DFO “structurally and culturally” unable to oversee aquaculture
In the divisive debate over aquaculture in Canada, anti-fish farm activists and seafood farmers seem to agree on one issue – the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has to go By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Canada’s seafood farmers are calling for the…
Thinking small helps BC salmon farmer grow big
Technology to grow salmon on land on a large scale in BC is fraught with challenges and years away. So land-based salmon farmer, Steve Atkinson says he has another plan. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews In a wooded area off the main…
Fact checking Morton’s diatribe about BC salmon farms
In a rambling conspiracy-laden letter, anti-salmon farm activist Alexandra Morton, accuses Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans of being a criminal organisation By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews BC’s loudest anti-salmon farm activist has ratcheted up her conspiracy-laden rants accusing Canada’s Department of…
BC salmon farm closures trigger “ghost town” fears
About 700 businesses in North Vancouver Island will be impacted by salmon farm closures in the Discovery Islands, says an independent economic recovery taskforce By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Every summer during the third weekend in July, the people of Port Hardy…
Discovery Islands’ salmon farm closures will kill 1,498 jobs
Initial industry estimate pegs economic loss in North Vancouver Island’s coastal communities, dependent on salmon farms, at $379.7 million By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The closure of salmon farms in the Discovery Islands of BC will result in 1,498 people losing their…
Social licence trumps science in Discovery Islands’ salmon farming decision
But it does not mean First Nations have veto powers over salmon farming operations in their traditional territories, says Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans By Fabian Dawson and Samantha McLeodSeaWestNews The decision to stop salmon farming in the…
BC salmon farms in Discovery Islands to go
Decision on Discovery Islands’ salmon farms more about social licence to operate in the area rather than sound science. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Salmon farms in the contentious Discovery Islands of British Columbia will be phased out over the next 18…
Salmon farmers “care deeply about our coastal waters” says NDP MP
Vancouver Island MP Gord Johns also hails BC salmon farmers’ commitment to coastal communities at parliamentary inquiry By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Vancouver Island MP Gord Johns told a parliamentary inquiry yesterday that BC’s salmon farmers and the people who work for…
What’s killing the killer whales in the Pacific
New report provides a look at the multitude of human and environmental threats affecting killer whales By SeaWestNews Orcas face a variety of mortal threats, many stemming from human interactions, states a new study which analysed the pathology reports on…
Vancouver Island ready to grow with salmon farmers
Community support grows for BC’s salmon farmers as mayors and businesses call for their voices to be heard at the aquaculture-decision making tables. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Four Vancouver Island mayors and scores of businesses have thrown their support behind BC…
Hear our voices on natural resources say 21 BC mayors
In an open letter to NDP leader John Horgan, 21 BC mayors call for quick approvals of shovel-ready projects involving the aquaculture, forestry, mining and energy sectors By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Twenty-one mayors from natural resource reliant communities in BC, including…
Burping cows breathe new life into aquaculture for BC
Seaweed farming, especially near ocean aquaculture sites, can help British Columbia be a low-carbon producer of choice for seafood, milk and beef By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The BC government aims to show climate leadership with a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse…
‘Transition’ does not mean removing ocean salmon farms
“In British Columbia aquaculture is perfectly positioned to help drive economic growth,” – Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, on the future of salmon farms in BC. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The government’s pre-election pledge to transition open-net…
BC salmon farmers plan $1.4 billion in investments
First Nations, coastal community leaders hail plan by BC salmon farmers that will create about 10,000 new jobs and bolster Canada’s post-pandemic recovery By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Salmon farmers in British Columbia are ready to lead Canada’s post-pandemic recovery by directly…
Illegal fishing, seafood fraud costing Canada millions: study
Aquaculture seen as way of bolstering supply chain traceability standards to stop illegal fishing and seafood fraud. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Canadians are unwittingly spending up to $160 million a year on seafood caught through illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing –…
