Salmon farmers on the offensive
The last time salmon farmers in B.C. took out a large (full page) ad in the Vancouver Sun was in November, 2007. Last Saturday another ¾ page was purchased by the owners of a new web site- Marine Harvest, Mainstream Canada, Grieg Seafood, the BCSFA, Skretting and EWOS. The ad is headed by “Farmed Salmon Can’t Mate With Wild Salmon”, pointing to the genetic differences between the various species of the local Pacific salmon and the most popular farmed Atlantic salmon which is of a different genus, and thus any potential offspring from crossbreeding would not be viable.
The ad also points out that there have been numerous attempts made over the years to deliberately introduce the Atlantic salmon to the region as a valuable sport fish (some 8.5 million eggs and live fish according to one report), but no offspring from these fish can be found today. Salmon that have escaped from farms also have disappeared within a short time “more likely to become food for seals and sea lions then they are to spawn in BC streams”.
The fact that farmed salmon converts feed to edible meat much better than cattle is shown in an exaggerated graph which states that it takes eight kilos of feed to produce one kilo of beef, while it only takes 1.2 kilos to produce a kilo of farmed salmon. Wild salmon however, consume ten times their weight in smaller fish, the ad states.
The new web site has a series of “Facts” organized as dealing with “Environment”, “Nutrition” and “Economy”. It also describes some of the more persistent myths about salmon farming in B.C. and generally. A number of well known industry operators, including veterinarians and ecologists, are shown in short video clips talking about a number of the issues commonly reported in news media. Discussion forums are up and running, with issues such as sea lice and PR strategies figuring prominently.
