Tag Archives: Farmed Atlantic salmon

Invasive pink salmon populations are increasing throughout native Atlantic salmon waters

Fisheries biologists have been wringing their hands for decades in cold-water regions of the Pacific Ocean due to the proliferation of farmed Atlantic salmon and the threats they pose to native fish and the health of inshore waters, both in North America off the coasts of the U.S. and Canada, and in South America, where salmon farms are common off the coast of Chile. The threats are real, and there are lots of them,,, But, until recently, the presence of Pacific salmon in the North Atlantic hasn’t moved the “environmental disaster” needle much. That’s changing, thanks to an invasive Pacific salmon that is showing up in larger numbers in traditional Atlantic salmon rivers in Scandinavia, as far south as the British Isles and even to the east coast of Canada. The culprit in question is pink salmon, the smallest and most numerous of the Pacific salmon family. >click to read< 13:20

B.C. fish farm fire may have allowed non-native salmon to escape

A Vancouver Island fish farm company says it’s still trying to determine whether any farmed Atlantic salmon escaped into B.C. waters after a fire damaged one of their pens. There were 21,000 Atlantic salmon in the pen when it was damaged on Dec. 20, according to Mowi, the company that operates the fish farm near Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. >click to read< 12:09

It’s wild salmon health vs. money and jobs as B.C.’s fish farm fight comes to a head

For some, salmon farms are a blight on the landscape. Not for the way they look, but because of the threat they believe these large aquaculture operations pose to wild salmon. “We’re pretty confident this place will have to be dismantled,” says Ernest Alfred, pointing at the farm from the boat. “And I’ll be here to watch it.” The government is currently reviewing the leases of 20 fish farms that expire on June 20. Alfred and other opponents are upping the pressure on the NDP leadership in hopes they will commit to ending fish farming in the ocean. But supporters of the farms say that would be a huge blow to an industry worth billions of dollars to the province. >click to read<12:01

Meanwhile, in Scotland, A bid by the Scottish Government to resolve fierce arguments over how fish farms harm wild salmon has been dismissed as a public relations stunt by campaigners. The population of wild salmon in Scotland has fallen by 50 per cent from around 1.25 million in the 1960s to 600,000 in 2016. Angling groups point out that most of the decline is on the west coast, close to where salmon farms are located. >click to read<

Canadian government says chances are minimal that virus will spread from farmed to wild salmon

Canadian fisheries officials say their research concludes there are minimal risks to sockeye salmon in the Fraser River in British Columbia of an infectious virus from Atlantic salmon farms transferring to wild populations. Current fish health management practices such as vaccination and eradication of infected fish help to minimize the risk, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Ottawa. The advice in the report on infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) was developed by consensus of the peer review group of 39 experts from various disciplines, Canadian officials announced during a teleconference from Ottawa on Dec. 20. click here to read the story 17:47

Cooke Aquaculture Fish farm has 60 days to fix net pens outside Seattle, risks losing lease

Just a week after the state Department of Fish and Wildlife approved shipment of 1 million more farmed Atlantic salmon to Cooke Aquaculture’s fish farm near Bainbridge Island, another state agency says it has found a hole in the nets and corrosion in the structure of the facility. The Department of Natural Resources on Monday notified Cooke that it is in default of the terms of its lease at its Rich Passage operation. It ordered the facility repaired within 60 days, or the department may cancel the company’s lease for the facility, which operates over public bed lands. click here to read the story 13:53

Traffic, sun blindness, now eclipse dumps 305,000 Farmed Atlantic salmon near San Juan Islands

It’s open season on (farmed) Atlantic salmon as the public is urged to help mop up a salmon spill from an imploded net holding 305,000 fish at a Cooke Aquaculture fish farm near Cypress Island. Lummi fishers out for chinook on Sunday near Samish, south of Bellingham Bay, were shocked to pull up the spotted, silvery sided Atlantic salmon — escapees that turned up in their nets again Monday. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is urging the public to catch as many of the fish as possible, with no limit on size or number. The fish are about 10 pounds each. No one knows yet how many escaped. But the net had some 3 million pounds of fish in it when it imploded about 4 p.m. Saturday, said Ron Warren, fish program assistant director for the WDFW click here to read the story 15:05

Farmed Atlantic Salmon make Seafood Watch’s ‘avoid’ list

Farmed atlantic-salmonEnvironmentalists and an aquaculture company disagree about the findings of a new report from the United States that advises consumers to avoid some farm-raised Atlantic Salmon.  “It’s not surprising, it’s clear that we need to have improvements in Canada. If we want to even be nearly equivalent to some of the better practices that are happening in Norway and Scotland,” said Susanna Fuller, a Marine Conservation Coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre. Read the rest here 16:34

It seems not everyone cares for Farmed Salmon! – Farmed salmon not fit for consumption

After reading the June 2 letter on farmed salmon by Jon Grant, NSERC-Cooke Industrial Research Chair in Sustainable Aquaculture at Dalhousie University, I had the feeling of being dismissed as: “What do I know, as I am not a scientist but only a mother?”However, I am also a businesswoman and co-owner of two restaurants. After doing my own research, and a lot of it — yes, I can read — on farmed Atlantic salmon, my conclusion was,,, Read the rest here  09:19

Farmed Atlantic salmon for sale in Juneau – what’s up with that?

Costco Wholesale Corporation is an important part of the business community in Juneau. Thanks to their efforts, many families and restaurants in Juneau, not to mention the visitors to our community, have access to high-quality food and goods at reasonable prices. The company, based out of Kirkland, Washington, is also a responsible employer providing a living wage for many in our community. However, we are left scratching our heads after Costco management has chosen (once again) to stock frozen farmed Atlantic salmon on freezer shelves in the Juneau store. Read the rest here  10:10