The Fish Site
March 30, 2012

Scientists and commercial companies from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are cooperating on surveying natural resources such as seaweed, mussels and microalgae; unexploited marine resources that they hope can be brought into use as raw materials for fish feed.

“I believe that this has great potential,” says NIFES scientist Ann Cecilie Hansen, who will be studying the nutrient content and possible traces of environmental toxins in these raw materials, which will be the first and a decisive stage of the research project.

More extensive use of local marine raw materials will make feed producers less dependent on fish meal and fish oil, as well as reducing the need to transport large quantities of these materials, thus helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the full story on the Fish Site.

Judith Lavoie
March 29, 2012
Times Colonist

First Nations from Vancouver Island and around the Fraser River want to meet with sports fishers to decide how best to protect the diminishing stocks of Fraser River-bound chinook salmon.

"We don't want to fight with them, we want to sit down and see how we can work together for conservation," said Ernie Crey, fisheries adviser to the Sto: lo Tribal Council.

"To do that, we need to be in a room together."

Technical staff and biologists from the bands and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans should also be in attendance, Crey said.

Representatives of 94 bands met with DFO officials last week on the Tsawout reserve and signed a letter of understanding on salmon management.

The letter "confirms their commitment to work together on a government-to-government basis."

The co-operative management agreement is in contrast to an earlier meeting DFO held with angry sports fishers on southern Vancouver Island.

At that meeting, about 400 anglers voiced objections to any further cuts to the summer chinook fishery in Juan de Fuca Strait and said they would not agree to more restrictions until DFO came up with better data and a recovery plan that includes habitat protection and hatchery enhancement.

Read the full story in the Times Colonist.

Read related stories:

• Times Colonist; March 20, 2012; "Chinook fishery woes are being spread around: DFO "
  
• Pacific Free Press; March 22, 2012; "Chinook collapse and salmon feedlot viruses"
• Times Colonist; March 17, 2012; "'Draconian' chinook cuts loom for anglers Restrictions raise fears for future of southern Island sports fishing"

Teresa Smith
March 29, 2012
Postmedia News

In an apparent victory for native fishing rights, the Supreme Court of Canada has refused to re-examine a B.C. ruling that members of five First Nations have the right to make a living selling the fish they catch in their traditional territory.

The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday it won't review the case, which has been seen as a rebuke to the current federal fisheries regime.

The lower courts have ruled that members of the five communities — which are scattered along the south western coast of Vancouver Island — have fished in those waters for centuries.

As a result, the Nuu-chah-nulth people have inherent rights to fish "for any species within certain defined territories," and to sell it for profit, the B.C. courts found.

John Rich, counsel for the communities, said Canada's current fisheries regime on the west coast — which began to develop in the 1950s — has pushed First Nations out of the fisheries business because regulations are too cumbersome. He also said the government should negotiate with the Nuu-chah-nulth people to find a way forward.

The B.C. trial judge ruled that Canada has a duty to consult and negotiate with the Nuu-chah-nulth people in order to ensure that their rights are being accommodated and freely exercised.

The First Nations involved include Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo's home community of Ahousaht.

Read the full story on Canada.com.

Homer News
March 28, 2012

The decision by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and at least eight major salmon buyers to pull out of the Marine Stewardship Council's sustainability certification program has caused a bit of a flap in the industry, including allegations by ASMI that MSC is making false accusations regarding the causes and implications of the action, and push-back by ASMI to counter the claims.

Alaska wild salmon was up for re-certification by MSC for the sustainability label in October 2012, and the organization responsible for making that happen, the Alaska Fisheries Development Association, announced in January that it was no longer interested in participating, due to the pull-out of eight major buyers who accounted for 72 percent of the market for salmon in Alaska.

At the time, the association cited the cost of the program and resulting flagging support in the industry. It explained that the processors were instead entering into a sustainability program with the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization whose budget is funded by voluntary contributions that are not passed on to the processors, unlike the licensing fees MSC charges to use its sustainability logo.

ASMI has secured FAO certifications for Alaska salmon, halibut, sablefish and pollock with crab pending.

MSC issued a statement blasting the FAO program, saying Alaska seafood marketing officials are incorrect, and even "misleading," in asserting that the FAO sustainability certification program is equivalent to the MSC program.

Read the full story in the Homer News.

Read related stories:

• The Cordova Times; March 2, 2012; "Market access, cost key to MSC decision"
• Seafood Source; January 18, 2012; "NGO: Timing of Alaska salmon vote 'interesting'"
  
• Epoch Times; January 17, 2012; "Alaskan Salmon Fishery Drops Eco-Certification, BC Groups Take Credit"
  
• Vancouver Sun; January 11, 2012; "B.C.'s wild salmon threatened by Alaskan practices - conservation groups"

Janet Davison
March 27, 2012
CBC News

Kristi Miller would likely be able to help Canadians who don't have degrees in biology understand her groundbreaking — and complex — research into the Pacific salmon stock, which was published more than a year ago.

But so far, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientist, who toils in a lab on Vancouver Island, has only spoken publicly at a formal inquiry into the decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River.

Media requests to speak to her have not resulted in interviews — and the decision to keep her off-limits to reporters has reached as high as officials in the Privy Council Office in Ottawa.

The federal government says it is not muzzling its scientists, but Miller's name often emerges when the issue arises, as it has more frequently of late both inside and outside Canada's scientific community.

For some, there's far more at stake here than a simple opportunity for a biologist or a climatologist to talk about viruses or the ozone layer.

"If scientists working within government are not free to discuss their science and the potential implications of it, then what does that say about us as a society?" asks Jeffrey Hutchings, a professor and Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation and Biodiversity at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

For Hutchings, who had his own fight with federal government secrecy over the closure of the Atlantic cod fishery in the 1990s, there's a rather grim answer to his question.

It is, as he puts it, that "we have somehow deemed it OK or permissible for an Iron Curtain to be drawn across the communication of science in this country."

Read the full story at CBC News.

Read related stories:

• Globe and Mail; March 1, 2012; "Leading journal demands Harper set Canada’s scientists free"
  
• Vancouver Sun; March 1, 2012; "'Free' your scientists, Harper told"
  
• Times Colonist; February 18, 2012; "Harper urged to stop 'muzzling' scientists"
  
• BBC News; February 17, 2012; "Canadian government is 'muzzling its scientists'"
  

World Fishing & Aquaculture
March 27, 2012

Marine Harvest ASA has entered into agreements with Nofima and Felleskjøpet Rogaland Agder to establish a leading Norwegian salmon feed company with a yearly production capacity of up to 500,000t of salmon feed.

Marine Harvest has signed a letter of intent with Felleskjøpet Rogaland Agder (FKRA) that will secure a new company access to formulation technology as well as competence within purchasing and quality control of raw material and finished feed. Marine Harvest has further signed a letter of intent with Nofima for availability of globally leading researchers within fish nutrition and raw material composition. Although locations of production are not yet decided, Marine Harvest has signed an agreement with Valsneset Energi og Industriselskap AS based in the municipality Bjugn in Mid Norway for the utilisation of land property.

Marine Harvest has carried out a pre-study of the business case for establishing a feed company. Based on this pre-study the project will now enter into a new phase with detailed assessments. A decision on whether or not to proceed with the establishment of the fish feed company will be taken once the conclusions from this study are available.

