Media Releases & Recent Articles

Salmon Farming: The Whole Story, by Peter A. Robson

Heritage House ISBN 13: 978-1-894974-07-3 ISBN 10: 1-894974-07-7

Heritage House Publishing Company is pleased to announce that the Keith Matthews Awards Committee of the Canadian Nautical Research Society has awarded Peter A. Robson's Salmon Farming: The Whole Story Honorary Mention for Best Book published in 2006 on a Canadian nautical subject or by a Canadian on any nautical subject. The award was announced on 5 August during the CNRS annual conference. Some of the comments made by the Awards Committee about Robson's book include 'Salmon Farming: The Whole Story (Heritage House) by Peter A. Robson offers a compelling and even-handed review of Canada's growing and controversial salmon aquaculture industry within the context of the obvious mismanagement of world fish stocks. Seeking to be instructive and constructive, Robson untangles, in accessible text, the complex and technical pros and cons of salmon farming. His research is comprehensive and the book is profusely illustrated and nicely designed. Salmon Farming is not just about fish but also the environment, international business, and local economies. It is also about the future and is essential reading for those concerned with the future of our fish stocks.' This prestigious award is named after the renowned maritime historian from Memorial University who was also one of the founders and first president of the CNRS. Keith Matthews died in 1984 and the first award in his name was made the following year. Salmon Farming: The Whole Story is the first comprehensive, agenda-free book on the subject of British Columbia's fish-farming industry. To date, there has been little objective information on the topic. This book fills that void. It includes history, information, and context that will equip experts, lay readers and everyone in between with everything they need to know to develop an informed opinion about fish farming in British Columbia. An avid sailor, wilderness camper, hiker, naturalist and fisherman, Peter Robson has lived on the coast all his life. He treasures his environment and the natural resources of his homeland. He also treasures truth. In Salmon Farming: The Whole Story, he goes to great effort to research the facts and share his findings. Because of the polarized nature of the issue, most information on this subject has been biased to favour a particular side of the argument: The aquaculture industry and its government supporters promote fish farming. They say:

• Fish farming makes good economic sense. Fish farming is not an environmental threat.

Critics of the industry want salmon farming stopped. They say:

• Fish farming pollutes the ocean waters and is unsustainable. Farmed fish will spread disease to wild fish. Escaped farmed fish will displace wild salmon.

Lost in the middle of the controversy are consumers and their questions:

• Is it safe to eat farmed salmon? Does the industry harm the environment? Will this practice threaten our wild fish stocks?

In order to shed an objective light on this important and contentious subject, Peter Robson presents up-to-date information and uses a balanced approach to explain the biology and the effects of salmon farming.

PETER A. ROBSON is a freelance writer and the editor of Pacific Yachting. Born in Vancouver, he has travelled up and down B.C.'s coast for 15 years. A trained stream keeper and salmon-enhancement volunteer on the Sunshine Coast, Peter was a founder of the Francis Point Marine Society, which raised almost $4 million to buy 180 acres of ecologically sensitive waterfront in Pender Harbour. The area is now a provincial park. An avid sailor, Peter took part in the 2005-2006 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race aboard the 68' Victoria Clipper. The fifth of seven legs of the course left Qingdao, China on April 8th and the 5,600-mile race to Victoria--which will probably rate as the most gruelling leg of the race--took more than 3 days. Peter has written for Westcoast Logger, the Vancouver Sun and other publications. He is also the co-author of Working the Tides: A Portrait of Canada's West Coast Fishery and Skookum Tugs: British Columbia's Working Tugboats, and was both an editor of and a contributor to the prize-winning encyclopaedia of British Columbia. Peter lives on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.

Media Contact Linda Martin
Ph: (250) 468-5328
Fx: (250) 468-5318
Email: media@heritagehouse.ca

Address:
#301-3555 Outrigger Road
Nanoose Bay, BC V9P 9K1

Ordering Contact Karen Berreth
Ph: 1-800-665-3302
Fx: 1-800-566-3336
Email: distribution@heritagehouse.ca

Address:
#108-17665 66A Avenue
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7

Discover more Heritage Group titles at these three publisher websites.

http://www.heritagehouse.ca

http://www.touchwoodeditions.com

http://rmbooks.com