No dollars for closed containment salmon farming
The members of the BC environmental community which have fought long and hard against conventional salmon farming technology were frustrated by the lack of commitment by the Provincial Government to establish a $CAD 10 million (~€6.3 million) fund to be used to investigate the viability of closed containment technology for the production of farmed salmon. Today's budget was short on spending in all areas except for the ministries of health and education. A special session of the legislature had to be called last week in order to allow the government to pass this budget, which called for two consequtive years of deficit spending- previously made illegal by the same government.
Research into some form of closed containment salmon farming systems was recommended by the New Democratic Party opposition-led Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture almost two years ago. A recent report issued by the BC Pacific Salmon Forum also recommended the establishment of an independent technical committee for the purpose of designing and implementing a trial of a commercial-scaled closed containment demonstration project, aimed at collecting waste and reducing sea lice shedding into the sea.
The environmental coalition most active in fighting salmon farming as it is currently practiced, Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR), said in a ready-made release prepared for the budget lock-up that "CAAR provided the Province with a detailed proposal for Budget 2008, advocating the creation of a “Closed System Aquaculture Innovation and Development Fund” (CSAID). The $10 million CSAID fund would seek matching investment from qualified entrepreneurs who demonstrate the ability to build and operate closed system salmon aquaculture projects. It would provide for transparent environmental and economic monitoring and analysis of these projects and assist successful projects in marketing the new technologies to British Columbia and other jurisdictions. The development of this technology would provide a logical path to a sustainable aquaculture industry that doesn’t sacrifice wild salmon populations or coastal ecosystems".