Read the full story at World Fishing & Aquaculture.

Fish News EU
March 26, 2012

Results for the second half of 2011 show continued low numbers of incidental catch by BC’s salmon farmers– numbers that show they are very near their goal of eliminating this interaction with wild fish completely.

In the third and fourth quarters of 2011, the amount of bycatch from BC’s salmon farms represented less than 0.005 and 0.006 per cent of the industry’s harvest, according to numbers released by the BC Salmon Farmers Association on Friday.

That number includes all incidental catch that died during harvests in 2011. When including any bycatch that was caught and live released, the percentages reach 0.017 and 0.022 per cent.

Read the full story on Fish News EU.

Read background stories. 

March 21, 2012
Fisheries Information Service

Senator Elizabeth Marshall has announced more than CAD 4 million (USD 4.04 million) for aquaculture projects in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL).

Marshall spoke on behalf of Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway Keith Ashfield and Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and La Francophonie Bernard Valcourt.

"This investment supports the development of an innovative and competitive aquaculture industry in NL," said Marshall. "The CAD 4 million we are announcing today will support jobs and help to ensure a brighter future for rural and coastal communities throughout the province."

Projects are being funded through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada's Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Programme for a total value of CAD 708,500 (USD 715,505), and CAD 3.3 million (USD 3.33 million) in funding is being provided through the ACOA’s Business Development Programme.

Read the full story on the Fisheries Information Service. 

Read related stories:

• Daily Business Buzz; March 21, 2012; "NL: Aquaculture businesses net suport from DFO, ACOA"
• The Telegram; March 20, 2012; "UPDATE: Feds offer $4 million for aquaculture" 

Benjamin Alldritt
March 21, 2012
North Shore News

What's a responsible seafood lover to do? On the one hand, environmentalists caution that the world's oceans have been massively over-fished. But fish farming, a large and growing industry in B.C., has been dogged with controversy. A judicial inquiry is currently underway to study the erratic numbers of the Fraser River wild salmon stocks, and some believe aquaculture may have been part of the problem, either through pollution or the escape of non-native species. The farming industry adamantly denies that it has any impact on wild stocks, and insists it helps to relieve the pressure on ocean fisheries.

Kelly Roebuck is a representative for SeaChoice, a joint initiative of several environmental groups, including the Living Oceans Society and the David Suzuki Foundation, that helps consumers pick the most sustainable seafood options.

"When it comes to aquaculture, it's not all created equal," she said. "It really depends on the farming method. We look at the management, we look at whether there are escapes, diseases or parasites. We look at if there is effluent from the farm, either feed or fish feces. There are a number of different criteria."

Read the full story in the North Shore News

The Fish Site
March 16, 2012

The European Animal Welfare Platform (EAWP) has highlighted the key welfare issues in salmon production, with sea lice, vaccines and medicines and water quality being the top three concerns.

Other issues highlighted at harvest include transport, crowding, stunning and killing.

EAWP conducted a survey of industry stakeholders, in total 46 responded regarding farmed fish, highlighting what they felt were the key welfare issues.

The group recognised the problems with sea lice control, and the resistance that sea lice can build up to chemotherapeutants.

Legislation varies through countries, in Norway, when water temperatures reach 4-10 degrees Celsius, levels of lice are recorded at least every two weeks. In Scotland, up to 10 per cent of sites are audited annually.

It was recognised by the EAWP and stakeholders that the sea lice problem is best monitored by recording the numbers of sea lice on fish and its clinical and subclinical health status.

Read the full story on The Fish Site.

Dan MacLennan
March 16, 2012
Courier-Islander

Amid the cat and mouse games, and all the pushing and shouting, there was time for a civil discussion last Thursday when fish farm protesters crossed paths with a delegation of Norwegian politicians visiting Campbell River.

The delegation from the Norwegian parliament was in BC to visit with First Nations leaders and aquaculture industry representatives - BC's largest fish farm operators have Norwegian parent companies. A meeting had been planned for Quadra Island Thursday so anti fish farm activist Alexandra Morton and a small group of protesters staked out the 11: 30 a.m. ferry on the Campbell River side, hoping to have a captive audience with the delegation on the ferry ride.

But the game was afoot. The delegation's handlers had changed plans. Quadra was out. A lunch and meeting at the Sequoia Springs clubhouse was in.

Tipped to the change, the protesters raced up to the golf course, arriving as local First Nations leaders and aquaculture industry leaders were seen entering the building. The protesters blocked the delegation's tour bus as it pulled into the parking lot. Placards were waved amid shouts of "Norwegian fish farms go home!" and "Shame!" One of protesters engaged in a brief pushing match with the front end of the bus.

With the protesters gathering around the bus and frustration building both within and without, Dag Terje Andersen, president of the Norwegian parliament, seized the moment. He was first off the bus and into the fray. He and Morton converged.

Read the full story in the Courier-Islander.

Read related stories:

• Courier Islander; March 9, 2012; "Norwegian delegation meets first hand anti fish farm protestors"
• Times Colonist; March 9, 2012; "Venue change no deterrent for anti-fish farm protesters"
• Courier-Islander; March 9, 2012; "Norwegians greeted with protests"
• CTV News; March 8, 2012; "Norwegian Delegation Gets Lesson From Fish Farm Protesters"
• Times Colonist; March 8, 2012; "Norwegian delegation met by fish-farm protesters"
  

Courier Weekend
March 16, 2012

The number of charges against a local aquaculture company and its employees now numbers 19.

Eight new charges for depositing a substance harmful to fish in fish-bearing waters were laid Thursday morning.

Kelly Cove Salmon, a division of Cooke Aquaculture, and three senior company officials are charged under Section 36(3) of the Fisheries Act.

The charges were laid in connection to a two-year investigation into dead and dying lobster in the Bay of Fundy. Kelly Cove Salmon, Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Aquaculture, Michael Cooke Szemerda, vice- president of Cooke Aquaculture, and Randal Griffin, regional production manager for Kelly Cove Salmon, have each been charged with violating Section 36(3) of the Fisheries Act.

During a court appearance Thursday morning in St. Stephen, Robert Vincent, the attorney for Cooke Aquaculture, Cooke and Szemerda, requested additional time before his clients make election.

He said Crown attorneys had not yet completed making disclosure of documents to the defence, but stated the Crown should be able to make complete disclosure by the end of April.

Read the full story on Courier Weekend.

Read related stories:

• CBC News; November 2, 2012; "Fish farm charged in connection with lobster deaths"
  
• Fisheries Information Service; November 4, 2011; "Aquaculture executives charged with pouring harmful pesticides into bay"
• New Brunswick Business Journal; November 4, 2011; "Environment: Glenn Cooke reacts to alleged violation of fisheries act by division of aquaculture firm"
• Telegraph-Journal; November 3, 2011; "Three Cooke Aquaculture executives face environmental charges"

Read background stories. 

CBC News
March 14, 2012

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it cannot confirm that salmon bought at a B.C. supermarket chain has tested positive for a virus on the agency’s reportable diseases list.

CBC News has learned that Alexandra Morton, an activist and biologist from B.C., collected 29 Atlantic salmon heads that were bought at different outlets of a B.C. chain, and 16 wild salmon from a B.C. river. It is not certain the Atlantic salmon were from farms in B.C.

