Closed-containment salmon farm good first step

June 20, 2002 - Victoria - A land-based salmon farm that eliminates the escape of farmed salmon into the wild and decreases the chance of spreading disease to wild fish is a first step towards environmentally responsible salmon farming,says a coalition of environmental groups and First Nations.

The launching of this pilot project near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island is a progressive and welcome step in the fish farming industry, the groups say.

"This company has responded to some of the concerns we have raised about the impacts of traditional open-net-cage salmon farms," says Lynn Hunter of the David Suzuki Foundation. "They are now doing what the large salmon farming companies always claimed was impossible, they are farming salmon in land-based tanks."

However, the nine members of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform(CAAR) say that not all of their concerns have been addressed with this project. CAAR and the company involved, AgriMarine Industries, have agreed to identify ways to make this facility sustainable, says Chris Genovali of Raincoast Conservation Society.

"It is exciting to be working with a fish farming company that wants to find solutions and create farmed salmon that are safe for humans and safe for the ocean," he says.

CAAR was created when the BC government announced plans to allow the industry to double the number of open-net-cage salmon farms on the BC coast. CAAR has zero tolerance for open-net-cage farms - floating feedlots, but supports a sustainable fish farming industry that:
Uses technology to eliminate the risk of disease transfer to wild fish
and escapes of farmed fish into the wild;Guarantees fish farm waste is not released into the ocean;Labels all farmed fish so consumers can make an informed choice;Develops fish feed in a sustainable manner;Ensures that wildlife is not harmed as a result of fish farming;Prohibits the use of genetically modified fish;Eliminates the use of antibiotics in fish farming;Ensures safe levels of contaminants in farmed fish;Respects the views of coastal residents by not locating farms where First Nations or other communities object.

For more information or interviews, please contact Jean Kavanagh at 604-732-4228 or Lynn Hunter at 250-479-0937.