientific advice in his government's policy-making and planning yet he's carrying on with most of the Harper-era initiatives that were anything but science-friendly. Perhaps the opposition should put him on the spot and compel him to release the scientific justification for his policies as they're announced.

Anonymous said...

Mound, to clarify.
I did not mean to suggest right wing governments have tried to diversify industry; should have used a capital with "Under right wing and centre!!
That said in BC the Bill Bennet government did try to encourage added value to lumber products.
Other than that we still have a colonial/ frontier attitude to our economy.
Without strong leadership we will always take the easy route.
Fish farming has a predictable catch , logging has a predictable harvest.
All this is easy when you don't add in the cost habitat loss,water quality issues and the loss of wild fish etc.
Future generations pay for these side effects or more directly we pay more for the delivery of water due to the degradation of water sheds.

TB

Anonymous said...

To play the Devils advocate for a moment...
Fish farms produce good well paying union jobs with good benefits.
From what I have seen the companies involved treat their employees very well.
Perhaps the solution is to put the fish farms on dry land( it has been done before in Nanaimo)
Doing so will create a fish farm building boom ,protect good jobs and protect the environment.
The down side is that the fish food will still come from south America at the expense of local fisheries.


TB

Anonymous said...

Anyong: My father was a Department of Fisheries Officer from 1949 until 1981 in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was always fighting the Provincial and Federal Government on their policies that had nothing to do with the people of Newfoundland. Only companies that wanted control of the Grand Banks. In 1950 when the Prairies couldn't sell their wheat, St. Laurent approached Stalin when Russia had not had a harvest for three years, "You buy our wheat and we will give you carte blance fishing rights on the Grand Banks. That was the beginning of the downfall of the Newfoundland Fishery.

Anonymous said...

Anyong: Opening the door to what is happening now with private salmon fishery. Just another money making way for those that live at this time without any concern for future generations including their own.