Salmon farmers want your input for a better output
Public comment period launched for Canada’s first ever code-of-care for fish, that aims to help salmon farmers demonstrate high animal welfare standards at all times By SeaWestNews Salmon farmers in Canada want to hear from you about how they can…
Cermaq-Kuterra salmon pact will enhance food security
Baby fish pact between different sides of the salmon farming industry shows the importance of working together for the benefit of local communities in BC. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Ocean-based salmon farmer Cermaq Canada has signed a three-year agreement to continue…
The NDP’s road to rebuild BC will have to go around activist-MLAs
From aquaculture to energy and other natural resource projects, NDP Premier John Horgan will have to deal with a new cabal of activist-politicians and an emerging coalition of NGOS. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Fresh from the election victory, John Horgan, the…
Beyond the headlines about salmon aquaculture
Recent studies by anti-fish farm activist-scientists hide inconvenient truths about sustainable salmon aquaculture in Canada By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The recent spate of aquaculture studies, pushed by anti-fish farm activist-scientists is aimed at garnering sensational headlines to oust salmon farmers from…
Lack of clarity creates chaos in Canada’s coastal communities
A lack of clarity on the governance of our oceans puts at risk Canada’s lofty ideal to lead the Blue Revolution for coastal communities CommentaryBy Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Canada’s lofty ideals to lead the global Blue Revolution for a shared prosperity…
“Wild rhetoric about aquaculture does nothing to save wild salmon”
Her science is fishy. Her claims are baseless. But Dr. Kristi Miller-Saunders keeps accusing her colleagues of collusion with the aquaculture industry to suppress research. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Dr. Kristi Miller-Saunders, a federal fisheries scientist known for her anti-salmon farming…
Blue Revolution charts the future of seafood in Canada
Seafood farmers and wild fishers unveil blueprint to double Canada’s seafood production, consumption and economic benefits By SeaWestNews From coast-to-coast fish farmers and wild fishers have developed a vision document to drive Canada’s Blue Revolution with the aim of doubling…
Green Party candidate vows to disrupt economic lifelines on Vancouver Island
Anti-fish farm activist running for the Green Party in Northern Vancouver Island has an agenda that will likely kill thousands of jobs in the forestry and aquaculture industries. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Alexandra Morton, the Green party candidate for Vancouver Island’s…
BC salmon farmers to invest millions in aquaculture projects
BC salmon farmers plan $113 million in immediate aquaculture projects that will generate nearly 450 new well-paid jobs to help Vancouver Island in its post COVID-19 recovery efforts. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews BC salmon farmers say they plan to immediately invest…
‘Listen to us about aquaculture, forestry and tourism’
People of the North on Vancouver Island want strong support for aquaculture, forestry and tourism industries in the post COVID-19 economic recovery era By Fabian Dawson and Samantha McLeodSeaWestNews The people of the North on Vancouver Island have a message…
Ancient First Nations tongues support aquaculture science
The ancient tongues of many BC First Nations support scientific conclusions that state wild salmon returns vary on cycles and have nothing to do with aquaculture or salmon farms. CommentaryBy Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Some First Nations leaders, influenced by activists, are…
New science gives a boost to salmon aquaculture in BC’s Discovery Islands
Eight scientific studies have shown ocean-based salmon aquaculture poses minimal risk to wild stocks in BC’s Discovery Islands. But that is not enough for the anti-salmon farm activists, so here is number 9 By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Atlantic salmon farms in…
Anti-salmon farm activists vilify scientific facts to push fiction
“These activists are playing with our lives and our livelihoods…Unfortunately some of our First Nations brothers and sisters have been influenced by these activists, who really don’t know what they are talking about…they should be listening to us, and the…
The world loves BC’s farm raised salmon
Salmon farmers propel food and beverage processors to record $10.5 billion in sales, according to the latest data released by B.C.’s Agriculture Ministry By SeaWestNews Farmed Atlantic salmon was BC’s top international food export last year helping to showcase the…
Growing fish on land will exacerbate climate change
Sounding the alarm about climate change, 80,000 scientists across the world call for immediate cuts to global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, which will increase substantially, should Canada decree salmon farmers grow fish on land. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews More than 80,000 scientists…