Seafood sustainability champ to helm BC Salmon Farmers Association
“We need to find ways to produce a lot more seafood, not just salmon and we need to do it locally, not somewhere over the horizon,” Brian Kingzett, BC Salmon Farmers Association. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Brian Kingzett, a veteran marine…
BC’s anti-salmon farming activist gets it wrong again
No link between wild salmon returns in British Columbia and active salmon farms By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews British Columbia’s anti-fish farming activists are world-renowned for spreading falsehoods about salmon aquaculture on Canada’s west coast. And they are it again, this time…
US federal agency debunks fake claims by anti-aquaculture activists
In a new study, American fisheries scientists concur with their counterparts in Canada and Scotland that marine finfish aquaculture has little to no negative impact on wild stocks and whales. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A new sweeping American study about open-net…
Science sleuths to study deep sea salmon secrets
Four vessels and more than 60 international scientists from Canada, Japan, the U.S., Russia and Korea are taking part in one of the largest-ever surveys of salmon in the North Pacific By Rochelle BakerLocal Journalism Initiative ReporterNational Observer A multinational scientific…
Commercial fishers in Alaska ‘plundering’ threatened B.C. salmon
Nearly 800,000 sockeye salmon were caught in Alaskan fishing districts just north of the border in 2021, and most of those fish would be headed for B.C. waterways By Rochelle Baker,Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Commercial fish harvesters in southeast Alaska are…
BC’s Blue Revolution with Matt McGoveran
“The most critical issue facing the aquaculture industry is the amount of misinformation that the media and a few individuals continue to perpetuate.“ By Samantha Bacchus McLeodSeaWestNews The newly unveiled Youth Council of the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) is…
Beyond the decision to close salmon farms in the Discovery Islands
MP and husband hold celebratory dinner as North Vancouver Island reacts to the closure of salmon farms in the Discovery Islands, that will likely kill hundreds of jobs. CommentaryBy Fabian Dawson Hundreds of jobs, both directly and indirectly related to…
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…
Anti-fish farm activist’s numbers don’t add up
“Miraculous” salmon comeback is either an immaculate conception or a backfiring concoction CommentaryBy Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Today’s world, driven by social media, is a breeding ground for those who want to create confusion, build falsehoods and propel polarisation. ‘I told you…
Destroying a fishery will not save Southern Resident Killer Whales
“Taking legal action to shut down a scientifically managed and authorized troll salmon fishery will do little or nothing for the endangered SRKW but will certainly economically damage family fishermen and their small coastal communities.” CommentaryBy Dr. Wally Pereyra In…
Passing thoughts about wild salmon near fish farms
Canadian researchers describe key finding in new fish health study as “contrary to our expectation” about wild salmon passing fish farms By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Wild salmon returning to their home rivers don’t show any increased rates of infection after passing…
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…
Low FODMAP Salmon Curry
A low FODMAP salmon curry doesn’t sound right, or does it? Anything is possible if we want it badly enough. This is the true joy of cooking, the challenges, and the eventual successes. FODMAP is an acronym, derived from “Fermentable…
“it’s now time to harvest or cull the seals and sea lions”
“The greatest road to extinction of salmon is all due to overpopulation of seals and sea lions” – Thomas Sewid of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Let us harvest and manage the population of seals in the Pacific…
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…
It’s not about wild first, it’s about votes first
Where is the application of the precautionary principle to protect wild salmon when it comes to the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project? CommentaryBy Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The new Liberal political policy plank to transition all open-net fish farms in British…
Five new B.C. programs to enhance salmon habitat
“We’re taking steps to promote long-term and sustainable salmon runs in B.C.” – Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture By SeaWestNews Five new Vancouver-based projects will get $2.7 million in government funding to restore and enhance salmon habitat to support…
Salmon – who is catching what where
A look by the numbers of last year’s record global Pacific salmon catch By SeaWestNews 651 million – Commercial fishermen caught 651 million Pacific salmon in 2018 – one of the largest catches recorded for an even year, according to…
Wild smoked salmon product recalled after Listeria fears
Western Family Original Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon Nuggets recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes By SeaWestNews The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is recalling a brand of wild smoked salmon due to the risk of it being contaminated with Listeria. In a…
New $142 million fund to enhance B.C. fisheries
Money will be used to leverage local Indigenous monitoring, guardianship programs and community-led habitat restoration efforts By SeaWestNews Ottawa and Victoria will pump $142.85 million over the next five years to support the protection of BC’s wild fisheries and enhance…
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…
So how do we farm salmon in the future?
New study will look at the impact of land-based and ocean-based closed-containment salmon farms in British Columbia, as well as offshore aquaculture production systems. By SeaWestNews A new study to provide viable technology options for salmon farming in British Columbia…
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…
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…
Aquaculture Ambassador: Kathleen Allen
“Part of the reason I like aquaculture is because we are not an industry that gets to rest on our laurels. We have engaged stakeholders and communities who push us to do better every day,” Kathleen Allen, Council of Emerging…
“It is clear the world needs aquaculture.”
“Currently, over 90% of the planet’s wild fish stocks are being either fished to the legal maximum or overfished. It is clear the world needs aquaculture.” A note from Jonathan WilkinsonMinister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard We’re…
Observations of a river snorkeler
“The power of the fish, of the river, it’s an awesome encounter’ – Chris Walling By SeaWestNews Chris Walling of Vancouver Island has a strong understanding of the importance of wild salmon, and firmly believes that a responsible and successful…
Aquaculture Ambassador: John B. Relyea-Voss
“We are going to be working towards sharing information, experiences and stories of the new and exciting things happening within the aquaculture industry in British Columbia,” John B. Relyea-Voss, Council of Emerging Leaders in Aquaculture. By Samantha McLeodSeaWestNews Aquaculture in…
A new frontier for deep-sea fish farming
Aquaculture offers a promising avenue for economic development and sustainable local seafood production in the Caribbean, say researchers By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews The Caribbean has a large potential for deep sea fish farms which could produce over 34 million metric tons…
Generation “Yum” wants to know about what they are eating
More millennials are connecting to people, places and practices that raise our livestock, vegetables and seafood, a new survey has found. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews More and more young people are connecting to the people, places and practices that raise our…