The Destruction of Georgia Straight and/or the Salish Sea

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Wed, 2017-11-15 15:20

NorthReport

Too bad.

BC Supreme Court Orders End to Fish Farm Occupation

Indigenous protestors vow to continue legal battle.

https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/11/15/BC-Supreme-Court-Orders-End-Fish-Farm...

Wed, 2017-11-22 18:18

epaulo13

The science is in — salmon farms need to be out

The salmon-farm debate has come full circle with the recent escape of nearly 200,000 potentially invasive farmed Atlantic salmon 33 kilometres from B.C. waters in Washington state.

Over the years, public outrages associated with this industry have unfolded like so many layers of a rotten onion: sea lice, viruses, organic pollution, 10 times the carcinogens in the flesh of farmed salmon versus wild, legal shooting of seal and sea lion “pests,” whales entangled in nets and anchor lines — and the list goes on. This is all unfolding against a backdrop of vehement objections from First Nations.

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence of ecological and social destruction, decision-makers in Victoria and Ottawa have remained shamefully silent for decades. Is it any wonder First Nations feel the only way to make their voices heard is through direct action with members entering their third month of occupation of a B.C. farm? But before these and other serious issues came to light, the escape of farm salmon into the wild was the first to galvanize public opposition to this deeply flawed industry.

quote:

An ironic twist to the Washington state escape story is that technology developed on Vancouver Island renders old-tech open-net pens obsolete. Land-based recirculating systems entirely remove farm salmon — along with all of their environmental baggage — from the ocean. This technology is rapidly being adopted all over the world — profitably.

This advancement not only eliminates virtually every environmental issue associated with conventional farmed salmon, but also delivers significant benefits. Animal welfare is improved (fish are not harassed by predators day and night), while the embedded carbon footprint declines precipitously.

Wed, 2017-11-22 18:20

epaulo13

fish farm demands

Thu, 2018-01-04 22:10

NorthReport

Which is worse: blood or oil?

Underwater Footage Shows BLOOD Being Pumped Directly Into Canadian River

Plumes of blood are being poured into an idyllic bay in Canada, right along British Columbia's largest wild salmon migration route. Not only is this graphic footage a truly bizarre sight to see, it’s raising some important questions about the environment and its wild fish.

The stream of blood comes from an exit pipe that's believed to belong to a farmed Atlantic salmon processing plant, Brown's Bay Packing Company, near Campbell River on Vancouver Island, Canada. The visceral footage (below) was shot by local filmmaker Tavish Campbell during a series of dives in April, June, and October of this year.

“As I approached the outpour pipe and my light illuminated the bloody water, I think I just about choked on my regulator. It was unbelievable,” Campbell say in the clip.

This gory outpour is now raising fears of blood-borne viruses in fish, not least because a third of all the wild salmon in British Columbia swim past this bay. Along with documenting the incredible footage, Campbell also collected samples of the "blood water" from the outpouring and sent them to a scientist for analysis. The samples tested positive for numerous pathogens, including intestinal worms and piscine reovirus (PVR). This contagious disease is not dangerous to humans, however it can cause drastic damage to the heart and skeletal muscle of salmon.

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/underwater-footage-shows-bl...