Hon. Pat Bell, Minister of Agriculture and Lands

Dear Hon. Pat Bell, Minister of Agriculture and Lands:

I wish to register my opinion regarding the threat to wild salmon from salmon farms on the coast of British Columbia. Salmon farms are a contributing factor to the detrimental situation with which wild salmon are faced today, as they involve practices that negatively affect wild fish species and coastal habitat. British Columbia has over 85 fish farm, which poorly regulated by weak legislation, are found as open net-cages along the coast. Open net-cage systems can allow for the transfer of disease and parasites from salmon farms to wild salmon, and sea lice are now a serious threat to many of our coastal salmon populations. These operations furthermore generate enormous amounts of pollution (sewage and antibiotics) and ample evidence has shown that farmed salmon is contaminated with significantly higher levels of dioxins than wild salmon, exceeding internationally recognized safety limits.

Opinion

In My Opinion Please protect BC’s wild salmon. I ask that you close all open net-cage fish farms in British Columbia because of the documented threats to wild salmon and the coastal ecosystem caused by pollution and disease generated by fish farms. Wild salmon are sacred to our coastal culture and are one of the greatest legacies that we can leave our children.
Please keep open net-cage fish farms operating on our coast. Jobs and investments are more important than protecting BC’s wild salmon.

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