Atlantic salmon farmed in freshwater?
Opinion
The Atlantic Salmon Federation on Canada’s East Coast has teamed up with The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute in West Virginia in an attempt to prove that Atlantic salmon can be produced in a land-based aquaculture facility in a way that is competitive with traditional ocean-based salmon farms. It is unfortunate that this otherwise worthwhile project is trying to make itself look better by unjustly criticizing other, more conventional production methods. There could well be a situation where both production methods could be deemed appropriate to service certain segments of the marketplace, but if one group keeps throwing dirt at the other, nobody wins.
In a backgrounder to a recent release, the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) explains that “The intent is to develop systems to reduce the massive impact salmon aquaculture is presently having on the inshore marine environment, on wild Atlantic salmon populations, and on other species affected by aquaculture’s wastes, pesticide impact on other species, and escape of farmed fish on critically low numbers of wild Atlantic salmon in the regions where net‐pen operations exist”. Hardly an invitation to cooperation with the traditional salmon farming industry, which is continuously looking for better methods of producing fish in a sustainable and economically responsibly fashion.
The ASF press release also contains negative references to the existing salmon farming industry, and makes no mention of production costs in the freshwater production experiment, and no data on anticipated high levels of premature maturation as a result of keeping the fish in fresh water all through their lives. The release claims that “Freshwater Closed Containment Trial Produces Excellent Farmed Salmon”;
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 % of water flowing through the system is continuously cleaned and returned to tanks and 99% 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.” ASF has served its closed containment farmed salmon at dinners in New York City and St. Andrews, NB, and has received encouraging feedback. More taste-testing is planned for fund-raising dinners this spring. Mr. Taylor continued, “Last November, ASF appeared before the Fisheries and Oceans Standing Committee on Closed Containment Aquaculture in Ottawa and delivered a presentation on the importance of transitioning from open sea cages to closed containment aquaculture facilities to protect wild salmon, their environment and their economic value. A recent report by Gardner Pinfold Consulting Economists Ltd. of Halifax, NS valued wild Atlantic salmon at $255 million (~€192 million) in 2010”, continued Mr. Taylor. “ It’s important to protect these valuable wild salmon from loss due to negative interactions with farmed salmon in the form of disease, parasites, and genetic mixing that weakens the wild gene pool. ASF is pleased that the Standing Committee on Closed Containment Aquaculture is interested in our project.”
