Friday, January 14, 2011

AQUACULTURE: Opposition to Genetically Modified Salmon on PEI

Unless you are blessed with god-like prescience, this is truly something to be worried about. Additionally, this industry has a long history of poor judgement on salmon diseases, vaccination potential, stocking density and more. GMO "accidents" will go beyond remediation. Perhaps efforts should go to increasing profits by decreasing mortalities?

My opinion this morning. Art
Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar, Taken thru glas,...Image via Wikipedia***********

GMO salmon opponents meet with Ghiz
Last Updated: Thursday, January 13, 2011 | 5:52 PM AT
CBC News


A P.E.I. coalition against genetically modified salmon says Premier Robert Ghiz has agreed to pursue more transparency around export plans by AquaBounty.

The U.S.-based biotechnology company has an egg-hatching facility in Bay Fortune where it's developing advanced-hybrid salmon designed to grow faster than traditional fish. The company touts its AquAdvantage Salmon as reaching market size twice as fast as traditional salmon.

AquaBounty is currently awaiting a decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on whether its fish can be sold in the American market. If approved, the fast-growing salmon would be the first genetically modified food animal for sale in the world.

The coalition of opponents to the company's plans met with Ghiz and provincial Environment Minister Richard Brown Thursday. The group, which includes the Council of Canadians, P.E.I. Health Coalition, the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network and Earth Action PEI, has been asking Ghiz to address what it says is growing opposition to AquaBounty's development of GMO salmon in P.E.I.

Leo Broderick, vice-chair of the Council of Canadians, said the group wants public consultations on the AquaBounty export plan.

"We did get a commitment from the premier that he would play a more active, positive role in trying to get Environment Canada to be more transparent," said Broderick. "And so, he is going to write Environment Canada asking whether or not Aqua Bounty has requested approval for commercial production of GMO Atlantic salmon, salmon eggs on P.E.I. And he's going to ask that the P.E.I. government be part of the environmental risk study. That's very good."

Broderick said the Premier agreed to take the group's demands for a consultation process to the Liberal Caucus, but he ultimately refused a request to declare P.E.I. a GMO-free province.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2011/01/13/pei-aqua-bounty-transparency.html?ref=rss#ixzz1B0iUbakF

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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

AQUACULTURE - The truth is what we choose to believe. Are escaped Atlantic salmon really a threat to the wild salmon in Fundy?

Copyright Art MacKay
Well,  here is another business tragedy being turned into a gloom and doom story as the Atlantic Salmon Federation and others keep beating the drum that mixing stocks will damage the wild runs of salmon. I've been in the business since the inception of salmon farming in Fundy. In fact, the very first experimental farm was located at my facility in Deer Island and I started the first commercial operations there and at Eastport. Before that I carried out research along the coast of Fundy for over 20 years and what I saw suggests they are missing (or worse ignoring) the real causes. 

In the beginning,  ASF was all for aquaculture as a way to "save" the Atlantic salmon on the east coast. In fact they provided the very first smolts that went into the experimental cages at Deer Island. The concern then was they were "inferior" fighters on a rod and reel and they didn't "taste right". The first myth was dispelled when Wilf Carter was invited to angle in one of our cages. The myth of a "poor fighter" went down the drain that day. As for the flavour, we did some "blind" tests using Newfoundland salmon. I'll leave it to you to guess the results. Like the current situation, the truth is what we choose to believe.

I have yet to see convincing evidence that interbreeding between aquaculture and "wild" fish produces any detrimental results. I have read the report which is the foundation of this belief and, frankly, it is more opinion than science. One wonders if the researchers are pushing this current position because it produces research monies. 

Back in the sixties and seventies it was clear cutting in the inner Bay of Fundy that was destroying salmon spawning areas, industrial pollution,  budworm spray and agricultural chemicals that were the concern. This was followed by increasing pollution from shoreside domestic treatment facilities as well as major new types of concern such as elevated salinity from the brine line serving the potash mines in Sussex.

Now the aquaculture business is not "without sin". But it is not the source of all the woes of those that push half truths on behalf of the salmon anglers. They would be well advised to count the loss of salmon by aquaculture sites as a blessing for the angler. Perhaps some "hybrid vigour" is just what these long-since mixed-breed, so-called, "wild" salmon need?

My thoughts this morning
Art

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Thousands of farmed salmon escape from cages Published Tuesday January 11th, 2011 

Derwin Gowan
Telegraph-Journal

ST. ANDREWS - Nets torn during heavy winds around Christmas allowed 138,000 small farmed salmon to escape from two floating sea cages off Grand Manan.

These escapees threaten wild Atlantic salmon with parasites and disease and by mixing genes with the native fish, Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) president Bill Taylor said in an interview.

The wind prevented Admiral Fish Farms Ltd. from recapturing any of the escaped fish, company president Glen Brown said in a written statement.

However these fish, each less than 200 grams (seven ounces), would not likely survive in the wild, he said in the statement.

Taylor did not seem so sure that all of these 25-centimetre salmon, between the smolt state and adult stage, would die before causing trouble for the wild fish.

"When they do become sexually mature next fall, they will by instinct begin to search out rivers and run up rivers to spawn, and when they do that they will be spawning with wild salmon," Taylor said. "The progeny of hybrid aquaculture-wild salmon, they're survival is greatly reduced."

"The breach occurred on two new cages located south of Pumpkin Island, Grand Manan, when a vertical rope and chain came in contact with nets for an extended period of time during high winds," Admiral Fish Farms said in its statement.

Workers first noticed the breach Dec. 26 but high winds prevented them from confirming the loss till Dec. 30, the company stated.

To prevent future breaches the company does not intend to put fish back into this type of cage until design issues are resolved, according to the statement.

"Fish containment is a top priority with our company and we take any breaches very seriously," Brown said in the statement.

The company reported the escape as required by provincial regulation, Taylor acknowledged.

However, the ASF would move salmon farms to "closed containment" on land to prevent escapes as well as spread of sea lice and disease between the aquacultured and wild fish.