Inside the secretive decision to shutter salmon farms in BC
Court hears that former Fisheries Minister kept her top officials and the aquaculture industry in the dark before making her science-deficit decision to shut down salmon farms in BC’s Discovery Islands. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Bernadette Jordan, Canada’s former Minister of…
Fishy fear mongering dominates new anti-salmon farm campaign
“Our salmon production is totally dependent upon a healthy ocean environment and we are on the seas constantly monitoring the waters we work in…not in some downtown Vancouver office creating fear mongering propaganda so that the activists can get a…
Plenty of salmon for BC’s killer whales: study
No apparent shortage of salmon prey for southern resident killer whales in Canadian waters during summertime By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Anti-salmon farm activists have long been trying to link the apparent lack of Chinook salmon prey for British Columbia’s resident killer…
Documentaries vs ‘Shockumentaries’ in the world of aquaculture
Misleading claims, erroneous statistics and out-of-context interviews dominate ‘Shockumentaries’ that pedal falsehoods about aquaculture, especially salmon farming. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Documentary filmmakers are creative artists for whom ethical behaviour is at the core of their projects. Their primary relationship with…
“Irrational” anti-salmon aquaculture activist to face court hearing
Anti-aquaculture activist’s actions in Scotland mirror some of the bullying and harassment experienced by employees of BC-based salmon farmers By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Mowi Scotland is seeking a permanent court injunction to prevent an anti-salmon aquaculture activist, described by a judge…
What Canada’s next Fisheries Minister needs to do about aquaculture
Canada’s next Fisheries Minister, the fifth in just six years, needs to think outside the box for the sustainable growth of aquaculture By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Canada’s next Fisheries Minister needs to think outside the box and challenge the status quo…
Aquaculture key to meet food demand, says UN
Aquaculture is vital for feeding the world’s expanding population states the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews As Canada dithers over the future of its aquaculture industry, the United Nations is calling on countries…
Minister ousted after controversial decisions on fisheries, aquaculture
Bernadette Jordan governed with a lack of clarity, bowing to demands from anti-aquaculture activists on Canada’s West Coast while being ineffective in the conflict between commercial fishers and Mi’kmaq lobster fishers in Atlantic Canada, say seafood industry observers By Fabian…
Party leaders ignore hot air from anti-aquaculture activists
An open invitation to party leaders to address the whopping increase in Greenhouse gas Emissions and other environmental challenges that will come from moving ocean-based aquaculture in BC to land-based operations. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews In this federal election that nobody…
An open letter to election candidates from BC’s salmon farmers
“With certainty and a secure future, BC’s aquaculture sector could invest an additional $1.4 billion in innovation and create nearly 10,000 new full-time jobs by 2050” – states an open letter from BC’s salmon farmers to election candidates Dear Candidate,…
Activists dish out $100,000 for anti-aquaculture election campaign
As land-based salmon farmers around the world face a financial bloodbath, activists push federal election candidates to support the immediate transition of maritime aquaculture operations in BC to onshore tanks. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Activists opposed to growing salmon in ocean-based…
Aquaculture advocates must dispel myths about ocean farming
“The entire aquaculture industry faces the challenge of dealing with well-funded NGOs that perpetuate myths and use scare tactics to fill their bank accounts.” By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Aquaculture advocates need to step-up and speak out against activists who have mastered…
Atlantic Sapphire’s aquaculture woes is a cautionary tale
Financial woes and setbacks at Atlantic Sapphire, the largest global onshore aquaculture company in the world, show the technology to replace ocean-based salmon farms to land based operations on a large scale is years away. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Atlantic Sapphire,…
Aquaculture, fisheries giants recognised as drivers of BC’s economy
Dr. Diane Morrison ,managing director of Mowi Canada West, shares honours with five other leaders of BC’s aquaculture and fisheries industry By SeaWestNews The giants of aquaculture and fisheries on Canada’s West Coast have been recognised as being among the…
Net gains from aquaculture for First Nations businesses
“In the past 20 years I’ve advocated for aquaculture and believed in it even when others spoke down to it” – Richard Harry, a member of the Homalco First Nation. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Life for Richard Harry, a member of…
Salmon producer Cermaq to cut greenhouse gas emissions
Salmon producer Cermaq sets binding climate goals for its aquaculture operations to cut greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring food security By SeaWestNews Cermaq will cut 35 percent of its total greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, making the salmon producer one…
First Nation wants more salmon farms in its traditional territory
Adding more salmon farms in our traditional territory is the clear way forward, says Chief John Smith of the Tlowitsis Nation Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A First Nation in British Columbia is calling for more salmon farms in its traditional territory that…
Just how opposed are First Nations to open-net aquaculture in BC ?
