Vancouver guide gets it wrong...twice
In British Columbia, criticism of salmon farms started years ago, when anti-aquaculture activist Alexandra Morton predicted the demise of pink salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago, due to their inevitable exposure to sea lice from the region’s salmon farms. No such extermination has happened yet - in fact, the region was subject to a commercial fishery for pink salmon this summer due to high returns.
The latest finger-pointing about sea lice came from a Vancouver-based sport fishing charter operator. According to an article posted last week by Hayley Cooper, on the radio station NEWS1130: “This year’s sockeye salmon run is proving to be good business”, and “Fishing charters are booking up by locals and tourists alike”. And Mr Cooper goes on to talk about the millions of fish in the water. However, the article continues: “But Rod Hedert with Aquatic Venture says he’s noticed the salmon are carrying more lice this year as opposed to the past four years. “It’s just unbelievable you know most of the fish carry about 20-25 lice on them from the farmed fish that we have up [the] channel.”
The above quote caught the eye of Ian Roberts who works for the largest salmon farming company in BC. In an e-mail to the Aquatic Venture sport fishing charter company, he points out to Mr Hedert that the numbers of sea lice that he reports are actually lower than those found on sockeye salmon in areas far away from salmon farms. Mr Roberts makes reference to the NEWS1130 posting, and writes:
“As I am a salmon farmer, I was concerned about your comments about sea lice numbers and source of sea lice. I thought I should perhaps make contact with you to make you aware of some research that speaks to the natural abundance on sockeye salmon specifically. I have also contacted Hayley Cooper, who penned the article. A 2006 study (“A proposed life history strategy for the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis in the subarctic Pacific” by Dr Dick Beamish and others - Ed. comment) looked at the 2004 and 2005 return of adult salmon in the Queen Charlotte Strait area (north of salmon farms). Of the fish sampled, 100% had sea lice. Sockeye specifically had an intensity (#) of 45 and 39 respectively. So the number of sea lice you mention in the article (20-25) is actually below the numbers found in these years. If you have any questions about sea lice management on our farms, or need clarification about this study (or would like a copy), please don’t hesitate to contact me directly”.
Aquatic Venture’s website states that the company has “a large fleet run by Captain Rod - an experienced and seasoned pilot and fisherman for over 3 decades”. The company also offers to arrange for a Crab Feast, where “Captain Rod will bait, set the traps, catch and prepare the freshest steamed Dungeness Crab you have ever eaten”. With over thirty years of experience, one would expect Captain Rod to know that it is illegal to keep female Dungeness crab while fishing in BC - like the one he so prominently holds up in his right hand on this picture from the Aquatic Venture’s website. The 2013-2015 British Columbia Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Guide explicitly states (P.47) that: “You may not possess female Dungeness or Red Rock crabs. All female Dungeness and Red Rock crabs must be immediately returned to the water in a manner that causes the least harm”. Strike two, Captain Rod.