Five fish from the supermarket chain and one from a B.C. river tested positive for infectious salmon anemia, Morton said on her website. They were tested at a private lab in P.E.I. run by the World Organization for Animal Health.

The lab then passed the results on to the Canada Food Inspection Agency.

However, the agency said the fish samples were too degraded to confirm the private lab’s findings.

The agency, known as CFIA, said it will work with the private lab to send samples for testing at the National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory System, or NAAHLS, which is run by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Read the full story on CBC News.

Read related stories:

• The Hook; March 13, 2012; "Atlantic salmon in Lower Mainland markets test positive for ISA virus: Morton" 

 March 13, 2012
FishNewsEU

ACCORDING to recent figures released by Scottish Development international (SDI), Scottish salmon exports experienced a 36 per cent increase to the United States in 2011. As the largest ever year-on-year rise, it further secures the US as Scotland’s top export market.

As the total US salmon imports also increased 2.6 per cent in 2011, the new figures reveal Scotland has the largest share of Atlantic salmon imports outside of North and South America. With one quarter of Scotland’s salmon production – equivalent to 43,703 tonnes – sent to the US in 2011, Scottish farmed salmon is the country’s largest food export. The total value of all Scottish salmon exports (fresh, frozen and smoked) to the US last year was £211 million and the total US salmon market is valued at £1.08 billion ($1.71 billion).

The new export figures are released as SDI is leading a delegation of Scottish seafood companies to attend the International Boston Seafood Show, which ends today. There, firms will meet with influential seafood buyers from the retail and catering sectors to strengthen relationships and build on current success. Those exhibiting on the Scotland pavilion include Orkney Islands Seafood, The Scottish Salmon Company and Grieg Seafood Hjatland who yesterday won the retail category of the Seafood Excellence Awards at the Show for their Limoncello Gravadlax product.

Read the full story on FishNewsEU.

Bruce Erskine
March 12, 2012
Chronicle Herald

More than 50 groups and organizations are calling for a provincial moratorium on open-pen salmon aquaculture.

“We’re selling our coastline,” Judith Cabrita, a director of Destination Eastern and Northumberland Shores, said Monday in an interview.

The organization represents private tourism operators in Antigonish, Guysborough and Pictou counties, as well as ones in eastern Halifax Regional Municipality.

It is one of 51 groups that called on the provincial government Monday to halt the expansion of open-pen salmon farms.

“I hope the government will realize there is a future in recreational fishing and an economically sustainable, contained farmed fishery,” said Cabrita, former executive director of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia.

“Our sustainable, natural product is a huge part of our tourism product. We have to protect what we have.”

In the past, the government has said contained fish farms, which don’t interact with the natural marine environment, aren’t commercially viable.

But Cabrita said there is more economic benefit to be derived from tourism than from open-pen salmon farms.

“Tourism and recreational fishing produce more jobs.”

 A single recreational salmon caught in Nova Scotia is worth about $2,500 in related revenues, she said.

That position was underscored in a letter to Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Sterling Belliveau last month from tourism association president Darlene Grant Fiander.

The expansion of open-pen salmon farms in Nova Scotia could hurt the province’s reputation as a natural tourism destination, Grant Fiander said.

Read the full story in the Chronicle Herald.

Read related stories:

• CBC News; March 15, 2012; "N.S. rejects calls for moratorium on fish farming"
• CBC News; February 19, 2012; "Eastern Shore group wants a moratorium on fish farms"

Aquafeed.com
March 8, 2012

The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) announced today feed trial research results that attain a major goal for sustainable marine fish aquaculture: producing farmed marine fish with a wild fish in/farmed fish out (FIFO) ratio of less than 1:1. 

The amount of fishmeal and fish oil from wild-caught sources used in farmed fish feed has been a concern for the long-term sustainability and scalability of aquaculture. Marine species, such as salmon, tuna, and yellowtail are higher up the food chain, and require diets comprised mostly of proteins and oils. These are usually in the form of fishmeal and fish oil derived from smaller fish lower on the food chain, such as anchovies and menhaden. 

However, these wild fisheries cannot be scaled up to meet the feed demands of a growing global aquaculture industry. Much innovative research has taken place in the past decade to find alternative sources of proteins and oils in an effort to increase the sustainability of aquaculture and reduce pressure on wild forage fisheries.

Over the past five years, U.S. soybean farmers have sponsored a series of feed trials for farmed marine fish to test the use of soy ingredients as a replacement for fishmeal and fish oil. Recent trials conducted by Kampachi Farms in Hawaii, collaborating with the University of Nebraska, have produced farmed carnivorous fish with a FIFO ratio of 0.89:1.

“We’re very excited with this research and the promise it holds for the future of aquaculture,” said Michael Cremer, USSEC’s Technical Director for Global Aquaculture. “Soybeans are particularly rich in nutrients that produce healthy and safe farmed fish, and unlike wild resources, can scale up to help aquaculture meet increased demand for seafood.”

Read the full story at Aquafeed.com.

Courier-Islander
March 9, 2012

Marine Harvest Canada, Mainstream Canada and Grieg Seafood have announced a new agreement which establishes an area management program for Okisollo Channel near Campbell River, and is the only area of the coast where all three companies operate farms.

"We all agree that setting a high standard for our farms is important and that in areas where we operate together, we need to work co-operatively and openly to establish that standard," said Fernando Villarroel, Managing Director, Mainstream Canada.

The companies already work together informally on many aspects of farm management in the area, but decided to confirm this co-operation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding for a five-year joint management plan for their Okisollo Channel farms, a release from the BC Salmon Farmers Association stated Thursday.

There are a total of five farms in the channel. The MOU includes agreements about when sites are stocked and fallowed, as well as about sharing information and partnered research.

Read the full story in the Courier-Islander.

Scotsman.com
March 7, 2012

The number of seals shot around Scotland’s coastline is decreasing, but hundreds were still killed last year, often by fish farms protecting their stocks. Nick Drainey meets a marksman tasked with dispatching the graceful creatures to find out how he copes with this gruesome work, and whether it is really necessary.

It is a grey day on the west coast of Scotland; the rain is getting heavier and the wind stronger. As with all farmers, Dave is concerned about the weather. “Too much fresh water,” he grumbles as he looks up. But the produce he is worried about is not in fields, it is the thousands of salmon a hundred yards away, in cages bobbing gently in the middle of a sea loch.

As with other farms, making sure the feed levels are right and predators are deterred is key. The main predator, one not faced by arable or livestock farms, is the seal. A range of measures are taken to deter grey and common seals, but every year licensed marksmen like Dave shoot those determined to attack their salmon.

What makes him do this, and is there no way round it? Dave is not his real name, the firm he works for are fearful that if he was identified he himself could be attacked by campaigners vehemently opposed to the idea of shooting wildlife. For that reason I don’t learn his real name until I arrive at the fish farm.

Read the full story in the Scotsman.com.

Read related stories here.

March 5, 2012
CTV News

Only days after he was removed from Canada for overstaying a visitor's permit, a controversial salmon-farming critic says he has settled in Norway to "slay the dragon in its own lair."

Since 2005, British-born activist Don Staniford has been a divisive force in British Columbia's ongoing salmon-farming debate. He has been accused by the industry of going beyond rational dialogue and distorting facts and has twice been sued by B.C. companies for defamation.

