Calls to stop open-net Salmon farming in BC

A group of anti fish farm activists are calling on the Prime Minister to follow through on a promise to remove open net fish farms in BC by the year 2025. That’s just next year. We spoke to Bob Chamberlain, chairman of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance, earlier in the show and joining us now with more is Isaiah Robinson, chief deputy councillor of the Kittisu Hehei Nation. Thanks so much for being with us today. Thanks for having me. All right. So what are your concerns around the removal of opennet fish farms if it does come into place by next year? Yeah, so I think, you know, when it comes to Kitta, Sue Hayes itself, we’ve been in this agreement with industry for nearly 30 years at this point. And so this is a pivotal part of our overall economy. It reflects 51% and you know at this point we’re we have a 99% employment rate, you know coming back from you know 30 years ago and we had 5%. So we’ve come a long way. This industry reflects a lot of of you know, economic prosperity for the overall community itself and and like many others that are are part of the industry too. And what about the impact that farmed fish are having on the wild salmon stock? Do you agree with what some of the peer reviewed research is showing? Peer reviewed is, I would say, questionable at this point. When it comes down to it, I would say that, you know, Kittasu itself has been doing science itself for the last 18 years alone. You know, a lot of these First Nations that are part of this industry, you know, we’re all salmon people and as as much as they put it against us, you know, we are all in this together and we expect the wild stock to to return. You know, however, it’s how we do it and you know who better to support this than the overall aquaculture industry to help us bring back this overall reduction of the stock. But we have to be honest with ourselves too. As indigenous people, you know, over the last 50 years this wild stock has been in reduction the whole time, you know, and we’ve been a part of it. You know, we have been overfishing ourselves too when it comes down to the overall commercial side. So you know, you know, it’s not just recently this real, this wild stock has been in reduction. So you don’t think that the open net fish farms are impacting wild salmon. I just want to get your, your beliefs on this. So there, you know, there may be impacts, but it is extremely miniscule at this point. There is no signs of something being so prevalent that it would be causing issues like these die offs or or whatever the activists are bringing up. There’s just no scientific evidence to show anything like that. Yeah, well yeah, I’m, I realize there’s two points of view on this. Those that that are concerned say that wild salmon from the Fraser are being impacted by sea lice and mouth rot disease, which they come in contact with from farm fish that escaped their pens. Now I think that we can both agree that wild salmon stocks have been on the decline. We know that. Do you think that there is a way for both industries to live peacefully while also bringing up those wild salmon stocks again, Yeah, like I’ve mentioned before, we’re in the midst of a transition plan right now. You know that the overall transition plan is to to assist in the overall review of the WILD stock and and the the main maintenance and part relationship between the Atlantic’s and the overall WILD stock. Also, you know, we see that there’s a possibility, a large possibility for this industry to support us with hatcheries, to support us with this overall the the loss of WILD stock and help us bring it back, you know, you know, and when it comes down to it, it’s the only way that this progress but not for us to move this forward in a good way. All right. And you know, I realize a lot of your concerns are are economic. You said 99% employment in the fishing industry for your First Nation. When it comes down to it though, the other side would say this isn’t about money. This is about making sure that we have wild salmon for generations to come. Do you think that you have a bit of a bias because of your economic connection complete. No, I completely disagree. You look at lots of these First Nations that are part of this industry we have protect. You know, my community itself has protected 52% of my territory. What nation on on the other side has done that? You know when it comes down to it, what you know, we have a partnership that is quite strong and we reflect ourselves to these other nations that are opposition. They have oil and gas going through their territory. Where is the consultation with us? We don’t ask those questions. We hope that they do their due diligence to protect the overall wild stock, just like we’re doing it ourselves. You know, there’s lots of contradictory and when it comes down to it, there’s lots of extraction. That’s being, that’s part of this overall problem, be it farming, be it oil and gas, be it TMX, you name it. So we expect these other nations to support that. Isaiah Robinson, chief deputy councillor of the Kitasu Hehei Nation. Thank you very much for your time today. Thanks for having me.