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Government must act on new study proving sea lice deadly to wild salmonOctober 3, 2006 - VANCOUVER - Governments now have all the proof they need to take action and move open net pen fish farming operations out of wild salmon areas to protect wild stocks from deadly sea lice infestations, says the David Suzuki Foundation. "The government must act immediately to protect wild salmon," said Bill Wareham, acting director of marine conservation for the Foundation. "The scientific evidence is now irrefutable and government and industry need to pull these salmon farms out of the wild salmon migration corridors and move to closed containment systems for fish farms." Mr. Wareham says new research released yesterday shows parasitic sea lice from fish farms kill as many as 95 per cent of juvenile wild salmon that migrate past the farmed salmon open net cages. The study was published Monday in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S., was partly funded by the David Suzuki Foundation. The lead author, doctoral student Martin Krkosek of the University of Alberta's Centre for Mathematical Biology, says wild juvenile salmon migrate through "a cloud of sea lice" around open fish farm pens. The study is the first to combine field surveys, experiments and mathematical modeling in one system to estimate the total impact of the farms. Its conclusions call for urgent and immediate action, says Mr. Wareham. "The government is obliged to protect our wild salmon resource. They now have more than enough research evidence indicating that open net pen salmon farms pose a serious threat to juvenile wild salmon. It would be irresponsible not to act in face of such overwhelming evidence," he says. The research conducted in the Broughton Archipelago on the West Coast of Vancouver Island confirms similar studies done in Norway, Scotland and Ireland showing the link between fish farms and sea lice infestations in wild stocks. It also illustrates the need for changes in B.C.'s aquaculture industry, says Jay Ritchlin, David Suzuki Foundation marine campaign specialist. "No question, the current management system just doesn't work," says Mr. Ritchlin. "The industry can't simply tweak their current practices, there has to be a wholesale change." Wareham said the study is an example of how the Foundation supports independent science that examines crucial issues being ignored by government regulators. - 30 - Report: Wild Salmon Mortality Caused by Fish-Farm Sea Lice For more information, please contact: Don Hauka, Communications Specialist
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