BC opposition party still insisting on closed containment salmon farming
With only three months until the May 12 provincial election in British Columbia, the two main political parties- The governing Liberal Party and the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) are starting to manouvre into positions that they think can garner some votes. Labour unions are running ads on TV in favour of the NDP, and the business community is cheering for the Liberals in an attempt to influence voters before a February 13 deadline that will limit campaign spending by third parties.
In a recent interview with Kris Schumacher of The Prince Rupert Daily News, two NDP MLA's endorsed new technology being developed by Agrimarine Industries in Campbell River, using a set of floating, solid-wall tanks with seawater pumped in and circulated through the tank holding the fish before being discharged back to the ocean. Both Skeena MLA and fisheries critic Robin Austin and North Coast MLA Gary Coons were members of the NDP-dominated Special Committee On Sustainable Aquaculture (Austin was the Chair) that delivered a report almost two years ago, recommending that all salmon farms should be transitioned into closed containment systems.
Skeena MLA and fisheries critic Robin Austin is upset that 2009 has arrived without any move from the provincial government to migrate salmon aquaculture operations from open net-cage farms to closed-containment technology, even though the technology is now available, said the newspaper article; "I am glad that some members of the industry can see the advantage in being ahead of the pack in developing this technology. It’s a shame that the Campbell government is too short-sighted to see the same benefits in helping our province lead the world in sustainable aquaculture practices", stated Austin. “The technology exists, and the dire need to protect wild salmon exists".
“The Agrimarine model fits well with the reccommendations from the Aquaculture Committee, and hopefully we can eliminate escapes like the one last December with the ocean-based closed-containment model that will be launched this July,” said North Coast MLA Gary Coons. “We need a commitment from the provincial government and Premier Campbell that environmental protection is a priority, and we need investment in closed containment. We can lead the world in this technology if we have the desire and the aspirations to truly lead the world in fisheries management.”
While most salmon farmers in BC and elsewhere use closed containment technology as a matter of routine for smolt production- at a cost of some CAD$ 2.75 (~€ 1.72) each, or CAD$ 34.- (~€ 21.-) per kilo, and others use similar technology for high-value salt water species- nowhere is Atlantic salmon farmed at a commercially viable scale for food using true closed containment systems, despite many valid efforts of trying. What the NDP policy would ultimately lead to is the elimination of the BC salmon farming industry and the CAD$ 450 million (~€ 282 million) in annual revenues, not to mention the thousands of direct and indirect family incomes now provided by the industry.