But supporters see him as a tireless critic and Staniford is promising to take his battle against the industry to Europe, where he'll serve as the global campaign co-ordinator for another environmental group.

"I've gone straight to work for the Green Warriors of Norway and straight to the belly of the beast here in Norway," said Staniford, in a phone interview.

"Norway controls much of the global industry and I'm going to slay the dragon in its own lair."

The new job is significant because Kurt Oddekalv, leader of the Green Warriors of Norway, has described himself as the most "hard hitting environmental warrior" in his country.

Also significant is Staniford's legal history.

Staniford's most-recent defamation case was launched by Mainstream Canada, a subsidiary of the Norwegian company Cermaq.

The case has wrapped up in the Supreme Court of B.C., but a judgment has yet to be made.

Read related articles:

• Times Colonist; March 1, 2012; "Activist to be sent home after hearing"
  
• Times Colonist; February 10, 2012; "Activist to be sent home after hearing"
  
• Vancouver Observer; February 5, 2012; "Alexandra Morton Speaks at Don Staniford Trial in Vancouver, BC"
  
• TheFishSite; January 23, 2012; "Mainstream Canada begins trial to defend reputation"
• Globe and Mail; January 18, 2012; "Judge tosses fish farm critic’s bid to cast alleged libel as industry-wide critique"
  
• Worldfishing News; January 17, 2012; "Mainstream begins trial against activist"
• Globe and Mail; January 8, 2012; "Fish-farm foe defiant as court date nears"
• CBC News; January 8, 2012; "Fish farm opponent faces 2nd B.C. defamation case - Activist could lose $125,000"
• The Province; January 8, 2012; "Giant Norwegian fish farm company sues B.C.=based activist for defamation"
• Tiimes Colonist; January 8, 2012; "Anti-fish farm activist faces defamation lawsuit"

Lorna Siggins
February 29, 2012
Irish Times

MINISTER FOR the Marine Simon Coveney has been urged to meet opponents of a proposed €3.5 million fish farm project for Bantry Bay in west Cork.

The group, known as Save Bantry Bay, says it is not opposed to aquaculture, but is opposed to this specific project planned for Shot Head off Adrigole.

Bantry Bay Harbour Commissioners have added their voice to objections, primarily over navigational concerns.

The Save Bantry Bay group, comprising residents, holidaymakers, tourism and environmental interests, met a Bantry Bay Harbour Commissioners sub-committee earlier this month to court support.

The €3.5 million project planned by Norwegian-owned Marine Harvest Ireland is part of a €14 million investment programme by the company over the next five years for its existing 16 aquaculture sites around the coast.

Read the full story in the Irish Times.

The Fish Site
February 27, 2012

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is seeking comments on a disease surveillance plan for salmon in British Columbia.

The aim of the surveillance is to get a comprehensive picture of the health status of salmon in British Columbia. Fish will be tested for three diseases: infectious haematopoietic necrosis, infectious pancreatic necrosis and infectious salmon anaemia.

The CFIA will lead the surveillance with support from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Province of British Columbia and industry. All testing, as well as any activities undertaken to respond to confirmed cases of disease, will be directed by science, international guidelines and national aquatic animal health requirements.

Approximately 5000 wild salmon will be collected per year for a minimum of two years, starting in the spring of 2012. In addition, the CFIA will evaluate ongoing, industry-led testing of farmed salmon.

The design of the proposed surveillance plan was based on internationally accepted surveillance principles and developed by the CFIA in consultation with DFO, the Province of BC and the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

A summary of the initiative is available on the CFIA web site at www.inspection.gc.ca/aquatic.

For more information see the following:

• Backgrounder: Salmon Disease Surveillance in British Columbia - Backgrounder
• Executive Summary: Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Proposed Surveillance Initiative for Salmonids in British Columbia
  

The Fish Site
February 23, 2012

The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute (TCFFI) and the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) are very pleased with the health, growth , and quality of farmed Atlantic salmon that TCFFI is now harvesting from land-based, closed-containment facilities in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Since May, 2011, ASF and TCFFI have grown salmon of Saint John, NB river strain and have achieved exceptional quality and survival of the fish. The farmed salmon have grown without incident of sea lice or disease and this has been accomplished without the use of harsh chemicals, antibiotics or vaccines. In addition, 99.8 per cent of water flowing through the system is continuously cleaned and returned to tanks and 99 per cent of fish waste solids is controlled and captured.

ASF President Bill Taylor said: “These fish are doing very well and the trial is proving that we don’t need the ocean to produce farmed Atlantic salmon for market. Our fish are getting good reviews on their taste and attracting attention from government, industry, and conservation-oriented consumers.”

“We plan”, continued Mr Taylor, “to hold a workshop at our headquarters in St. Andrews, NB in October 2012 to provide mentoring resources and emerging information on farming salmon in closed containment facilities. The workshop is intended to assist the salmon aquaculture industry, government regulators, funders and conservation advocates in making future decisions on the use of closed-containment systems for farming salmon in New England, the mid-Atlantic, and Atlantic Canada.”

Read the full story on The Fish Site.

Read releated story:

• Atlantic Fisherman; March 12; 2012; "Salmon Aquculture: closed containment or seaborne cages"
• Fish News EU; February 23, 2012; "Re-circ research proves a hit"
  

BBC News
February 22, 2012

A full-scale operation to farm and deploy wrasse fish in salmon cages is being launched in Scotland.

The Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) and Meridian Salmon Group hope the move will help reduce sea lice levels on salmon farms.

Under a deal with Otter Ferry Seafish, wrasse will be commercially farmed for use in salmon cages for the first time.

More than 250,000 wrasse will be deployed at marine sites over the next three years.

The initiative, which is supported by The Crown Estate, aims to show the value of wrasse to help manage levels of sea lice and reduce the dependency on veterinary treatments.

Both companies will introduce the wrasse alongside other husbandry methods that help counter the naturally-occurring parasite that attaches itself to both farmed and wild salmon.

They will study the potential benefits of introducing the lice-eating wrasse, or "cleaner fish", for animal welfare and the marine environment.

Read the full story on BBC News.

CTV News
February 22, 2012

A Nova Scotia conservation group is calling on the government to reconsider the use of open-net pens after a seafood company reported a suspected case of infectious salmon anemia.

Susanna Fuller of the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre says the discovery of the suspected virus highlights the risks that could come if the aquaculture industry expands.

Cooke Aquaculture says it killed salmon in two cages after it detected the suspected outbreak on February 10 at one of its nine fish farms in Nova Scotia.

Fuller says the provincial government should consider increasing the use of closed containment tanks as a more ecologically sensitive option.

Read the full story on CTV News.

Read related stories on the suspected detection of ISA at Nova Scotia salmon farm.

The Chronicle Herald
February 20, 2012

A Queens County group says it has scientific proof a fish farm polluted Port Mouton Bay with antibiotics, pesticides and copper, and is killing lobster larvae.

The Friends of Port Mouton Bay has also asked its municipality to pass a motion asking the province to make the bay a no-go zone for aquaculture.

“Port Mouton Bay doesn’t flush, that’s our problem,” group spokesman Peter Muttart told Region of Queens councillors Monday morning. “There is no cleansing going on there.”

Because of that, there is a buildup of fish excrement, uneaten fish food and the antibiotics, pesticides and metals that go in that food, Muttart said.

Read the full story in the Chronicle Herald.

