For immediate release – Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Environmentalist elves demand that naughty-listed BC government immediately close salmon farms to save wild salmon from extinction

Vancouver, BC – At a lunch hour rally outside the BC governments Vancouver Cabinet Office in the World Trade Centre at Canada Place, “Santa Salmon” dressed in a Santa suit with a salmon head mask, was joined by Wilderness Committee elves to deliver the BC government a lump of coal for failing to protect BCs wild salmon from salmon farm sea lice. Festive west coast salmon carols were sung and hot chocolate was served.

“A recent study reports that wild salmon runs in the Broughton Archipelago are facing imminent extinction because of sea lice infestations from salmon farms,” said Geoff Senichenko. “There has been virtually no response from the Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell even though he keeps promising an action plan to protect wild salmon from salmon farms, but the provincial government again has not delivered.”

Last Friday, yet another peer reviewed study, this time published in the respected journal Science, demonstrated high mortality of wild juvenile pink salmon, which is devastating their populations, due to sea lice infestations emanating from salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago. The researchers also predicted that if current infection rates continue, these runs could be extinct in as little as four years.

This past May, the BC governments own Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture presented their final report with recommendations to address the sea lice problem, as well as other problems with salmon farming. Minister Bell had promised to review these recommendations and to release an action plan to address many of the issues with salmon farming, including the sea lice problem, by this fall. With only 3 days left of autumn, it sounds like another broken promise.

“The Wilderness Committee is urging the BC government to show leadership and permanently shut down salmon farms, well before the wild juvenile salmon migration starts in late February,” said Senichenko. “We must protect our wild salmon runs, the lifeblood of this province.”

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For more information contact:
Geoff Senichenko, Wilderness Committee Research Director, 604-683-8220; 604-880-2580 or
Andy Miller, Wilderness Committee Staff Scientist, 604-992-3099 (cell)

You can read the report published in the journal Science: here