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Company takes action following net breach

Posted September 7, 2007

On September 4 at approximately 1 pm, during a routine harvesting of fish from a Tofino farm, owned by Mainstream Canada working in agreement with the Ahousaht First Nation, a site worker observed fish in the containment netting which is the external net that protects the farm from predators. The worker immediately implemented the company's escape response plan. Government officials were immediately notified. The escape response plan includes dropping a secondary net to contain any fish not in the predator nets. Divers were immediately dispatched to the farm and arrived on the scene in twenty minutes. The divers repaired the hole in the net and then conducted a full inspection to ensure that the remaining containment systems were secure.

The Ahousaht First Nations in whose territory the farm is located were immediately notified and they dropped gill nets to recover any fish that may have breached the two net system. In addition a harvest recapture vessel was launched shortly after the net inspection was conducted.

The company has a strong record of compliance with all government regulations, including escape prevention. The company is working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Ahousaht Nation as well as the BC Salmon Farmers Association to conduct a full review of the situation and will be reporting the results as soon as they are available. Elements will include discussions around the cause of the escape, the success and efficiency of the response and improvements to procedures if required. For more information on escape prevention in British Columbia click here

For more information, contact Alistair Haughton, Managing Director at 250-286-0022