No ‘relevant association’ between sea lice and salmon farms
New Federal Government science report dismantles key claims by anti–salmon farming activists’ groups in British Columbia By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Sea lice on salmon farms in British Columbia do not impact on the prevalence of the naturally occurring parasite on migrating…
“Can’t do” approach plagues aquaculture sector in Canada
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance calls for a shakeup at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to address the perceived conflict of interest at the agency By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The discussion around aquaculture, especially salmon farming in British Columbia, is…
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…
Build back better with fisheries and aquaculture: UN
“The fisheries and aquaculture sector has a crucial contribution to make within the Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Life” – Qu Dongyu , Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)…
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…
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…
‘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…
US-Canada high seas ops tracks illegal fishing
Illegal fishing enforcement teams seize hundreds of commercial trap gear and released large numbers of crab and other fish back into the sea By SeaWestNews A joint Canada/US enforcement operation in the marine waters of Boundary Bay near Whiterock B.C.,…
UBC, Mowi to study new salmon smolt strategy
Two million dollar project will help improve both the sustainability and productivity of BC’s salmon aquaculture industry, says DFO By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Can bigger baby salmon survive better in ocean net pens to improve the sustainability and productivity of BC’s…
Landslide blocking migrating salmon is “spectacular” as it is “daunting”
“There is no higher priority for me and for my department in British Columbia than addressing the Big Bar landslide on the Fraser River,” – Bernadette Jordan, Canada’s new Fisheries Minister By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The Big Bar landslide on the…
Herring row heats up in the Strait of Georgia
“Fisheries management decisions should be based on solid peer-reviewed science not the number of signatures on a petition.” – BC Seafood Alliance. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The BC Seafood Alliance, the largest commercial fishing organization on Canada’s West Coast, is hailing…
Salmon sleuths plan another expedition to uncover secrets of the sea
“While we know a fair amount about the lives of salmon close to shore and in our rivers and streams we really don’t know much about their lives in the open ocean” John Paul Fraser, B.C. Salmon Farmers Association. By…
Liberal election platform betrayal will destroy our livelihoods in the aquaculture industry
“If implemented, this campaign-promise means shutting down our aquaculture industry and throwing 7,000 British Columbians out of work, including us.” CommentaryBy Brad Rempel, Kenny Leslie and John Relyea-Voss The federal Liberals launched a surprise election promise recently to get salmon…
Liberals sacrifice rural salmon-farm jobs to win over urban activists’ votes
Trudeau’s new platform defies government’s own commitment to making decisions on aquaculture based on science and ignores the facts to mandate an unworkable solution to solve a problem that doesn’t actually exist. Commentary By John Paul Fraser The Liberal Party…
Fish farms do not need to test for B.C. strain of virus
Decision follows an eight-month scientific review on the issue of transfer of live fish from land-based hatcheries to open-ocean net pens By SeaWestNews The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has determined that there is no need for testing of…
Govt. funds B.C. companies to fight plastic pollution
“Currently, options for collection and recycling of marine gear have been very limited, often leading to the long-term yard storage or landfill disposal of these plastic items,” – Chloe Dubois, Chief Executive Officer, Ocean Legacy Technologies Ltd. By SeaWestNews Two…
Campbell River gets its wet lab dream
Campbell River’s dream to have a Salmon Centre of Excellence gets a boost with federal funds for a wet lab By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Campbell River’s dream to have a Salmon Centre of Excellence got a boost this week with Ottawa…
A shark fin coup for Canada
Modernised Fisheries Act bans shark finning and the import and export of fins that are not attached to the shark By SeaWestNews Canada has modernised its Fisheries Act to ban the practice of shark finning and the import and export…
A new approach for aquaculture in B.C.
“A sustainable aquaculture sector will provide safe, high-quality Canadian products to markets here at home and around the world.” By Jonathan WilkinsonMinister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Wild Pacific salmon are incredibly important to the people of…
Salmon farmers embrace new PRV testing rules
New PRV testing policy will only apply to aquaculture industry for now as government begins consultation on the transfer of live fish into the ocean environment. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Fish farm hatcheries in British Columbia will have to test for…
Broad range of interest for new B.C. salmon fund
Newly-minted British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund has received 192 applications. By SeaWestNews The newly-minted British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund has received 192 applications to support the protection of wild fisheries and enhance sustainability in the seafood…
Sweeping closures in British Columbia for 2019 fishing season
New measures will be economically devastating for coastal communities and sports fishing industry By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Declaring it is time for bold action, the government today announced sweeping fishery closures across British Columbia to reverse the drastic decline of the…
Why the herring fishery was allowed in BC this year
‘Majority of the herring are left in the water for our chinook and our southern resident killer whales to eat.’ Guest CommentaryBy Jonathan Wilkinson Our ocean is a complex ecosystem, and Pacific herring are a vital food source for chinook…
“I know full well that salmon are more than just food”
Making the International Year of the Salmon a Turning Point CommentaryBy Jonathan WilkinsonMinister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard British Columbians are rightly concerned about the state of several wild Pacific salmon stocks. I share that concern. As…
Claims by anti-fish farms activist not true says minister
Having more constructive discussions about aquaculture will require that we are forthright in our use of information, says Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson in an op-ed By SeaWestNews This op-ed by Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson was originally published in the Georgia…
New studies reaffirm PRV is not a salmon killer
Two new scientific studies dismantle key claims made in court by fish farm opponents. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Two new studies have reaffirmed that the piscine reovirus (PRV) is not a salmon killer in British Columbia, dismantling key claims made in…
Scientists set sail to unlock salmon secrets
“We are all anxious to see and learn about the findings, so that we can better tackle the problems together,” John Paul Fraser, executive director of the B.C. Salmon Farmers. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Berthed at Vancouver’s Ballantyne Pier under wintry…
Leadership by example to combat plastic pollution
More than 2,400 Fisheries and Oceans and Coast Guard employees pledge to reduce their consumption of single-use plastics By SeaWestNews More than 2,400 Fisheries and Oceans and Coast Guard employees have pledged to reduce their consumption of single-use plastics in…
Virus poses minimal risk to Fraser River sockeye salmon
“Unfortunately, some Canadian government non-medical researchers aligned with US and Canadian activists are attempting to make this mostly innocuous virus the scourge of the seven seas.” By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) science panel has concluded that…
Pressure mounts for First Nations seal harvest in B.C. waters
“Canada needs to act immediately to stop the disaster in the Salish Sea that is destroying our salmon and endangering our whales,” – Roy Jones, elder of the Haida Gwaii First Nation. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNewsU Pressure is mounting for a…