Political upheaval likely coming to B.C.
The polling stations have just closed, and if public opinion polls turn out to be correct, a new government will soon be in place in Victoria, headed by the New Democratic Party. While the party has been largely silent during the election campaign on its position on salmon farming, the information closest to a positional statement by the NDP prior to the election was perhaps provided by the sitting member of the provincial government- Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Northern Vancouver Island. In a statement to a local newspaper, NDP’s Claire Trevena largely skirted the issue by referring to the federal jurisdiction, as well as a report by a Provincial judge (Justice Bruce Cohen) who was hired to look into an unusually poor return of sockeye salmon in 2009 to the Fraser River;
“The B.C. NDP has explicitly stated that it is strongly in favour of implementing the recommendations of the Cohen Commission Report and is committed to working to achieve their implementation. This report, exploring the decline of sockeye in the Fraser River, was wide-ranging and comprehensive in its recommendations.
It must be remembered that, as a consequence of a legal challenge brought in 2009, the BC Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction for open-net aquaculture. This ruling severely limits the province’s ability to regulate in this area. We are disappointed the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has not moved promptly to implement Justice Cohen’s recommendations. Last May, my party stated that we are firmly committed to working with and, if necessary, pressuring DFO to act if we form government.
The recommendations include: using the precautionary principle to re-evaluate risk and mitigation measures for salmon farms in the Discovery Islands including closing farms that pose a serious risk to migrating salmon, limiting salmon farm production and licenses, and maintaining the existing moratorium on new fish farm licenses on the North Coast. We are watching with interest the development of land-based, closed containment fish farm projects in the North Island, projects that I support.
An area where the province does have jurisdiction is renewing leases for the siting of fish farms. Unfortunately, the BC Liberals have not developed neither the capacity nor clear policy directives to handle this responsibility. The BCNDP will develop them if we form government”.
Ironically, when the Cohen Commission was in the middle of its hearings, the biggest run of sockeye salmon in a hundred years swam up the same Fraser River.
Another statement regarding salmon aquaculture provided by a NDP MLA came from Mr. John Horgan, a representative from the Victoria region on the southern end of Vancouver Island, where he was quoted by a journalist from BC Local News; “He (Horgan) denied that he is advocating the shutdown of existing fish farms. He said closed-containment technology using bags suspended in the ocean is developing, and existing leases for net-pen salmon farms will eventually expire. "Closed containment is the only way I can see the aquaculture industry surviving in the long term," he said. This is surprising at it was Horgan that negotiated most of the details of the current regulatory system for salmon farms in British Columbia- he should know that this would eliminate most if not all of the 6,000 some jobs currently depending on this vital industry.
