Storm causes damage to BC fish farm- no fish lost
People living along the coast of British Columbia enjoyed one of the best summers weatherwise this year, with well over the normal 1,800 hours of sunshine recorded. And now it is almost like one has to pay for this fortune by putting up with storm force winds and heavy rains. Although BC salmon farms have to be designed to put up with bad weather, occasionally a freak storm will cause damage, and only quick action will avoid disaster, as described in this recent article by The Westcoaster;
No Atlantic salmon escaped a Clayoquot Sound fish farm last week even though a storm damaged sections of one facility. Laurie Jensen, community relations manager for Mainstream Canada, said three of four north-head mooring lines failed at the company’s Fortune Channel operation, pressing the system into a feed barge Nov. 17. She said the company was harvesting fish when a supervisor noticed some buckling on a walkway. Jensen said the company stopped harvesting and tugboats held the system in place until a third tugboat arrived in the morning and helped secure the facility with additional lines. Jensen said divers inspected the facility and found no holes in the nets. Jensen blamed a storm surge, higher-than-normal tides and more than 200 millimetres of rain. The company says it is reviewing all engineering recommendations.
