Wild Salmon Allies Gather for Removing Net Pen Fish Farms Campaign

By Avatar Health & Wellness, Indigenous & First Nations - September 28, 2020

This past Saturday in Ganges on Salt Spring Island, 28 wild salmon allies came to rally in support of removing net pen fish farms from this beautiful land that we call home. People gathered to support the Cohen Commissions Recommendations and all 101 nations in B.C that demand the removal of the 18 fish farms in the Discovery Islands.

In the 2015 election Justin Trudeau promised his Liberal Government would act on all recommendations of the Cohen Commission. We need to hold this government accountable. We will continue putting pressure on the Government/DFO to remove these fish farms in BC.

Open Net Pen Salmon Farming is putting our wild salmon populations at risk as they travel on their migratory path through constricted waterways filled with unnatural amounts of sea lice, viruses and diseases that are spreading from the farms to the wild Fish. The salmon and all of their dependants need our voice to save the lifeblood of this amazing coast from being extinguished.

Help support this campaign by telling our local MP and/or Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) that you support the removal of the 18 fish farms in the Discovery Islands.

September 28, 2020 9:14 AM

Community Comments

  • Avatar Pierre Frisch says:
    September 29, 2020 at 8:15 AM

    This is really misguided. If you want to protect wild salmon you should encourage farms. Let's eat the farmed salmon and leave the wild salmon recover and prosper. Cows are not the enemy of bisons and buffaloes to the contrary, because we farm them we don't need to hunt their wild cousin to extinction.

  • Avatar Candace Snow says:
    September 29, 2020 at 10:12 AM

    You are missing some very important facts here Pierre. Disease and sea lice are spreading from open net pen salmon to wild salmon and decimating their numbers along with other factors. There is much information about this if you would care to learn more.

  • Avatar Pierre Frisch says:
    September 29, 2020 at 6:57 PM

    I am very well informed thank you very much. Atlantic and Pacific salmons are different species they are not susceptible to the same illness.
    If you want to defend Our wild salmon you need to ban all fishing by everyone in BC including First Nation.

  • Avatar Laura Desjarlais says:
    October 1, 2020 at 8:34 PM

    Another viable alternative is one that Namgis First Nation has proven effective: land-based fish farming, which can be antibiotic free and without ocean contamination. The cost is higher, which is why companies do not want to move in that direction. The reality is that the wild salmon population cannot sustain the demand for fish in the growing human population. Land based farming feeds the masses, allowing wild salmon to repopulate and continue contributing to the ecosystem (and allowing local first nation's and other coastal communities to continue sustainable salmon fishing as they have for ions)

    https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/first-nations-owned-land-based-fish-farm-getting-ocean-wise-certification/