Posted on March 22, 2018 by Al B.
Grateful for all the legislators, tribal leaders and environmentalists who backed and pushed this through. Sad that it took a disaster to get this done, but sometimes that’s the way it goes. Now the lawsuits begin, and Tim Eyman is apparently going to try and get an initiative put in place to overturn this.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/
The whole bill language is here.
http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2017-18/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/2957.PL.pdf
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Filed under: Aquaculture, Government Legislation, legislation, Net Pens Aquaculture, Puget Sound | Tagged: net pens | 4 Comments »
Posted on September 21, 2017 by Al B.
Filmmaker John Gussman’s short overview from South of Bainbridge Island in Rich Passage.
https://vimeo.com/234434746
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Filed under: fisheries, Puget Sound | Tagged: net pens | Leave a comment »
Posted on November 5, 2015 by Al B.
Finally, someone decides to question (and challenge) the prevailing assumption that having lice ridden net pens (and dumping antibiotics to protect the salmon from them) of Atlantic salmon in the midst of an endangered run of wild salmon is a good thing. It’s not. It’s a recipe for disaster. We, the taxpayers, are funding millions of dollars to save our wild stocks. Supporting an industry that is known to have problems as a vector for disease and lice is counterproductive. If you wish to help support this lawsuit, even with $10, contribute to The Wild Fish Conservancy.
The Wild Fish Conservancy is suing federal environmental and fisheries agencies for inadequately monitoring the impact of commercial salmon farms in Puget Sound. The lawsuit filed Wednesday says commercial farms pose many risks to wild salmon. In 2011 the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service found the opposite. They concluded that commercial salmon farms are unlikely to harm wild salmon. Kate O’Connell Walters (KUOW)
http://kuow.org/post/lawsuit-claims-commercial-salmon-farms-harm-native-fish-puget-sound
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Filed under: Salmon | Tagged: Atlantic salmon, epa, net pens, wild salmon | Leave a comment »
Posted on July 28, 2015 by Al B.
An update on the attempt to create a financially viable closed-containment aquaculture in BC. Ramifications for the Olympic Peninsula because of the push to bring open water net pens to the Straits and expand use in the Sound continues.
The ’Namgis First Nation, with advice and support from a large number of groups, including Tides Canada, conservation groups, and funding agencies, has launched Kuterra, a land-based, “closed-containment” aquaculture project that keeps their Atlantic salmon out of contact with the larger marine ecosystem.
http://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/07/23/news/kuterra-aquaculture-%E2%80%98namgis-first-nation-raises-hope-wild-salmon%E2%80%94-and-some-hackles
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: aquaculture, Atlantic salmon, british columbia, canada, closed-containment, net pens, Salmon | Leave a comment »
Posted on May 15, 2014 by Al B.
A very positive milestone has been reached in the net pen debate. Finally an alternative to net pen fish has hit the market. We strongly suggest that readers in BC purchase this fish *if* they want to buy farmed fish. Of course, we continue to promote eating wild fish as the best alternative of all.
The first Atlantic salmon grown entirely on land are now landing on grocery store shelves, marketed as a sustainable alternative to salmon grown in ocean-based net pens. The land-based Atlantic salmon, branded under the name Kuterra, is being distributed by Albion Fisheries and sold at 140 Safeway stores in B.C. and Alberta. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Salmon+grown+land+based+tanks+come+market/9839481/story.html
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: british columbia salmon, net pen salmon, net pens | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 10, 2014 by Al B.
While this is not directly related to around here, it does have some interesting scientific findings that are relevant to our own battles against net pens. Read the whole article. It’s quite worth it. Wonder if it’s totally a one to one fit with our fish farming industry?
FARMED salmon should be sterilised to prevent them breeding with wild fish and introducing genetic weaknesses that will hamper their survival, experts have urged.
New research shows that while salmon reared in captivity to be eaten are genetically distinct from their wild relatives, they are just as fertile and pose a potential danger to naturally occurring populations if they escape and breed with them. Millions of salmon escape from fish farms each year and can find their way into wild spawning groups, where they can reproduce and introduce undesirable traits.
Read the rest of the story at
http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/sterilise-farm-salmon-say-experts-1-3334304
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: farmed salmon, fish farming, net pens, Salmon | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 23, 2013 by Al B.
Good article about a working alternative to in water fish farms. This is a rated “green” tilapia farm near Sumas. No waste water is sent to the rivers. The way forward? It certainly takes away the arguement that this is an “in-water” dependent business. Have to see if we can get local restaurants to carry the fish. I’d pay a bit more to support this, wouldn’t you?
Sumas Lake Aquafarm’s fish are imported as fry and raised in a closed-containment system in a former dairy barn. Water is circulated among 24 large metal tanks, each containing about 5,000 fish, and a sophisticated filtration system using RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) technology. The farm is completely bio-secure, and no waste water is released into the environment.
Read the whole story here and do what you can to support local reporting in news outlets like the “The Province”
http://www.theprovince.com/life/Land+based+fish+farms+getting+into+swim+things/9310810/story.html
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: british columbia, fish farming, net pens, sumas, tilapia | 1 Comment »
