FOCS advocate that open net-pen salmon farms be switched to closed containment tanks, which would place a solid barrier between farmed fish and the open water. Sea cage salmon (and sablefish) farms cannot carry on discharging untreated effluent directly into Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The solution to pollution is not dilution. That is why FOCS advocate closed-containment systems in which contaminated wastes such as uneaten feed, toxic chemicals, artificial colourings, phosphorus and nitrogen can be controlled. FOCS urge both Cermaq and Creative Salmon to invest in closed-containment systems immediately.
Read: Summary report of Global assessment of closed system aquaculture ( 300 KB file - small)
Read: Global assessment of closed system aquaculture (6 MB file - large)
Insist the BC government invests in solutions now.
Closed containment fish farming is needed to protect wild salmon.
Ask for the creation of a $10 million Closed System Aquaculture and
Innovation and Development fund in 2009 by sending a fax using the free fax
service provided by CAAR (Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform)
Click here
Even without the wholesale adoption of closed containment systems there are immediate policy steps that can be taken. The factory farming of carnivorous species such as salmon and sablefish in open cages in the sea is inherently unsustainable and has no legitimate place in a conservation economy. Far better to promote more environmentally friendly fish farming such as integrated aquaculture (diversity of species in the same closed containment tank) and shellfish farming. FOCS support the transition away from the monoculture of carnivorous finfish species in sea cages towards an integrated aquaculture economy. Farming species further down the food chain such as oysters, clams, mussels and herbivorous finfish may have a role to play in a conservation economy in Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve.
Friends of Clayoquot Sound
PO Box 489, 331 Neill St., Tofino BC V0R 2Z0
Tel: 250-725-4218 Fax: 250-725-2527
Email: info@focs.ca
Backgrounders
The Salmon Forests of Clayoquot Sound
Slice (Chemical Pesticide) Summary
Slice (Chemical Pesticide) Report
Declining Salmon Populations - article in Science
Brochure: Impacts of salmon farming to traditional FN food sources
In the Media: Articles & Publications
Corporate Overview
Reports
Summary report of Global Assessment of Closed System Aquaculture ( 300 KB PDF - small)
Global Assessment of Closed System Aquaculture (6 MB PDF - large)
Maps
Clayoquot Sound Salmon Farm Tenures
Headlines
33,000 Atlantics Escape from Grieg Cages in Nootka