Dear Member of Parliament hopeful:
Over 85% of British Columbians consider wild salmon an icon of British Columbia because this fish is generous to us. Wild salmon are threatened by salmon feedlots worldwide (Ford and Myers 2008). The BC Special Legislative Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture recommended removing the industry from the ocean one year from today, but Gordon Campbell never responded to his own committee. Now this issue is yours.
I am in my 12th year of research on impact of this industry and was awarded an honourary doctorate of science for this work. I have met the farm fish shareholders in Norway and the First Nations of the Fraser River. I have watched my town population driven down to just 8 people and 27 Norwegian salmon feedlots that do nothing but harm us. I have been contacted by people in the salmon feedlot industry because they hate what they have witnessed, but signed contracts to remain silent. I am a participant at the Cohen Inquiry where I learned Harper’s government covered up evidence that a massive viral outbreak is killing the Fraser sockeye. This same virus has been epidemic in the salmon feedlots – dubbed “pathogen culturing facilities” by scientists. Harper’s government muzzled the scientist who did this work – this is how Canada lost the North Atlantic cod.
So, in hopes of averting loss of Pacific salmon I am asking every federal candidate in British Columbia and beyond for their policy on salmon feedlots – votesalmon.ca. I will be traveling to your campaign offices to make sure the public know your position.
Aquaculture will be examined by the Cohen Commission later this year and so we might learn the answer to question # 1:
1. Would you stake your reputation that these Norwegian aquaculture companies are not releasing foreign viruses into BC?
2. Would you work to build an innovative, landbased Canadian industry to provide jobs to the 1,259 people directly employed by salmon feedlots?
3. Would you work to remove salmon feedlots within 12 months?
Reply to me and I will post your answer – or silence.
Standing by,
Alexandra Morton
Votesalmon.ca
Comments
One response to “Salmon – Where Do You Stand?”
Just heard you on CBC Radio’s Ideas – you go girl! You put your words in all the right places – a powerful speaker, drilling images and relationships into the hearers’ brains so that the truths are inescapable, with no gainsay! We have had similar experiences with DFO regarding endangered fresh water mussels. The process of listing a species as endangered seems to be more important than either research or conservation, and drags on from year to year while all our hands are tied. There’s more to do than any of us can accomplish in our lifetimes, so we must work together and engage the public in research & conservation. Check out our life’s work at http://www.fragileinheritance.org Hope we can connect, and work together somehow!