The Fish Site
February 20, 2012

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has confirmed infectious salmon anamia (ISA) at a fish farm in Bremsnesfjord Nordmøre.

The results were confirmed after suspicions arose earlier in the week, following the detection of ISA in a routine sample.

A regulated zone will be established around the farm. The infected unit will have orders to harvest in a hygienically acceptable manner within a limited time.

ISA infection will not affect this year's planned stocking of fish in the area.

Read the full story on the Fish Site.

Brian Moore
The Southern Star
February 18, 2012

It was standing room only at the Caha Community Hall in Adrigole last Saturday night as the local community turned out in force to voice their concerns at the proposed new 300-acre salmon farm in Bantry Bay.

Marine Harvest Ireland plan to invest €3.5 million in the project, which will see a new organic salmon farm sited at Shot Head. The plan includes the creation of six full-time jobs during the farm set-up. When the farm is fully operational, it will provide two jobs.

Speaking at the meeting, one local fisherman is not convinced that the addition of six jobs falling to just two upon completion is worth the environmental damage that he claims this salmon farm will cause: ‘There are up to 20 people fishing this area right now: all making a living, all contributing to the local economy. This farm will cover such a big area that we will struggle to survive.

‘You can’t fish around these cages; you will lose gear and the farm will, I believe, have a devastating effect on the local shellfish stocks. My family have fished for prawns, shrimps, lobster and crab for generations; I want to be able to carry on this tradition but there will be no future for fishing in this area if this salmon farm goes ahead,’ Kieran O’Shea from Adrigole said.

Read the full story in The Southern Star.

FIS Canada
February 17, 2012

Norwegian fish farming and fish feed company Cermaq, (Public, OSE:CEQ) has reported EBIT pre fair value for the fourth quarter 2011 of USD 52 million (NOK 300 million), compared to USD 95 million (NOK 547 million) pre gain in fourth quarter 2010.

The decline is mainly due to the sharp drop in salmon prices. At the same time EWOS and Mainstream Chile continue a strong performance.

Cermaq's operating revenues were USD 570 million (NOK 3285 million) in fourth quarter 2011 compared to USD 550.37 (NOK 3171 million) in fourth quarter 2010 and, EBIT pre fair value for the quarter was USD 52 million (NOK 300 million) compared to USD 104.31 million (NOK 601 million) in fourth quarter 2010.

Read the full article on FIS Canada.

John Upton
February 8, 2012
The Bay Citizen

Chinook salmon swimming up the Mokelumne River are lured into a trap, killed and gutted of their eggs and sperm, which are blended in jars. State workers rear the hatchlings that emerge from the eggs, and then truck the young fish to a stretch of the San Joaquin River near the Antioch Bridge, where they are poured into the water.

The efforts have succeeded in replenishing depleted salmon populations, but the hatchery-raised fish may actually be weakening the ranks of wild salmon, according to research published Wednesday. Wild salmon have almost entirely disappeared from the river, replaced by their reared-and-released cousins, the scientists discovered.

The hatchery practice is long-running and widespread — the California Department of Fish and Game operates 21 salmon and trout hatcheries, the first of which opened 102 years ago.

Mokelumne River Hatchery, in the Central Valley town of Clements, last year reared and released steelhead trout and more than 5 million salmon, using funds from the sale of commercial fishing licenses and from the East Bay Municipal Utility District to offset the impacts on the species of a dam that it operates.

Researchers analyzed the ear bones of fish to determine whether they were raised in the wild or in a hatchery.

“The ear bone grows with concentric rings, sort of like a pearl in an oyster,” explained Peter Weber, a geochemist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and co-author of the study. “Those rings can be used to figure out the chronology of the life of the fish.”

The scientists discovered that just 4 percent of the fall-run salmon swimming through the Mokelumne River watershed in 2004 had been reared in the wild. Within the actual river, not including its tributaries, 10 percent were found to be wild. The rest began their lives in a hatchery. The discovery was scheduled to be reported Wednesday in the online journal PLoS ONE.

Read the full story in The Bay Citizen.

Read related stories:

• The First Perspective; September 22, 2011; "Nature encouraged to take its course in Chinook salmon"
  
• Globe and Mail; April 6, 2011; "Bold experiment hopes to boost salmon population in B.C. waters"

Agrimarine Media Release
February 14, 2012

AgriMarine Holdings Inc. CA:FSH -1.92%  (otcqx:AGMHF)(frankfurt:A2G) (the "Company" or "AgriMarine"), the leader in floating solid-wall containment technology and production for sustainable aquaculture, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, AgriMarine Norway AS, has signed a Letter of Intent with Marine Harvest ASA ("Marine Harvest") for a demonstration site using AgriMarine's core technology to increase salmon production capacity up to 1 kg. Under the terms of the proposed demonstration project, AgriMarine's solid-wall, floating closed containment tank would be tested and adapted for the production of salmon in Norway. A successful demonstration of the AgriMarine System may result in a Definitive Agreement with Marine Harvest in the near future.

Geir Spiten, President of AgriMarine Norway, said, "We are confident that the Letter of Intent is the first step in establishing a business relationship with Marine Harvest aimed at the commercialization of AgriMarine's technology for sustainable aquaculture in Norway. This new project follows previous announcements of two other projects in conjunction with Norwegian salmon companies that aim to demonstrate the economic benefits of the AgriMarine System over conventional net cage systems."

Cato Lyngoy, Group Technical Manager Technology & Environment, Marine Harvest, said, "We look forward to working with AgriMarine to establish the first application of the AgriMarine System in Norway during the current production year. Our objective is to test AgriMarine's technology to support semi-contained postsmolt production of fish up to 1 kg."

"Establishing a strategic relationship with a recognized industry major and receiving industry validation is a priority for AgriMarine's management. Marine Harvest is the world's largest farmed salmon producer and we are confident of the benefits that our system will bring to the industry," added Mr. Spiten.

Read the full media release at EIN World News Report.

Judith Lavoie
February 11, 2012
Times Colonist

A coalition of U.S. and Canadian conservation groups and First Nations are asking for international help in dealing with fish farms off the B.C. coast.

A formal petition was filed this week with a North American Free Trade Agreement panel requesting an international investigation into Canada's failure to protect wild salmon in B.C. from disease and parasites, which, opponents claim, come from salmon farms.

The petition, which is looking for enforcement of Canada's Fisheries Act, has been submitted to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, but it is not known when a decision will be made.

The organizations behind the petition are the Center for Biological Diversity, Pacific Coast Wild Salmon Society, the northern Vancouver Island Kwikwasu'tinuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations.

Kwikwasu'tinuxw Haxwa'mis Chief Bob Chamberlin said B.C. First Nations leaders receive little help from the Canadian government in dealing with fish farms in traditional waters, so it is time to appeal for help from the international community. "It's another opportunity to try and have our concerns heard. If we are not able to find satisfaction from the federal government, we need to go to the international stage to pressure Canada to do something," said Chamberlin, who is also vice-president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.

There are 27 net pens in the bands' traditional territories, even though the communities are opposed to open net pens, Chamberlin said. The pens are situated in the primary exit areas for wild salmon, leading to concerns about their role in the decline of wild runs, Chamberlin said.

Read the full story on the Times Colonist.

