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NDP RHETORIC COSTS JOBS DOES NOTHING FOR ENVIRONMENT

Campbell River, May 2, 2007 -- NDP members of the government's Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture are ignoring input from coastal communities, First Nations and the aquaculture industry in their recommendations on the future of salmon farming in BC.

The BCSFA has learned that the NDP will present its recommendations to government shortly and will include a call for the $700 million ^[1] a year salmon farming industry to transition to commercial scale closed containment systems within three years. Closed containment is a long time goal of environmental activists, and will be recommended despite the fact that commercial closed containment technology is unproven, will significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions, and is not used anywhere in the world to grow salmon.

"The NDP recommendations do not reflect the many, many technical and scientific presentations made to the Committee; what they do reflect is the agenda of environmental activists and the NDP election platform two years ago," says Mary Ellen Walling, executive director, BC Salmon Farmers Association. "The recommendations are technically unfeasible, economically unviable and environmentally questionable. Why use taxpayers' money to hold public hearings when the NDP clearly was uninterested in hearing from technical experts and industry personnel."

Other recommendations of concern include the NDP call for a moratorium on new salmon farm licenses north of Cape Caution, regardless of the interests of the Gitxaala First Nations in establishing salmon farms within their traditional territory. Under the NDP recommendations, existing farms operated within the traditional territory of the Kitasoo First Nation will require negotiations and the consent of other First Nations - outside of the Kitasoo territory - if existing operations are to expand.

"The NDP are slamming the door in the face of our people," says Chief White, Gitxaala First Nation. "We believe aquaculture creates a sustainable economy that will allow our people to build meaningful jobs and careers in our traditional homes. If these recommendations are made the actions of the NDP members of the Special Committee are unacceptable."

Another recommendation will call for all fish meals and fish oil used in feed to be approved by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as being sourced from sustainably harvested fisheries. BC aquaculture feed companies already source their fish meal and fish oil from sustainable sources and currently, there are no MSC endorsed sources of fish meal and fish oil in the scale required for the BC industry. This also has implications for the entire agriculture sector because fish meal is used as a feed ingredient in starter feed for chicken and swine. The recommendation does not align with the recognition of British Columbia as a world leader in reducing fish meal and fish oil in aquaculture feed.

Demand for salmon is growing as more and more consumers recognize the health benefits of eating fish. Aquaculture offers a way to meet that growing demand without putting undue pressure on wild stocks.

Salmon farming is British Columbia's largest agricultural export, generating more than $450 million in revenue annually. Approximately 80 per cent of salmon farmed in British Columbia is exported and current production, of approximately 80,000 metric tonnes per year, is not sufficient to meet market demand.

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For more information:

First Nations:

Chief Clifford White, Gitxaala First Nation 250-848-2214

Moses Martin, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation 250-266-0284

Larry Greba, Fisheries Advisor, Kitasoo First Nation 604-669-9324

Feed sustainability:

Brad Hicks, Taplow Feed 604-788-4752

Salmon aquaculture:

Mary Ellen Walling, BC Salmon Farmers Association 250-286-1636

^[1] Price Waterhouse Coopers 2006