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The Kitasoo first nation is welcoming a government decision to approve two new fish farms in its territory

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Kitasoo first nation welcoming decision on fish farms.

VANCOUVER/CKNW980 - The Kitasoo first nation is welcoming a government decision to approve two new fish farms in its territory. Band manager Percy Starr says environmental concerns, including sea lice, are exaggerated.

"Sea lice have always been around. I've seen it when I was a young kid, because I've been a fisherman all my life. The same amount of lice were on the fish in the farms as they were forty miles away from the site."

But the NDP's Shane Simpson says most first nations don't support fish farming. He was part of a legislative committee that looked into the issue.

"I'm absolutely sure there was no discussion with those first nations communities who all came to us and said they wanted no fish farms in the north."

Starr says the farms will bring much-needed employment to his community.

Aquaculture growing

Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, August 03, 2007

The number of aquaculture operations on the British Columbia coast grew by four on Thursday, the B.C. government announced.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands said in a press release it has approved salmon farming licenses for two new operations, at Lime Point and adjacent Sheep Passage near the village of Klemtu on the central coast of British Columbia.

Kitasoo Aqua Farms Ltd. has been granted Crown land tenures for the sites.

And one shellfish license was approved for an operation at McBride Bay on the Central Coast.

The other goes to a company that is converting a vacant greenhouse in Langley to a closed-containment facility raising tropical shrimp.

Government OKs two new salmon farms

Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist
Published: Friday, August 03, 2007

Two new salmon-farm licences were approved yesterday for sites near Klemtu, on the Central Coast, despite recommendations by a special legislative committee that open-net pens should be eliminated because of the risk to wild salmon.

Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell said the two licences, issued to Marine Harvest with Crown land tenures going to Kitasoo Aqua Farms Ltd., have gone through detailed biological reviews and are based on sound science.

However, Robin Austin, who headed the NDP-dominated special committee on sustainable aquaculture, said the decision does not bode well for the committee's report.

"They're going ahead with issuing new licences without even saying which part of our recommendations they are going to bring into force," he said.

Bell said the committe report has some good points that are worthy of consideration.

"I expect to have an aquaculture plan in place by this fall that will clearly articulate our policy in B.C.," he said.

In the meantime, Bell said, the Klemtu licences have the support of the Kitasoo First Nation, who are partners in the venture, and they do not represent an increase in the number of farmed fish in the area.

There are already five fish-farm licences in Kitasoo traditional territory and one licence at Arthur Island will be relinquished, meaning a net gain of one site, he said.

"Six licences create a critical mass. It will allow them to fallow sites for a longer period of time and ensure more appropriate management," Bell said.

A few other applications are working their way through the system and may be issued before the aquaculture plan is in place, he added.

"But I'm not expecting a lot of activity."

Kitasoo band manager and treaty negotiator Percy Starr said the new licences are great news for his community.

About 55 people from the community of 500 are now employed in fish farming and processing the chinook and coho, he said.

"We have been in fish farms for a few years, but we do everything we can to deal with the environmental concerns," Starr said.

"The wild salmon runs went about 50 years ago and we were left with nothing."

But, Will Soltau, Living Oceans Society salmon campaign co-ordinator, said it is unfortunate the government should choose to issue new licences just as trials of closed containment systems are getting underway.

"I understand the need for First Nations to have economic development, but that could be in closed containment pens," he said.