Tag Archives: Cohen Commission Report

Canada Shuts Down 15 Fish Farms in B.C., Citing Risks to Wild Salmon

After years of concerns over the impact of aquaculture on wild sockeye salmon, Canada’s fisheries department has decided not to renew the operating permits of 15 Atlantic salmon farms in an environmentally sensitive area of British Columbia. In a news release, Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray noted that B.C.’s salmon runs are in “serious, long-term decline,” and some are at risk of collapse if action is not taken. Ten years have passed since the Cohen commission’s report, and more recent research indicates that the diseases associated with salmon-farming may have an impact on wild salmon in general and on Fraser River salmon smolts in particular. >click to read< 16:00

NAFTA Commission: Canada Must Respond to Concerns that Fish Farms Hurt Wild Salmon

863a4ac9dc_64635696_o2An international commission ruled this week (see PDF) that a citizen petition challenging Canada’s failure to protect wild salmon from industrial fish farms warrants an official response from the Canadian government. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, an entity established under the North American Free Trade Agreement, determined the petition includes sufficient information that Canada may be violating its own conservation laws to trigger a formal response. [email protected] 14:18