FOCS rally outside Tofino DFO office | Friends of Clayoquot Sound

FRIENDS OF CLAYOQUOT SOUND — MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release — Monday, 12 Dec., 2011

Friends of Clayoquot Sound rally outside Tofino DFO office

Tofino BC — On Tuesday December 13 from 11 am to 2 pm, the Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS) are rallying outside the Tofino office of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). The purpose of the rally is to put a spotlight on the recent detection of Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus in British Columbia’s wild salmon, and to protest DFO’s lack of response.

The recent lab reports indicate the presence of ISA virus in BC waters, which is so critical to the health of the Fraser sockeye that the Cohen Commission is reopening its hearings in Vancouver on December 15, 16 and 19.

An unpublished 2004 report co-authored by DFO was recently leaked to the media. This report indicates that over 100 occurrences of ISA virus were detected in five species of salmon in 2002–2003. The salmon were tested in waters from the West Coast of Vancouver Island to the Bering Sea. DFO did not provide the Cohen Commission with this crucial piece of evidence, calling into question the integrity of statements made under oath that there is no evidence of ISA virus in BC waters.

Friends of Clayoquot Sound campaigner Bonny Glambeck said, “There are 22 fish farm sites in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Mainstream Canada, a Norwegian-owned company, has applied for a new salmon feedlot to be located at Plover Point on Meares Island. DFO must not approve this expansion before Justice Cohen releases his recommendations next June.”

DFO’s conflicting mandate to protect wild salmon while also promoting the salmon farming industry is completely unworkable. Regulation of salmon farming must be removed from DFO’s mandate so they can focus on conserving and protecting wild fish stocks.

The Friends of Clayoquot Sound, founded in 1979, is an environmental organization with a mandate to protect the ancient temperate rainforest and marine environments of Clayoquot Sound.

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PO Box 489, 331 Neill St., Tofino BC V0R 2Z0
250-725-4218 info@focs.ca