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Media Release For Immediate Release
Thursday January 3, 2002
Eight Thousand Atlantic Salmon on the Lam in Clayoquot Sound Tofino
Eight thousand Atlantic salmon escaped from a Clayoquot Sound fish farm late on
January 2, 2002. A winter storm dragged the net cages over rocks tearing the
nets open. Pacific National Aquaculture, the Norwegian company that owns the
Saranac fish farm, has had a streak of calamities in the last year. In August
hundreds of fish from another of their farms in Clayoquot Sound escaped and in
September a toxic algae bloom magnified in the net cages killing over 100,000 of
the penned salmon. Several fish boats have been sent out to try to catch the
Atlantic salmon.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans employees reported finding 90 Atlantic salmon
in three of Clayoquotıs major salmon spawning rivers this past fall. The salmon
farming industry has rationalized for decades that Atlantic salmon will not
survive in the wild and do not pose any threat to wild salmon. In fact, in the
past three years Atlantic salmon have been found spawning in Vancouver Island
rivers. The introduced Atlantics pose a serious threat to the ecosystem, as they
do not die after they spawn, as do Pacific salmon. The Pacific spawn and die
cycle provides stream nutrients which feed bugs which feed the baby salmon which
grow, in turn, to feed the bears and the ocean predators such as Orcaıs and sea
lions.
"This confirms, yet again, that the presence of Atlantic salmon in net cages in
the Pacific ocean is a stupid idea which should be eliminated" says Valerie
Langer, FOCS spokesperson. "How many million Atlantic salmon need to escape, how
much damage needs to be done before someone in government wakes up to the facts
staring them in the face. Farmed salmon is not healthy for the ocean environment
or for people. Donıt eat it until itıs safe," says Langer.
Friends of Clayoquot Sound
Box 489, Tofino,
BC V0R 2Z0
(250) 725-4218 tel
725-2527 fax
email: focs@island.net
website: www.ancientrainforest.org
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