New ENGO report on Closed Containment
Named a "Global Assessment of Closed System Aquaculture", this report was released by the David Suzuki Foundation and the Georgia Strait Alliance on behalf of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, and produced by Vancouver, B.C. based Ecoplan International. In contrast to previous statemens by its founder, Dr. David Suzuki, that "farmed salmon is poison", the Suzuki Foundation's announcement of this report says: "Fish and other seafood are tasty and nutritious. They are a healthy source of protein, vitamins, and essential omega-3 fatty acids. As the global demand for seafood increases and ecological constraints put limits on wild fish supplies, aquaculture is becoming an important means of satisfying that demand".
The release of the report goes on to talk about negative impacts from conventional salmon farming using net pens, but "Even so, salmon farming has become an important part of many coastal economies. Our goal is to achieve both financially viable aquaculture and healthy local ecosystems". the Foundation claims that Closed system aquaculture (CSA), which involves a barrier between the farmed fish and wild fish, is "providing better ways to farm fish".
Both the David Suzuki Foundation and the Georgia Strait Alliance participated in a government-led initiative under the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) that last fall started to look at different types of CSA by organizing a 3 day multi-stakeholder, international workshop on the subject. Technologies identified through that process as potentially viable are now undergoing financial evaluations in order for governments to decide on possible research or commercial trials.