Read related stories:

• Summit County Voice; February 11, 2012; "Disease from Canadian fish farms threaten wild salmon"
  
• The Fish Site; February 9, 2012; "Petition: Investigation of Wild Salmon Protection"

February 9, 2012
Fish Update

Global salmon farming company, the Marine Harvest Group, have announced their Q4 results in Oslo yesterday, February 8, and the figures seem to support their claim that the markets absorbed the increase in supply, while long-term contracts protected their margins.

The company achieved an operational EBIT of NOK 403 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to NOK 1,033 million in the corresponding quarter of 2010. Favourable sales contracts reduced the impact on margins from lower spot prices. They expect a challenging supply situation in 2012, with continued price pressure, and have taken necessary measures to preserve financial strength.

They reported operational revenues and other income of NOK 4,254 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Harvest volumes increased by 16 per cent, to 104,589 tonnes – from 90,485 tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2010. Net earnings in the period were NOK 100 million.

Spot prices continued to fall in the fourth quarter as markets absorbed an increase in industry supply of 20.5 per cent. The group achieved an operational EBIT of NOK 403 million, mainly due to favourable sales contracts. The reduced price level has resulted in improved results in Marine Harvest VAP Europe and is, they believe, stimulating global demand in general.  “We use this momentum to expand the market for Atlantic salmon and attract new customers,” commented the group’s CEO, Alf-Helge Aarskog.

Read the full story on Fish Update.

February 8, 2012
Reuters

Three consumer groups petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to subject a new genetically engineered salmon to a more rigorous review process than is now in place before the fish can be approved as safe to eat.

The fish at issue, AquaBounty Technologies' AquAdvantage salmon, is currently classified as a new animal drug for the purposes of FDA review.

The FDA considers any genetically altered animal a new animal drug for approval purposes. The petition calls for the salmon to be classified as a food additive instead, which would require a more rigorous FDA review.

AquaBounty is seeking U.S. approval to market its engineered Atlantic salmon, which contains a gene from another fish species, the Chinook salmon, to help it grow twice as fast as normal.

The consumer groups' petition says the way these salmon are created substantially alters their composition and nutritional value, and so they should be treated as a food additive. Under this standard, they said, the company's data would have to overwhelmingly prove AquAdvantage salmon are safe to eat.

The consumer groups -- Food & Water Watch, Consumers Union, and the Center for Food Safety -- said in a statement the "new animal drug" designation is insufficient to protect public health. The review process for food additives offers greater protection, they said.

Read releated stories:

• Fish News EU; February 7, 2012; "Franken-fish fight"
  

Read past related stories.

CBC News
February 7, 2012

A Scotland-based company proposing to spend millions of dollars developing three salmon fish farms on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore says it wants to have fish in the water by May.

Snow Island Salmon Inc. — the Canadian subsidiary of Scottish aquaculture company Loch Duart Ltd. — wants to operate salmon farms at Shoal Bay, Spry Harbour and Beaver Harbour.

Snow Island Salmon Inc., which has already taken over an existing fish farm in nearby Owl Head, has applied for finfish leases with the provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

"Our team hopes to put our fish in by May. That will go into the site we currently own and if we have one of the other sites it might go in there," said Nick Joy, the managing director of Loch Duart Ltd.

"We will be putting fish to sea this year and we will be employing people this year."

Loch Duart Ltd. operates what the company bills as environmentally-sustainable salmon farms in Scotland.

Joy said he wants to bring its practices to Nova Scotia, including fewer fish per pen, no antibiotics and longer inactive periods to lessen the environmental impact.

"We take all the equipment out, all the fish out and leave it fallow for a year," said Joy.

"That's the entire bay, not just the little area where the fish were previously."

On Monday night, hundreds of people came out to a public information session in Sheet Harbour to discuss the proposed salmon farms.

There was skepticism among the citizens, who were concerned about the impact of the farms on tourism and on wild salmon. One man asked the company why it would license a salmon farm on two salmon bearing streams.

Read the full story on CBC News.

Read related stories:

• Chronicle Herald; February 6, 2012; "Eastern Shore residents to hear about fish farm proposal"
  

Mark Hume
February 5, 2012
Globe and Mail

A group of leading fisheries scientists have come up with a proposal to answer some of the most pressing and difficult environmental questions on the West Coast: Are fish farms killing wild salmon? And if so, how many?

Debate on the environmental impact of fish farms has raged in British Columbia for over a decade. Environmentalists blame aquaculture for causing a collapse in wild salmon populations by spreading sea lice and disease, but there has never been any hard scientific evidence to prove those claims.

Now David Welch, who has done groundbreaking work tracking fish at sea with acoustic transmitters, has put together a team of some of the brightest fisheries researchers in Canada to solve the mystery.

Dr. Welch testified last year to the Cohen Commission, explaining how his acoustical tracking work had shown that salmon smolts, in their first year at sea, were vanishing in Queen Charlotte Strait, just past the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

Because fish farms are clustered in a bottleneck in Discovery Passage on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, Dr. Welch’s research raised suspicions that wild salmon might be picking up diseases and/or lice as they migrated past the farms, then dying some weeks later in Queen Charlotte Sound.

In December, Dr. Welch filed a supplemental report with the Cohen Commission, saying a new analysis shows his data is even stronger than he first thought. So many fish died north of the farms, he stated, that it could explain the Fraser River’s catastrophic sockeye collapse in 2009, when only one million fish returned to spawn, instead of 10 million.

“This level of higher mortality would be sufficient to fully explain the 10-fold decline in Fraser sockeye survival seen since 1990,” states Dr. Welch.

He cautions that “this new result remains a correlation, not proof that the fish farms caused the reduced survival,” but he proposes a way to find out.

Read the full story in the Globe and Mail.

February 5, 2012
North Island Gazette

A North Island company was fined in Port Hardy court after it pleaded guilty to a 2009 infraction.

Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) was ordered Jan. 18 to pay a $5,000 penalty for failing to properly return Pacific herring to the wild during an an incident that occurred in  October 2009.

In a release, MHC said it takes full responsibility for the infraction.

“The charge — failure to return incidentally captured Pacific herring to the place where they were taken — stems from an occurrence in late 2009 when the company was transporting its fish,” stated the release.

“Although incidental catch of wild fish is rare at B.C. salmon farms, Marine Harvest Canada takes this issue seriously and has made modifications to equipment to minimize further interceptions.”

The company said fish separators are now installed on its grading vessels.

Read the full story in the North Island Gazette.

Read related stories: 

• Times Colonist; January 21, 2012; "Company fined $5,000 for failing to put back fish"
  
• Courier Islander; January 20, 2012; "Company handed $5,000 fine for wild fish infraction"

 Read background stories. 

Margaret Munro
February 2, 2012
Vancouver Sun

Twenty years after the collapse of the world's largest cod fishery off Canada's East Coast, experts say the beleaguered groundfish are still being overexploited.

Fishing continues in areas where cod stocks are below "critical limits," says Jeffrey Hutchings of Dalhousie University and head of a national science panel that called Thursday for sweeping changes in the management of Canada's oceans.

The change needs to start at the top, by reducing the "czar-like" powers of the federal minister of fisheries and oceans, the panel says.

The Fisheries Act, which dates back to 1868, also needs to get with the modern age, says the expert panel on marine biodiversity, which was established by the Royal Society of Canada.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is responsible for both exploiting and conserving fisheries — a "conflict of interest" that the panel says needs to be resolved.

