Alexandra Morton  sent me this email today ( 11/19/07) and asked that we forward this information to all you boaters and others that care about the survival of our coastal salmon and resulting ecosystem.  

Good Morning

There is an ad in the Globe and Mail this morning.  It is the entire back page of the first section of the Globe and Mail asking Premier Campbell and Ministers Bell and Hearn to give wild salmon relief from sea lice by moving crucial fish farms.

The ad asks the public to go to the website SaveBCsalmon.ca to send the letter again.

You can help by contacting the people you know who care about wild salmon and asking them to visit the website and resend the letter

This press release was sent out early this morning:

SaveBCsalmon.ca

Media Release

For immediate distribution

Attention News Editors, Business & Environment Reporters & Outdoor Columnists

Hurt by aquaculture industry - Frustrated BC business owners ask why Government doesn't value their economic contribution?

(Port McNeill, BC, Nov. 9, 2007)  In an unprecedented move, a diverse group of BC business people have placed an advertisement in a national newspaper. The ad strongly criticizes current Government policy (Federal and BC) that supports fish farms to the detriment of the natural environment and wild salmon stocks.

The timing of the advertisement is coincident with the unveiling of the SaveBCsalmon.ca website. Citizens can participate in their web-based petition.

Facing a pending government decision about fish farming, this previously unallied group of wilderness tourism operators, sport and commercial fishermen, seafood processors and concerned coastal residents pooled their resources to purchase the full page ad in the National Edition of today's Globe and Mail.

These businesses and individuals want fish farms moved away from BC's major juvenile salmon migration routes. Science shows that juvenile salmon die with even 1-2 sea lice. In nature, young and mature salmon (which host sea lice) rarely mingle. Fish farmers and Government must respect this natural law if wild salmon are to continue to exist.

Young Pink Salmon, from the Broughton Archipelago (2006), being predated upon by sea lice.

For twenty years, business people and residents on the BC Coast have maintained an accommodating attitude toward fish farming. Armed with rapidly evolving scientific evidence that sea lice associated with salmon farms are decimating local salmon stocks, accommodation is turning to anger.

"Fish farming is worth $600 million to the BC economy," said Craig Murray owner of Nimmo Bay Resort. "Wilderness tourism and fishing combined bring in over $ 1.6 billion to BC and is growing. Tourism is now a 10 Billion dollar industry and Premier Campbell has been challenged to double its revenue in the Province by 2015.  But we can't survive without wild salmon, and government is making us the loser group!   There are too many outside interests that compromise tourism and our wild salmon in BC.  Both fresh and salt water anglers across BC and beyond should be aware of this injustice.

"Members of our organization have supported research on sea lice and even wild salmon habitat restoration, from their own pockets. We know the problem is real, we are not crying 'Wolf,'" stated Brian Gunn, president of the Wilderness Tourism Association. "We are businesspeople who feel the government is abandoning us, by allowing our lifeblood to drain away. We have had it."

"I contributed to the ad, because anglers across BC abide by a long list of conservation measures to protect adult salmon - only to have the young fish killed by sea lice. What a waste," observed Chris Bennett of Blackfish Lodge.

"I just don't get it," says Steve Kelly of Coastal Springs Float Lodge. "When the Department of Fisheries and Oceans say they need to protect wild salmon, they just close us and the season down. But here, with a rising pile of evidence about the danger of sea lice, they allow fish farms to be filled up year after year. This just results in more sea lice killing more baby salmon. Where is the government science on this issue?"

"My family helped buy this ad because we feel that the Minister is taking the Coast the wrong way," says Donna Mackay, of Mackay Whale Watching. "We are very concerned. This summer, the Orca whales (killer whales) that our business depends on were hunting over a huge area of ocean. We believe it was because of a lack of wild salmon. For our business, it was bad news, but worse for the Orca's which are already listed as a threatened species. They cannot survive without wild salmon."

On May 16, 2007, the Special Legislative Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture (SCSA) tabled their report. After traveling the length of British Columbia to hear about the fish farm controversy, the SCSA made a daring recommendation - move the fish farming industry from open net pens into closed containment within 5 years to protect wild salmon. Pat Bell, the BC Minister of Agriculture and Lands in charge of fish farm siting has been silent on responding to the Report, but he has approved four more open net pen sites since May 2007.

For further information, contact:

Donna Mackay, Mackay Whale Watching, 250-956-9865

Craig Murray, Nimmo Bay Resort, 250-956-3297

 Hopefully you will seriously take this to heart and take just one moment to go to

http://www.savebcsalmon.ca/

 It's easy, quick and simple and means so much!

 You will see this red SOS button.

 All you have to do is click on it and it will send a copy of the letter,shown below, to the people in power that need to hear our voices and know that we are concerned about the health and survival of our natural wild salmon and the resulting ecosystem. 

 Thanks,

 Jayne Hemmerich

 
Premier Campbell, Ministers Bell and Hearn,
THE FUTURE OF BC SALMON
IS IN YOUR HANDS

To Premier Gordon Campbell and the Honourable Ministers Bell and Hearn:

As a member of the public I am forwarding this letter in support of the businesses and residents of the BC coast who have written to you about impact of fish farms on our wild salmon. We join MLA’s, scientists, residents, environmentalists and now fishermen and tourism operators to insist you protect wild salmon; it is almost too late.

You may be unaware of how serious this is. When the 4-year-old Fraser River sockeye went to sea in 2005, they were heavily infected with sea lice around the Campbell River fish farms. So few of these salmon returned that the entire south coast commercial fishery has closed. Today, young wild BC salmon all the way from the Fraser River to Cape Caution are exposed to fish farms and infected with sea lice. This is high-risk management, or in our view, mis-management

Do not pretend to us that sea lice are not a problem.

In Europe, billionaire John Fredriksen (the largest shareholder in international aquaculture giant, Marine Harvest, which owns 56% of BC fish farms) stated, "I am concerned about the future for wild salmon. Fish farming should not be allowed in fjords with salmon rivers."

Minister Bell, the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture in its May 16, 2007, report has recommended that farm fish be removed from open net pens into closed containment within 5 years. You responded by granting four new open pen ocean sites.

Minister Hearn, is Fisheries and Oceans Canada going to protect our wild salmon? BC science is reporting that in some areas up to 95% of young wild salmon are killed by farm-lice. This is unacceptable.

These are rich waters. Humpback whales and vast shoals of sardines have recently returned to BC waters. Wild salmon feed bears, whales, eagles, forests, villages and fishermen, and lure 1.4 billion wilderness tourism dollars into BC. By contrast, fish farming is worth $600 million. Why isn’t your government supporting businesses that depend on wild salmon?

Ministers Bell and Hearn you are in the hot seat. We can have wild salmon and farm fish, but unless you fix what is broken, you will extinguish BC’s greatest renewable resource. One of earth’s largest migrations passes through the waters of the city of Vancouver, host of the 2010 Olympics. Salmon are the life-blood of British Columbia.

You can give Broughton and Fraser River salmon immediate sea lice relief. Remove fish farms from Broughton and Discovery Island wild salmon migration routes and halt their spread to the north coast. You must act now to save our salmon,

We await your timely reply to this urgent matter.

SaveBCsalmon.ca

 Photo of infected baby Salmon: