Day 3 of the voyage and we visited our first two farms. We were also instructed by a First Nation not to look at the salmon farms in their territory.
Here the Martin Sheen drifts near the Grieg salmon farm called Ahlstrom. There was an IHN outbreak at this site in 2012. Canada paid compensation to Grieg, a Norwegian family-owned operation. This happened in May as the Fraser sockeye salmon were migrating through the area. IHN is endemic to this coast, but a salmon farm can release 65 billion infectious IHN viruses per hour during an outbreak (Kyle Garver (DFO) testimony, Cohen Commission). The young wild salmon migrating past this farm would not have been equipped to deal with this, that level of infection in the water is not something they have experienced.
We saw dead salmon on the surface. This is not an Atlantic salmon farm, these are probably coho salmon. Beside it is live farm salmon jumping. This illustrates the dangerous nature of salmon farming. In the wild, dead fish are extremely rare because predators kill and eat them before they get to this stage. By dying slowing and then decaying in the pens, viruses and bacteria have the opportunity to breed and flow out of the pens at levels never seen in the wild, because nature’s cleanup crew gets rid of disease before it has a chance to cause an epidemic.
The second thing that happened today is the BC Salmon Farmers put out a media release for the Tlowitsis First Nation Council.
I have to wonder why the Tlowitsis don’t want us to look at the farm in their territory. If they were proud of the industry I would think they would welcome us, perhaps come with us and tell us why they feel the farm is good for them and their neighbours. Wild salmon are nomads, they move through successive territories.
Thank you to the crew of Martin Sheen, you have such great spirit, professionalism and a sense that our earth must be protected.
good night…
Photos today by Tamo Campos and Jeremy Williams
Continual evidence to document. Keep up the great work you and the crew are doing. It’s so sad to see this happening when it can be prevented and should never have even happen in the first place! Thank you Alex and the Sea Shepard Crew.
What joy do the fish farmers get from seeing the fish in their pens die, and leaving them floating? Don’t they care? How can they continue to ignore the damage they are doing to the health of wild stocks? Is it because they are not citizens of Canada and feel no responsibility for our coastal salmon? The worst thing is that our governments know this is happening and don’t intervene – instead, they hand out 6 year leases to the fish farmers! How stupid can they be?
Goofy stuff. Please go and spend your energy doing good things in this world: not attacking a healthy food and a way for thousands of people to make a living.
It’s no wonder no one is listening to you, and you have to ask porn stars for publicity help.
I’m watching, listening and following Sea Shepherd’s efforts worldwide. They put their lives on the line every day to make a better world. What have you done lately besides whine?
Firstly hundreds of thousands of us are listening. As the years go on Paul Watson’s movement with greenpeace and now Sea Shepherd are making more and more sense, you just need to pay attention to realize that it is time we did something for this planet. Keeping the ocean’s livable and healthy is absolutely necessary for our survival. The connection is not obvious unless you delve into the science behind it. Secondly Pamela Anderson is a fellow Islander, a Daughter, Granddaughter and mother. Her image may be cliche’ but she certainly is not, nor is she a “porn star”. I do know for certain she would never have verbally attacked your character in such a manner. I might though, get a life.
It is not healthy or natural to raise salmon this way! Did you not read the article?
Kevin must work for the farms or he would understand the dangers.
I was thinking the same thing….when I think of First Nations I would never ever imagine them protecting salmon farms. I think of them as allies in protecting nature and it’s species….for this First Nation to not bother to respond and welcome is troublesome to me and has me thinking they may have something to hide from BC citizens.
Many first nations are approached by foreign investors with notions of partnerships on projects such as pipelines and salmon farming, because the investors realize these projects are unpopular, they also realize that First Nations can veto public opinion with their sovereignty. The business projects laid out to them by investors make great sense on paper, offer jobs and training and business partnership. There are many positives in this relationship for first Nations. In some of these remote area’s there is little opportunity and virtually no jobs you can see how they would view this as an important thing to be involved in for their people. I think the investors need to dig deeper into their pockets and offer tangible solutions for the problems outlined such as on land, uncrowded pools or ponds with heavy filtration leading back to the sea. That is just a limited description but I am sure there must be a way to make it work for the environment and the people.
Thank you for caring.
OK. Why aren’t the ponds cleaned all of the time. Time consuming? Yes of-course. But something has to be done. You can’t just have a business and not clean it. Cleaning is part of living. As for fresh water in the ponds, some water pumping fountains would do the job. That is all a lot of lakes have, to make the water stay clean and healthy. They could have a vacuum ship on one side of a pond vacuuming the lice and a pump ship on the other side pushing the water through. The dead fish? Well a junior could do that, as they start at the bottom of the job and work their way up the ladder. To Manager, elsewhere in another pond somewhere.
Margaret,
these are not ‘ponds’ or any kind of enclosed tanks. These are merely ‘nets’ suspended in the open Sea! Uneaten, rotting food and ALL of the fish’s waste, ie. ‘POO’, just drops into the Sea, day after day after month after year, as does all of the disease and parasites that go along with a net container of thousands of ill fish! If they were in tanks or ponds then the waste could be treated, but being environmentally responsible would cut into the profits of the Norwegians. Sooo much more profitable for them to just dump their untreated waste into OUR Sea as they raise their unhealthy fish (that they then feed to Us, the unknowing Public!!!😨). All of which Our very own governments allow!!!
Very, VERY Sad.
PS so do NOT buy Farmed Salmon!!!
Hey guys! Are these the farms between Earls Cove and Saltery Bay? Such an eye sore when travelling home from the Sunshine Coast to Texada Island. Not to mention the devastating impact these farms have on our wild salmon. I rely on wild salmon as my main source of food. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!!! #wildsalmonwarriors #voyageforsalmon #operationvirushunter #alexandramorton
I fly the black flag on my boat too so I’m pleased to see Alexander having more support from this organisation. I agree, something ‘fishy’ going on so the more detailed, unbiased research, the better. Fish farms are also a blight on the seascape so its well past time they were responsible and installed on land – it can be done but, until people stop buying fish and shares from these companies, I don’t hold out much hope. Also, why do we not hear from the commercial fishermen who’s livelihood must be impacted?
It’s because alot of this is misinformation!
The fish do not rot on the bottom they are collected and inspected daily, tissue samples are done and tested on a regular basis.
The government is heavily involved in their practices and making sure things are up to code.
Feed is not just thrown to the bottom of the ocean it is monitored closely by farm staff with a series of underwater cameras, and controlled from the feeder.
there is multiple entities monitoring the benthic samples all around the farms, if they don’t all pass the farm doesn’t reopen.
They are not shrouded in secrecy you are more than capable of seeing all their reports either online or go down to their head offices and see their policies.
I would love to see what happens in a world without farms, when fishing goes up drastically to meet the world’s demands, we farm almost every form of food there is why so much hate?
Do me a favour go online and check out the American fishing regulations, and how much their daily limits are
go learn how plankton really grows, on the surface with low salinity and higher water temperature, in the mouths of rivers and streams. Plankton blooms form after periods of rain followed by sun. Not below salmon farms.
I still have alot to learn before I make a solid opinion whether they are good or bad, but I strongly suggest doing what I have done, search out facts, educate yourselves on the different aspects that affect these farms and who watches them, then form an opinion.
It is all too easy to read an article and become an Internet warrior, but a true activist should learn facts from every source before jumping on board with shutting them down.
If you think it’s bad now shut down the farms and see what happens to our wild salmon population when the demand for salmon goes through the roof.
Coho species? Some biologist you are..you are 100% wrong. The ocean Shepards do great things for the whales, but they will be tarnished after teaming up with you and your nonsense. You are on a personal agenda. The only things more fake than you is Pamela andersons features and Dave susuki’s alter ego as a caring person…
Just in from Science Daily online: Vibrio can hitch rides on plastic debris. A great way to infect anything susceptible to it.
Tribes do NOT own the waters!!