For immediate release Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Vancouver, British Columbia - The Wilderness Committee is congratulating biologist Alexandra Morton, lawyer Gregory McDade and their co-petitioners for winning their BC Supreme Court case that takes away the BC governments jurisdiction over the regulation of salmon farms.

In the court decision that was delivered yesterday, the province must deliver all control of salmon farming management, which is presently shared, to the federal government within a year. The federal government, which has jurisdiction of oceans and wild salmon, will now solely regulate salmon farms.

"This is a huge victory for wild salmon and the marine environment," said Wilderness Committee Research Director Geoff Senichenko. "Wed like to thank Alexandra Morton and her co-petitioners in standing up for wild salmon by going to court and prevailing. The positive results of her hard work in court reflect her dedication to the protection of wild salmon and the marine environment."

Senichenko added, "Once salmon farming regulation is entirely under one jurisdiction, federal jurisdiction, it will make it easier to enforce actions to protect wild salmon and the marine environment from sea lice, disease transfers and toxins from salmon farming. In addition, since the federal government legally has to protect wild salmon, they will have to protect wild salmon stocks from the disease and toxic threats of salmon farms."

The province, however, still has a year to manage salmon farming. "The Wilderness Committee continues to urge the BC government not to approve any more salmon farm licences or production increases, and to immediately close open-net cage salmon farms before this spring to protect migrating juvenile wild salmon from salmon farm sea lice," said Senichenko.

In December 2008, the Wilderness Committee presented Alexandra Morton with their 2008 Eugene Rogers Environmental Award for her tireless work to protect wild salmon.

"Thank you again to dedicated citizens like Alexandra Morton for standing up for wild salmon, the lifeblood of the BC coast," said Senichenko. "Court decisions like this give us hope that wild salmon have a chance to recover."

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For further information: Geoff Senichenko, Research Director, Wilderness Committee 604.683.8220