August 30, 2007
VANCOUVER -- The B.C. government’s decision to reject an application for a geoduck farm off Quadra Island is sound, but the David Suzuki Foundation hopes the province is taking more than aesthetics into consideration in this and other decisions regarding shellfish licences.
In rejecting the licence application from Discovery Diving Ltd., Agriculture Minister Pat Bell noted that the proposed farm was in view of a large number of homes.
“We’re happy that the government is listening to community concerns, but we also believe that the government should implement a comprehensive study of all areas open to shellfish farming before any new licence applications are considered,” said David Suzuki Foundation marine conservation specialist Jay Ritchlin.
The David Suzuki Foundation urges the government to consider the recommendations of its 2005 report Sustainable Shellfish: Recommendations for responsible aquaculture, especially the recommendation that “shellfish aquaculture plans must place a high priority on the health of the surrounding ecosystem and, in the absence of scientific study results, be designed to minimize any known or potential impacts to that ecosystem.”
"Shellfish farming is generally considered a much more benign form of aquaculture," Mr. Ritchlin said. "However, some environmental problems exist, and we see the move from mom-and-pop oyster farms to commercial-scale production as having the potential to make the problems much worse."
Mr. Ritchlin raised concerns about the government’s plan to rapidly expand shellfish farming in B.C. “Shellfish expansion on the coast should not take place until we have the baseline studies to let us judge both risk and actual impact,” he said.
To read all nine of the David Suzuki Foundation’s shellfish recommendations, go to: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/Oceans/Shellfish_Summary.pdf.
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For information, contact:
Jay Ritchlin, marine conservation specialist, (604) 961-6840
Ian Hanington, communications specialist, (604) 732-4228, x 238