We Wai Kai First Nation, said to be opposed to open-net aquaculture, gets tax-dollars to investigate sablefish farming in BC oceans By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Canada’s Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan has been saying the decision to oust fish farmers in British…
Salmon farming in B.C. is more than growing fish
B.C.’s homegrown salmon farming technology is setting the standards around the world, states a new report By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The Trudeau Liberals are on a mission to find alternative aquaculture technologies to keep their pre-election pledge to transition away from…
Anti-salmon farm activists reap fruit from falsehoods
A new poll reveals that the falsehoods about salmon farming, precipitated by well-funded campaigns to destroy BC’s most valuable seafood export, has taken hold in the province. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews “It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own…
UBC study debunks claims by anti-salmon farming activists
Apocalyptic fearmongering by anti-salmon farming activists dismantled by new scientific study By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A new scientific study has dismantled the bogus claims by anti-aquaculture activists, that the piscine reovirus (PRV) is a salmon killer and will devastate the iconic…
Minister abandons science, salmon, First Nations, for votes
“If this was an industry other than salmon aquaculture, there would be an inquiry into the minister’s actions.” By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Canada’s Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan keeps insisting she has full confidence in her scientists and the people who work…
Aquaculture in Canada: a tale of two coasts
Need for Canada to have a consistent regulatory framework for the aquaculture sector on full display By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The need for Canada to have a consistent regulatory framework for the aquaculture sector is on full display with the East…
$10 million program ‘hijacked’ by anti-salmon farming activists
Inside the work of activist-scientists associated with a government funded program that continues to alarm the public about salmon farming in British Columbia. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A $10 million government-backed program to study the potential effects of microbes on wild…
Show your support for Canadian fishers, seafood farmers
As Canada launches a $647.1 million strategy to restore Pacific wild salmon stocks, fishers and ocean farmers are seeking your help to make the nation a global leader in sustainable seafood production By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Canada’s fishers and ocean farmers…
UBC salmon virus study challenged by global experts
A week after grabbing headlines with their sensational claims to bolster anti-salmon farming activism in Canada, researchers who claimed that the PRV virus spread from aquaculture operations into wild fish, have gone silent. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Globally renowned fisheries experts…
First Nations leader calls for more indigenous partnerships with salmon farmers
“As much as there seems to be controversy about the business, we believe many First Nations should be looking at long-term relationships with salmon farming partners,” – Thomas Smith, Councillor for the Tlowitsis Nation. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A Vancouver Island…
“Let’s get the facts right about aquaculture Mr. Risley”
Former wild seafood mogul John Risley spouts false claims about aquaculture By Susan Farquharson Here’s an old adage that does not need an update: Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Atlantic Canada’s salmon farming sector will not sit idly…
Mowi forced to cull 3 million baby salmon
Policy change, seen as an attempt by Fisheries Minister to thwart a Federal Court ruling, causes unnecessary slaughter of baby salmon, equivalent to 61 million meals lost. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Fish farmer, Mowi Canada West, will begin culling more than…
Surrey pushes for pause on salmon farm closures
Town Hall on salmon farm closures in the remote Discovery Islands paints bleak picture of lost businesses, jobs and family livelihoods in Surrey, BC’s urban hub for the aquaculture industry. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The Surrey Board of Trade is calling…