The 10-member panel spent two years assessing ocean biodiversity and the challenges posed by climate change, fishing and aquaculture.

It has delivered a 316-page report that says Canada's oceans are becoming warmer and more acidic, which could make some waters inhospitable to marine life. And sea ice disappearing from the Arctic and the East Coast will profoundly affect marine life and their ecosystems.

It says overfishing has seriously depleted many species and disrupted marine food webs.

Read the full story in the Vancouver Sun.

Full report; Sustaining Canada's Marine Biodiversity: Responding to the Challenges Posed by Climate Change, Fisheries, and Aquaculture; February 2012

Read related stories:

• CBC News; February 2, 2012; "Canada failing its oceans, biodiversity panel finds"
  
• Vancouver Sun; February 2, 2012; "Canada must act decisively to protect marine biodiversity: report"
  

January 31, 2012
World Fishing & Aquaculture

The Norwegian Seafood Council has expressed its satisfaction with the US International Trade Commission’s decision to revoke the anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders against Norwegian Atlantic salmon.

NSC’s Director of Market Information, Egil Ove Sundheim, said, “It is gratifying to have these unnecessary trade barriers removed after more than 20 years. The Norwegian industry worked very hard to provide all of the information requested by the United States Government and we are very pleased that our information and arguments were fully considered.”

The US anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders against fresh and chilled Atlantic salmon from Norway covered whole fresh salmon, and were originally imposed in 1991. Removal of the prohibitive anti-dumping duty of nearly 24% is not considered a start of a significant increase in the exports of whole fresh and chilled salmon from Norway to the US.

Read full story on World Fishing & Aquaculture.

Read related stories:

• Fish News EU; January 30, 2012; "Anti-dumping reversal celebrated"
  
• Reuters; January 27, 2012; "Norway's salmon producers eye U.S. as tariff falls"
  

Ray Grigg
January 27, 2012
Courier Islander

The mystery of the disappearing wild salmon may be closer to being solved due to the reconvened Cohen Commission and the extraordinary three days of hearings held in December, 2011. As earlier testimony revealed, many environmental factors affect the survival of wild salmon.

Evidence now confirms that government policy supports the salmon farming industry, and that the industry has been willing to exploit this advantage to win regulatory concessions for its economic gain - in the words of one Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) official, the industry seemed "to dictate" policy. These concessions may have involved relaxed importation, inspection and quarantine of Atlantic salmon eggs, and inadequate supervision of fish health.

Summary statements written by Gregory McDade and Lisa Glowaki, two of the lawyers representing Dr. Alexandra Morton at the inquiry, describe how DFO failed to pursue evidence suggesting that ISAv might be in wild salmon, despite an independent 2004 test that suggested all Cultus Lake sockeye were infected. "Instead it buried the results completely for seven years," notes the summary, and "decided to not test any further wild salmon. This reaction is not consistent with the scientific method or a precautionary approach - rather it shows action of a political nature - denial and suppression of an inconvenient fact. In legal terms, it is known as willful blindness, also characterized in some circumstances as gross negligence." This opinion is reinforced by DFO's failure to submit any ISAv documentation to the Commission.

Read the full story in the Courier Islander. 

Read related stories. 

Agence France-Presse
January 26, 2012
Vancouver Sun

The worldwide fishing industry could benefit from an annual $50-billion boost if stocks were allowed time to recover, the UN said Wednesday.

Already 32 per cent of the world's fish stocks have been depleted by years of overfishing and poor coastal management, according to a UN Environment Program report released in the Philippine capital Manila.

"The potential economic gain from reducing fishing capacity to an optimal and restoring fish stocks is in the order of $50 billion per annum," a summary of the UN report said, with-out giving details on how the figure was reached.

The report said overfishing, pollution from land-based farming and industry, and the destruction of habitat, including coral reefs and man-groves, are all having an effect on fish stocks. This is directly affecting the 540 million people around the world who are dependent on the fishing industry, experts said.

Read the full storty in the Vancouver Sun. 

Ray Grigg
January 20, 2012
Courier Islander

Published: Friday, January 20, 2012 (Editor's note: In a letter to the editor in Wednesday's Courier-Islander Dr. Ian Alexander, Executive Director, Canadian Food Inspection Agency made the following statement: "I want to be very clear, that to date no trace of ISA has been detected in B.C. salmon."

Also, in another letter to the editor in Wednesday's Courier-Islander, Gary Marty, BC Ministry of Agriculture, made the following statement: "As part of my work as the BC Ministry of Agriculture's fish pathologist, last fall I reviewed... results in our diagnostic laboratory from five farmed chinook salmon re-tested for ISAV.

"Samples from all five fish yielded a band that was very similar to our ISAV-positive control, but when we sequenced the PCR product to determine its identity, it didn't match anything. The closest match was mouse (see Cohen Commission Exhibit #s 2079 and 2080.)

"I view mouse-like results in a test for a salmon virus as evidence of "nonspecific amplification." This means that the test did not work properly and needed to be redone; it is not grounds to report to OIE. The test was repeated several times, and all results were negative - no virus.") The source of the suspected infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAv) that was reported to be found in BC's wild salmon would have almost certainly from imported Atlantic salmon eggs, the international trade that at one time provided coastal salmon farms with most of their stock. The salmon farming industry, of course, says that ISAv is not here, although evidence given at the Cohen Commission's extraordinary three days of hearings on Dec. 15, 16 and 19 suggests otherwise.

Read the full story in the Courier Islander.

Read related stories:

• Pacific Free Press; January 23, 2012: "Cohen Commissioin: Egg Trade Parte Deux"

Read background information. 

Carla Wilson
January 14, 2012
Times Colonist

The latest move to reduce B.C.'s salmon fleet is underway as Ottawa announced cash offers to buyback commercial lisences of trollers on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

A total of $28.5 million has been allocated to reduce the province's troll fleet in B.C. to conserve chinook salmon that travel through both U.S. and Canadian waters. It's up to the fishermen to decide if they will keep their salmon licences or sell them to the federal government.

It is not yet known how many of the 145 individual and 20 communal licences on the Island's west coast will be retired. The deadline to apply is Jan. 27. Fisheries and Oceans Canada expects a second round of buybacks in early March when trollers in other areas can apply.

The program was crafted under the Pacific Salmon Treaty with the Americans, who gave Canada $30 million to implement it. The treaty was renewed in 2009 and included a 30 per cent reduction in catch levels off the west coast of the Island to help conserve weak stocks. The rest of the money is to help mitigate the effects of reducing the harvest.

Ucluelet Mayor Bill Irving is worried about permanent reductions in the fleet, saying there was no need to extinguish licences. Coastal communities and fishermen had argued in favour of keeping some of the fleet off the fishing grounds until stocks rebounded. They tried to convince federal officials of the plan, he said.

Read the full story in the Times Colonist. 

Read related stories:

• Westerly; January 26, 2012; "License buyback plan disappointing for local commercial salmon fishery"
• Fisheries Information Service; January 3, 2012; "Licence retirement programme begins for chinook fishery"

January 13, 2012
Courier Islander

It's been just over a year since Ottawa took over aquaculture jurisdiction, and the process has gone well, said Fisheries and Oceans Minister Keith Ashfield on a visit to Campbell River Monday.

