33,000 Farmed Escapes Bad News for NB & NS wild Atlantic Salmon
News from the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF)
An escape reported by the salmon farming industry of 33,000 farmed salmon occurred recently. There is evidence that other escapes occurred earlier in the fall that went unreported despite requirements of the industry to do so. An article on the website of the World Fishing Network (WFN) explains why this could be a disaster for wild Atlantic salmon populations that have just been assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). A recent photo of part of a broken cage at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy indicates what can happen in open sea-cage culture. Click through from the above article for a full-sized image.
http://asf.ca/news.php?id=617
A similar article also appears in Outdoor Canada, showing the broken cage structure
http://outdoorcanada.ca/blogs/news/
First Nations take action on the West Coast to counteract sea lice impacts of salmon aquaculture on Pacific salmon.
http://asf.ca/news.php?id=618
A judge has ruled in favour of nine national and international environmental groups that took DFO to court for failing to take appropriate action to protect endangered and threatened populations of killer whales. This may well be a precedent setting case with repercussions for endangered and threatened wild Atlantic salmon.
http://asf.ca/news.php?id=619
