by WCWC Media

Wednesday July 04, 2007 at 04:25 PM

Vancouver, BC – At a lunch hour rally outside the BC government office at the World Trade Centre at Canada Place today, the Wilderness Committee will observe the 15th anniversary of the east coast cod fishery closure and highlight the need for the BC government to act to safeguard wild Pacific salmon.

 “Our precious Pacific Wild Salmon need political leadership and protection so that they are not decimated as the east coast cod were 15 years ago,” said research director, Geoff Senichenko. “As a first step, the BC government needs to implement the recommendations made recently by their own Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture, which will help defend our wild salmon stocks from the negative impacts of salmon farming. There is more than enough scientific evidence, contrary to claims by the Pacific Salmon Forum and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, that open-net caged salmon farms, through the sea lice they produce, negatively impact our wild salmon stocks.”

On July 2nd, 1992, after Canadas Atlantic cod stocks had collapsed, the east coast cod fishery was ordered closed by the federal fisheries minister and this year marks the 15th year anniversary. Here in BC, wild salmon have been on a steady decline due to industrial development, including salmon farms. The BC government is currently reviewing the recommendations presented by the BC Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture, which propose curtailing some of the negative impacts of salmon farms on wild pacific salmon.

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For more info contact: Geoff Senichenko, BSc Ecology, Director of Research: 604-683-8220

 Visit

http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/campaigns/marine/policy/fish_farms