Lease terminated for Cypress Island fish farm

[hardee]

[thataway]

Fears are justified: This thread about 100% virus infection in the Cypress Island Farm Raised Atlantic Salmon Is an extremely important link which Brent posted in the thread about fishery in the Puget Sound area.

There have been claims that the Atlantic Salmon Piscine Orthoreovirus (PRV), of Norwegian origin would not infect the Pacific Salmon in the wild. This article seems to verify that the PRV virus is a potential thread to the Salmon fishery. There are so many levels, that I feel that this is a threat, and should not be allowed--and this seems to substantiate this.

[hardee]

Bob, the PRV is addressed tangentially in a previous thread "BC Salmon Farm News"

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=25745&highlight=fish+farms

and is one of the reasons that Alexandra Morton is so opposed to the Open Net Fish Farming going on is the waters around Vancouver Island. It is also blamed as the primary reason for demise of the natural salmon in the waters off Norway's coast. I believe there is a link between the PRV virus and the Sea Lice infestation as well.

Health warnings from Norwegian news:

"...a collection of articles, largely from Norwegian newspapers, on the toxicity of farmed salmon, how Norway hid this from the public for years, ..."

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/news_from_norway/

and for a list of nearly 50 links that address the salmon farming go to this page:

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/the-media.html

It is a hot topic in many places, and in Washington it looks like we are beginning to work on the issue -- close down the open net fish farms and then we will have to wait and see if it is too late or if the salmon can come back. In the BC waters, they have a third dimension in their politics. The "First Nations" were never consulted on the use of their waters to use for the farming.

In this page, (Current as of Feb 6, 2018) is the current report on teh situation in Canadian waters:

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2018/02/index.html

Best to all,

Harvey
SleepyC

[starcrafttom]

http://nwsportsmanmag.com/headlines/

WDFW REFUTES WILD FISH CONSERVANCY’S LATEST ATLANTIC SALMON CLAIMS

its the third article down the page. WFC is a anti fishing group that does NOT want to recover the runs to a point that you or anyone else gets to fish. I have talked to them years ago and they emitted just that to me " off the record" quoting this group is like quoting peta on how to bring back hunting. It is sad that the state has moved to get rid of a industry based on lies and mis information for votes, when we have a chance to work with the industry to come up with really science based solutions that work for everyone. but hey its fing Washington state , what else would you expect. If you feel other wise I really no longer care. Pm me if you most.

[Pandion]

Tom, I'm new to this discussion—but how does allowing Atlantic salmon farming in our waters help recover native runs to a point where anyone gets to fish?

[starcrafttom]

It does not anymore then denying it. Well except that every net pen fish raised is a wild fish that does not have to been sold. The commercial and tribes ( same thing) are against the net because they want to keep the price per pound up. They are using the uninformed public to take out the competition. We do not have a lack of salmon in the Puget sound due to net pens. Atlantic salmon are not escaping and breeding in streams. Not one case of this has ever been recorded. The state spend millions and ten years planting Atlantis in streams in the 70s and they did not take. They are not the cause of the PRV virus as the WFC suggest. Are there problems with sea lice Yes , is their a problem with waste Yes . But both of these are location and engineering problems. So the two locations that are being shut down are both areas that do not have these problems because they are the locations that avoid these problems with strong currents and heavy water exchanges. . The state has shut down the site in the straits that would have more open water and current then the site it was replacing.

Look I am all for saving salmon and rebuilding the stock . But these pens are not the cause of that. Over fishing , lack of habitat and the refusal to replace that habitat loss with well run hatcheries , the continued netting or rivers including the stilly ( I have seen the tribes net that river every year for the last 10 years and have reported it the WDFW only to be told to mind my own business) are the root cause of our declining run. Not to mention ( but Iam going to) of the increased harvest by over population of seals and cormorants. There are a lot of thing that need to be done to bring back fishing but closing these pens are not one of them. Taking the side of WFC, who does not want fishing in the state at all, is also not the way.

As I said before if you wish to discuss this further email me or buy me a drink. I have said my peace because of the one sided nature of this thread and I am done.

[thataway]

Thanks for your response and comments Tom.

[Pandion]

Thanks Tom. That's helpful.

[Larry H]

Something not mentioned is that fish farms have to feed the fish they raise.

Where do they get the food? They harvest other food fish and turn them into pellets. They harvest bait fish and turn them into pellets. They also grind up things like dead chickens, rendering plant byproducts, and other things that we would never eat.

In BC Canada, the fish farms place lights over the pens to attract herring and other bait fish into the pens, the farm salmon eat those bait fish. For the fish farmers, this is almost free food.

Harvesting other fish in the wild to feed fish farm fish is not a positive outcome. It takes 12 to 18 pounds of feed fish to grow one pound of salmon.

Natures way of feeding salmon is to have the salmon disperse over wide areas of the North Pacific Ocean, and feed themselves on live krill and other small fish, as they are available. The provides automatic adjustment of the food source to whats available to the wild fish.

It would be far better to raise hatchery fish, release them, and catch them when they return to their streams after feeding themselves in the ocean. Alaska already does this. The hatcheries are located on streams/rivers that do not have native runs, (no upland habitat), and when the fish return to the river, they are troll caught or netted. Neets Bay near Ketchikan hatches Chum salmon. The returning runs are very large. The fishermen voluntarily pay a per pound tax to support the hatchery. Those fishermen then get prime spots inside the bay to fish. Fishermen who don't pay the tax can still catch the fish further out from the bay.

[TyBoo]

I do not want to get into the debate, but if the fish that guy is holding in the pic from Tom's linked article is what they are raising and selling at market, it is a wonder they stay in business at all. That thing looks like a spawned out steelhead like they plant in the state park lake down here because it wouldn't survive to spawn again.

[Discovery]

http://wildfishconservancy.org/wfc-press-release-feb.-20th-2018/at_download/file

WFC's rebuttal to WDFW