For years the fish farms industry has been wrapped in a veil of secrecy. For years they were able to keep hush-hush about disease outbreaks that may have occurred in their open pens.  For years the BC government allowed them to get away with keeping the data about what was happening on key salmon migration routes private.

But people like you came out by the thousands in defence of our wild salmon, to demand that the fish farm industry had to be accountable to British Columbians. You wrote letters, showed up at rallies, marched in the pouring rain to stand outside the Cohen Inquiry to send a clear message to elected officials that we need all the disease information made public.

And because of your work, and the tireless effort of our allies participating in the Cohen Inquiry, the public will now, for the first time, have access to the raw data from fish farms.

This marks a significant victory. With your help we have blown off the lid of industry secrecy. Scientists will now be able to confirm what many suspect: sea lice and diseases are having an impact on our wild salmon stocks. This victory is also a first step in holding the fish farm industry to a higher level of accountability.

This victory comes at a critical time. On December 18th, regulation of the fish farm industry is moving from provincial to federal jurisdiction. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans can start with a clean slate, and has a clear mandate to protect wild salmon.

During this transition it is up to you and I to make sure that the issue of wild salmon becomes a key priority for this government. We need them to know that this is an issue that affects all Canadians, not just the coastal waters of BC. We will keep holding the industry and our elected officials accountable.

The federal government needs to put the interests of wild salmon first. Please write a letter today to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and let her know how you feel about protecting our wild salmon runs.

Tria Donaldson | Pacific Coast Campaigner
Wilderness Committee