Cooke Aquaculture fined for Atlantic salmon fish-farm spill

Washington is the lone U.S. west coast state that allows Atlantic salmon net-pen farming in its public waters. California and Alaska ban the practice, while Oregon has no Atlantic salmon net-pen farms. The Seattle Times reported in late January of this year on the result of a review by a panel of experts of the catastrophic net-pen spill of Atlantic salmon at Cooke Aquaculture‘s Cypress Island fish farm. The state’s Department of Ecology fined Cooke $332,000 for violating its water-quality permit before and during the net-pen collapse.

“Our investigative team doggedly pursued the truth,” said Maia Bellon, director of the Washington Department of Ecology. “Cooke Aquaculture was negligent, and Cooke’s negligence led to the net-pen failure. What’s even worse was Cooke knew they had a problem and did not deal with the issue. They could have and should have prevented this.”

Cooke Aquaculture has disputed the state’s methods and findings.

In December of 2017, Washington state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz terminated the state’s lease with Cooke at another farmed salmon operation in Port Angeles, saying the company violated the terms of the lease. Cooke has challenged that decision in Clallam County Superior Court.

SVIAC January Newsletter

We are pleased to be able to provide you access to the January 2018 newsletter for the Southern Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition (SVIAC). The newsletter provides extensive and excellent coverage on some of the important issues facing local anglers.

…there is a greater than usual need to lobby for our salmon fisheries this year. The more members we have, the stronger our voice, thus giving us greater credibility with politicians and at fisheries management decision-making tables.

Please consider supporting SVIAC by becoming a member in 2018.

IPHC Annual Meeting Jan 22-26 2018: Attend by Webinar

The 94th session of the International Pacific Halibut Commission’s annual meeting will be held in Portland, Oregon on January 22 – 26, 2018.

Want to attend meetings by webinar? Do so by registering here.

From the meeting notice:

  • The deadline for Regulatory and Catch Limit proposals, and Stakeholder comment (23 December 2017) has now passed. Further comment may be provided in Session.
  • All sessions are open to observers and the general public, unless the Commission specifically decides otherwise.
  • All sessions will be available via webinar. Webinar attendees will be able to make comments and ask questions as noted on the schedule with other meeting attendees. 

On the IPHC website you may find the 2017 Canadian Recreational Fishery Halibut Catch Report. Within that report, DFO states:

Estimates of catch in months and areas not monitored by traditional programs were generated from data collected during DFO’s internet-based recreational survey (iREC). Initiated in 2012, the iREC survey collects catch and effort information from recreational licence holders on a monthly basis throughout the recreational fishing year .

This reliance by DFO on the iREC survey for monitoring catch results is of particular concern to ACS members. Any internet survey is open to abuse – false reporting – by “interested parties”, any of which may purchase a sports fishing license, and the iREC survey is no exception. The question as to whether and how survey results are validated has not been publicly addressed by DFO to our knowledge, yet policy decisions – such as halibut season closures – are being made annually using this method.

SRKW Famine Connected to Puget Sound’s Poisoned Rivers

A recent article in Focus Magazine points to the connection between secondary sewage treatment effluent poisoning the rivers that flow into Puget Sound, reduced chinook salmon survival, and famine for southern resident killer whales. The article is worth a read.

RIVERS RUNNING INTO PUGET SOUND have perennially low returns of chinook salmon—currently estimated at just 10 percent of their historic levels—even though many of them are enhanced with hatcheries. Last year, scientific research connected this decline to secondary sewage treatment plants discharging partially-treated effluent into Puget Sound.

Having learned of the pollutants’ effects in Puget Sound river estuaries, Washington state has taken action to point to Victoria’s discharge of raw sewage, and to talk about – but not fund – further research.

New Date: SVI Anglers Coalition Town Hall: Jan 17

A town hall meeting of the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition is scheduled, and all anglers on the lower island are invited to attend.

SVI Anglers Coalition Town Hall meeting
Date & Time January 17, 2018, 7 pm – 9 pm
Location Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 829 McCallum Road, Langford

Our fishery is at stake. This year, there were low salmon return numbers. The already endangered southern resident killer whales need chinook. The chinook fishery where we live is at a crisis point!

Please bring this meeting to the attention of all concerned. Sport fishers need to show that we are united when it comes to preserving our fishery.

We plan to post an agenda here before the event; stay tuned!

DFO Responds to ACS on SRKW and Net Pens

Following the October 10-12 2017 Orca symposium in Vancouver, ACS president Tom Cole wrote to The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with his concerns about the protracted strategizing, studying and analysis of the prey shortage for SRKW; and the lack of action beyond meetings and discussions in the short term.

The main problem for the SRKW is the availability of the ocean and surrounding water courses to produce enough food for these animals; the problem is now and not 5 years from now…

Tom further stated his strong view – shared amongst many recreational and commercial fishermen, plus whale watching interests – that we already have the solution ready at hand:

The answer to the feed problem is to champion the Chinook net pen projects that have proven to create CHINOOK BETTER THAN MOST HATCHERIES CAN!

Finally Tom pointed out that in addition to the three volunteer run and staffed net pen projects already in the Juan de Fuca Strait area, there is potential to re-start three other net pen projects that have languished for want of funds and approval from the DFO in Ottawa.

On December 12, The Minister responded. While reiterating the current state of strategizing, studying and analysis, he offered the following:

DFO is considering various options to increase prey availability for SRKW in addition to current work. Hatchery and net pen fish production is one of the options being contemplated… Hatchery production planning, including net pen projects, is conducted through the annual Integrated Fish Management Planning process, which is soon to begin.

…and pointed out that project enquiries should be directed to the local DFO Community Advisor in our area.

For lower Vancouver Island, including the Southern Gulf Islands and the Cowichan River watershed, the local DFO Community Advisor is Chantal Nessman, with contact info as:

Phone 250-746-5137
Mailing Address 5245 Trans Canada Highway
Duncan, BC
V0R 2C0
Email address Chantal.Nessman@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

You may read the full exchange here.

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