Forwarded for all who want to sign. Fish farming currently has a huge negative impact on wild salmon stocks.

Dec 4, 2007

Dear Fellow Angler:
Our wild pacific salmon are in danger of disappearing. As our wild salmon stocks continue to decline in the wake of BC's unsavoury fish farm legacy, tourism businesses, commercial and sport fisheries, coastal First Nation cultures and coastal forest/marine eco systems continueto bear the brunt of this reality.

The peer reviewed science substantiating this threat has proven beyond any doubt, sea lice are killing wild salmon fry, not just in BC, but on many coasts worldwide. The sad reality is, both our federal and provincial governments have chosen to ignore this science and pass it off as inconclusive, thereby leaving the general public wondering who or what to believe. This is a serious situation and we trust you will see the urgency to act now on behalf of our wild salmon before it is too late. The recent BC Legislative Committee on Aquaculture recommendations have not been acted upon by Minister Pat Bell (and the DFO continues to promote fin fish aquaculture in open net pens). This strategic committee, as one of its findings, proposed a move to a closed containment fish farming system within five years, to eliminate the detrimental effect of sea lice on wild salmon. We applaud this suggestion and the other key findings this committee has suggested.

The real losers are our killer whales, grizzly bears, wolves, eagles and the many other forms of wild life which are dependant on the wild salmon for their survival. It would be shameful to lose the wild salmon's precious legacy due to ignorance and poor leadership.

Please, go to the Save BC Salmon website: http://www.savebcsalmon.ca. Educate yourself on the issues, read the full page Globe & Mail Ad put together by local businesses, telling Canadian people and their politicians of this problem, go to the SOS button at the top of the page and fill out the petition urging Premier Gordon Campbell and Ministers Bell and Hearn to protect our wild salmon.

Your participation in this appeal is vital and we appreciate your help.
Recognition, real action and dedication are the keystones to sustain our communities, our economy and our environment. Wild salmon are the thermometer of our eco systems. We must all keep in mind the immortal words of Herbert Hoover, himself an avid angler, "All people are equal before Fish". If this is the case, then let us join together to make a difference and create that one unified voice which can initiate change. Fishers of the world, unite!

Craig Murray
Owner/Operator Nimmo Bay Resort
Brian Gunn
President of the WTA
angling@wilderness-tourism.bc.ca