"It's actually gone very smoothly, surprisingly," Ashfield said. "Some of these things can be difficult, but for the most part it's gone smoothly. Hopefully over the course of the next little while it'll get a little better."

In December 2010, Fisheries and Oceans Canada assumed primary responsibility for the regulation of the aquaculture industry in B.C., including the licensing of marine finfish, shellfish, and freshwater aquaculture sites, as well as enhancement facilities. Staff were hired to implement and undertake the federal B.C.

Aquaculture Regulatory Program, with the majority of positions located on Vancouver Island. The program provides economic stimulus to coastal communities, as its employees work to ensure that the aquaculture industry is operating in an environmentally sustainable fashion.

A ministry release stated that after its first full year in operation, the program has achieved success in a number of areas:

. A total of 104 inspections were conducted at marine finfish aquaculture sites by departmental field biologists and fishery officers to assess compliance with their site's conditions of licence, and applicable acts and regulations

. Conditions-of-licence inspections were conducted at 140 shellfish and 22 freshwater aquaculture operations, and fishery officers also conducted 18 compliance inspections

. More than 65 marine finfish site health audits (including sea lice audits) were conducted

. Benthic (ocean bottom) environmental audits were conducted at 23 operational marine finfish farm sites

. An enhanced Atlantic Salmon Watch Program has surveyed six rivers for the potential presence of Atlantic salmon escapes

. Two new freshwater aquaculture licences were issued

. A pre-site audit was conducted for one proposed new farm site

. A total of 12 marine finfish licence applications and amendments were processed.

Read the full story in the Courier Islander. 

J.R. Rardon
North Island Gazette
Janaury 10, 2012

A 'Namgis First Nation closed-containment aquaculture project about to be constructed near Port McNeill was given an $800,000 boost Monday from the Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program (AIMAP).

The funding was announced Monday by Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, in Campbell River. The K'udas Closed Containment Project, which is 100 per cent 'Namgis owned, was one of four Vancouver Island​ aquaculture projects to receive funding, and netted the vast bulk of the $925,000 total.

"The 'Namgis are people of the salmon, having fished the waters of Northern Vancouver Island for thousands of years," said Chief Bill Cranmer. "We believe First Nations are particularly well-positioned to embrace this economic opportunity."

The K'udas pilot project will utilize a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), which brings disinfected groundwater into salmon growout tanks and recirculates it through a filtering system. Proponents of the system say it is superior to the current dominant technology in salmon farming, open-net fish pens, as it prevents outflow of untreated waste into open ocean waters and eliminates possible intermixing and disease-spreading between farmed salmon and wild salmon.

No antibiotics or pesticides will be used in the pilot project.

Read the full story in the North Island Gazette. 

Read the related media on the 'Namgis First Nation website. 

Analia Murias
January 13, 2012
Fisheries Information Service

Advanced BioNutrition Corp. (ABN), United States, and the laboratory Centrovet of Chile, signed a global agreement to extend the administration of oral vaccine against infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISA).

This vaccine is given together with commercial salmon feed through a system patented by the U.S. company.

"It is hoped that the use of this vaccine, along with a proper disease control, will significantly help to reduce losses due to pathogen ISA," said Centrovet CEO, David Farcas.

For his part, Larry Loehr, president of ABN management technologies, said that this agreement is very important for both companies because "it is ABN first global technology expansion and the first venture outside of Chile for Centrovet ".

So far, this system is able to reduce losses to less than 30 per cent.

Read the full story on the Fisheries Information Service. 

Yasmin Aboelsaud
January 5, 2012
Westerly News

The infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus has allegedly been found in samples of farmed chinook salmon taken from Clayoquot Sound.

A recent evidentiary hearing at the Cohen Commission in Vancouver heard from the federal Pacific Biological Station's head of molecular genetics Dr. Kristi Miller. She said the ISA virus, or a variation of it, is present in both wild and farmed salmon in B.C.

The ISA virus has infected Atlantic salmon on Canada's East Coast, in Norway, Chile, and in Scotland.

Dr. Miller told the commission she tested samples of fish from 1986, and found positive ISA results showing the virus has been around since then.

A document entitled Creative Salmon ISA Test Results was part of the commission's exhibit list at the December 15 hearing.

Dr. Miller said Creative Salmon is the only aquaculture company on the West Coast willing to provide samples, a statement argued by the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).

"No requests for samples for ISA testing have ever been denied," states the BCSFA on their website in response to Dr. Miller's testimony.

According to Dr. Miller, 25 per cent of fish samples at the fish farm tested positive for ISA, among other viruses.

She said some fish tested positive for the piscine reovirus, which is thought to be causing Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI). The research is still in progress, which is why it had not been publicized.

Read the full story in the Westerly News. 

Read related stories. 

Sarah Schmidt 
January 4, 2012 
Vancouver Sun

Canada could have trouble keeping genetically engineered salmon out of the food supply if the U.S. government approves the first genetically engineered animal that people can eat.

And according to an internal analysis obtained by Postmedia News, one potential solution is to simply follow the U.S. lead, in order to avoid trade complications. That would mean allowing the GE fish in the Canadian market.

AquaBounty Technologies, based in Massachusetts, is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell its GE Atlantic salmon, called AquAdvantage, in the United States. But FDA approval could have ramifications for consumers north of the border, Canadian government officials say.

"If the product enters the U.S. market before it is approved to enter the Canadian food supply, it could result in bilateral trade complications. Canadian importers would need to ensure that any salmon or salmon product brought to Canada does not contain illegal GE salmon. Given the complexity of supply chains — particularly for processed foods — this could be difficult," states the Agriculture Canada memo on the commercialization of new technology.

The document, shared with staff in Health Canada's food directorate, was prepared in June 2010 by officials at Agriculture Canada in consultation with staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). The memo was drafted in preparation for a meeting of a Canada-U.S. committee on agriculture.

"Canada could also face complications in foreign markets if it is unable to provide assurance that its supply chain is free of GE salmon," the document states, raising the possibility of harmonizing approaches when it comes to GE animals.

"We want to work closely with the U.S. to ensure our approval processes for GE animals compliment (sic) one another and that we avoid any potential bilateral complications. Canada-U.S. regulators work closely together on an ongoing basis, but perhaps there is merit in seeking specific opportunities for them to meet and talk about GE animals," the document states under the heading of "talking points" for the meeting. .

Read the full story in the Vancouver Sun. 

Read related stories:

• Huffington Post; June 15, 2011; House Votes To Block FDA Approval Of Genetically Modified Salmon
• New Brunswick Business Journal; October 27, 2011; "Salmon farmers opposed to GM fish"
• CBC News; October 26, 2011; "Frakenfish concern international delegation" 
• Daily Gleaner; October 26, 2011; "Group opposed to genetically modified salmon"
• World Fishing Network; October 21, 2011; The controvery over genetically modified Atlantic salmon"
• The Guardian; October 19, 2011; "Did Obama administration "bail out" GM salmon firm AquaBounty?"
• Vancouver Sun; October 17, 2011; "GE fish may pose risk to wild stock: documents"
• Vancouver Sun; July 5, 2011; "Nations finally agree on GM food labelling"
• Washington Post; June 16, 2011; "House moves to bar genetically modified salmon from being served on dinner tables" 
• The Daily Mail; June 16, 2011; "No 'Frankensalmon' in America: Congress bans FDA from approving genetically modified fish"