Sea lice still a political issue in BC
Opinion
Stocks of pink salmon returned to the watersheds in the Broughton Archipelago by the millions in year 2000. Never before had the region seen such a huge amount of fish coming into every river, stream and spawning channel, and this was after a dozen years of farming Atlantic salmon in the area. But two years later, when everybody were expecting a similarly exceptional return of the off-spring of these two-year cycle fish, only a few hundred thousand showed up. This led to the beginning of the largest anti-salmon farming campaign in Canadian history, led by Alexandra Morton, who lately received a honourary doctorate from the Simon Fraser University for her efforts in fighting the industry. In her and other environmentalists’ minds, there was no doubt that the out-migrating juvenile salmon produced by the 2000 year spawners had succumbed to infestation of sea lice from the area’s salmon farms. Peer-reviewed papers were produced predicting the imminent demise of the salmon populations of the Broughton Archipelago and other areas of BC and the world were salmon farming is practiced.
Since then pink salmon runs in the Broughton have generally been improving- to the point of commercial fishing once again being allowed. But when a poor return of sockeye salmon was experienced in the Fraser River last year, Dr. Morton and her followers were again quick to point to the effects of sea lice from salmon farms as the main cause. And it is quite ironic that when the Fraser River this year saw the biggest return of sockeye salmon in almost a hundred year, Ms. Morton was quoted “This year was miraculously positive, but one year does not make a trend” (Postmedia News as reported in the Campbell River Courier-Islander).
An aquaculture industry support group leader based in Campbell River issued the following letter aimed at Canada’s most well known environmentalist- Dr. David Suzuki- earlier this week. (Dr. Suzuki made headlines a few years ago when he stated that “farmed salmon is poison- I would never feed it to my kids”. Needless to say, the statement and similar information from others was quickly refuted by health authorities across North America and Europe.)
“David Suzuki and Some Inconvenient Science It seems as though the record return of 34 million Fraser River sockeye salmon has helped spark an old heated debate within the science and environmentalism arena. Does too many salmon returning create ‘overspawning’ and reduce productivity of the river system? Should these excess fish be harvested to help ensure sustainable and stable fish returns for the future?
Environmental scientist David Suzuki has an opinion, of course, and was recently quoted in the Red Deer Advocate as saying “Some people have argued that too many salmon are returning this year, and we must allow the fishing industry to catch more of them if we are to ensure healthy runs in the future.” He continues, “But all the available science shows that when more fish return to spawn, the following cycle will be more abundant”.
Really, Dr. Suzuki? All available science proves this?
A quick scan of the internet actually finds science suggests overspawning is an issue. In fact, a study by Ian Williams, Cornelis Groot and Lynda Walthers (2004) looked at a population crash of pink salmon in 2002 in an area known as the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia and concluded “that high spawner densities contributed to the low survival of the 2000 brood year”.
You too can view this study called ‘Possible Factors Contributing to the Low Productivity of the 2000 Brood Year Pink Salmon’. And, quite ironically, it’s located on the website of the David Suzuki Foundation. Yes, Mr. Suzuki himself commissioned this study. Selecting only the science that confirms your beliefs may be the nature of things.
Your bad, David. Your bad”.
(Dr. Suzuki has for years produced a popular show on Canada’s public TV station called “The Nature of Things”.)
It should be noted that a prominent salmon researcher in Alaska produced a similar report about overseeding by pink salmon spawners in the Sashin Creek in Southeastern Alaska- in which case some 10.7 million eggs and alevins disappeared in 1967/68, likely due to oxygen starvation as a result of overspawning.
