Folks this is something we all need to help out with.
If the salmon go, so goes most everything else.
Have a look, do some research, write a letter, go to a rally.
These are OUR fish.

Great exchange between Alex Morton and Larry Pederson...Larry was once living and working in Smithers as our regional forestry manager...he was later promoted to be the Chief Forester of BC and now he finds himself as the Deputy Minister...Larry is a man of integrity and I believe understands the fish farm issue...unfortunately the politics of the day have their heads up their fish farm ass so it will be Larry’s most challenging file to date...I regard having somebody like Larry another crack in the dike so we must be encouraged but keep up the pressure...



Pierce



From: Alexandra Morton [mailto:wildorca@island.net]
Sent: December 31, 2008 11:11 AM
To: adopt-a-fry@lists.onenw.org
Subject: [adopt-a-fry] Campbell don't pull the plug on BC



Dear Deputy Minister Larry Pederson

Thank you for your kind words. The trouble is Premier Campbell has already ignored the report he significantly funded from the Special Legislative Committee on Salmon Aquaculture. They made the politically inconvenient recommendation; get salmon farms out of BC marine waters within 5 years...a year and a half ago.

During the time I worked with the Pacific Salmon Forum I found it a very political organization. What the public will hear will be science balanced against politics. Will the fish trump politics? Will Campbell respond meaningfully? I am doubtful as your letter below does not even hint a response.

Mr. Pederson, you must know that earth’s ecosystems are facing catastrophic pressures that are affecting humanity. When Premier Campbell enlarged fish farms on the Fraser River migration route he threatened one of the primary power sources to the ecosystem we both live in. He also threatened the diverse $1.6 billion BC wilderness tourism industry in favour of a $500 million industry dominated by two Norwegian companies. This is not leadership in these environmentally and economically dangerous times.

BC farm fish require Norwegian banks, South Pacific fish stocks, and oil production. Campbell has gambled that all these will continue blithely playing ball through the biggest financial crisis the world has ever faced, when our Province of BC makes the very same fish independent of global finances!

Farming a carnivore has no future. No one would call The Economist an environmental publication and yet they state “If fish are to be farmed in ever greater numbers, most had better be plant-eaters” (Dec 31, 2008).

International science is describing how salmon farms destroy wild fish monthly (Con. Bio. Dec 2008) . They deplete global fish supply (The Ecologist video Greed for Feed Dec 2008). The wealthiest man in Norway just lost $25 million on his fish farming shares in BC and elsewhere (Intrafish Dec 2008). No other place on earth has risked large wild salmon populations with salmon farms. Fish farming is not good for small coastal communities, BC just closed the Echo Bay school – in the heart of fish farming country.

Farming salmon in BC is an outdated policy, that failed. That happens, but Campbell’s continued slavish obedience to the demands of Marine Harvest and Cermaq, against the advice of the team of MLAs that he assembled puts BC in jeopardy. This is not leadership.

People change the world all the time. OK, we know we can do it, but we have destabilized the very things we depend on. Now we need to apply what we have learned very quickly to live within the world where we exist or we will perish. Most important has got to be - leave all the significant power cords intact. This is not a test, we are about to lose the DNA that moves vast open ocean nutrients through BC free of charge, no petroleum products required, to feed everything - our forests, our economy, us.

Remove fish farms from wild salmon migration routes before BC sends it next generation of hope for our future to sea.

Alexandra Morton
Echo Bay
www.adopt-a-fry.org THE MIGRATION


On 12/30/08 9:36 AM, "Webmaster, AGF AL:EX" <AGF.Webmaster@gov.bc.ca> wrote:

File: 0280-30
Ref: 163078


Alexandra Morton
E-mail: wildorca@island.net <mailto:wildorca@island.net>

Dear Ms. Morton:

The Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier, has provided me with a copy of your e-mail dated November 7, 2008 regarding farmed salmon and sea lice. As Deputy Minister responsible, I am pleased to respond.

I would like to assure you that the Ministry does seriously consider the issue of sea lice and their effects on wild salmon. We have provided significant funding to the Pacific Salmon Forum to help advance the state of knowledge with respect to sea lice and to ultimately guide the development of environmentally sustainable fish farming in British Columbia. We look forward to their imminent report and the ultimate publication of their findings to compliment all of the important work undertaken to date.

I applaud the dedication with which you pursue your life’s work. Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns.

Sincerely,

Larry Pedersen
Deputy Minister