How has farmed salmon affected the wild caught industry?

fishy

2009-01-07 00:19:50

You see farmed salmon more and more in the news although recently a lot of the press has been negative. Invasive species escaping and disease seem to be a huge problem for that industry. Even with the problems distributors are still selling a ton of it.

How is it affecting the wild salmon industry?

The Chaser

2009-01-07 03:30:19

Farmed salmon not only hurts us finacially but it also hurts the wild stocks of fish. The waste from the giant pens, that the fish are raised in, settles to the bottom of the bays and destroys the local eco system for years. Escaping fish compete with wild fish for food. The worst is probably the overcrowding of the pens and inactiveness of penned in fish cause excessive amounts of sea lice. So not are the only raising fish but are raising sea lice and probably all kinds of other fish born disease.

fishy

2009-01-07 03:50:39

This is becoming more common...

Thousands of Salmon Escape from B.C. Farm

December 23, 2008 - About 2,500 farmed Atlantic salmon escaped last week from a Vancouver Island, British Columbia, facility, the second escape from a Mainstream Canada farm in a little more than a year.

The fish escaped into Clayoquot Sound, on the island's west coast, while a boat was harvesting fish from Mainstream's Mussel Rock farm; the company is still trying to determine what happened.

The company suspended harvesting operations and notified provincial and federal officials, as well as the Ahousaht First Nation's fish farm committee.

Kevin Bruce, office coordinator for the Friends of Clayoquot Sound, told the Westcoaster.ca that Mainstream should use closed-containment operations.

"It's unfortunate that Atlantic salmon are once again swimming in the Pacific Ocean," Bruce said. "We hope they have a contingency plan in place to get back as many as they can."

Mainstream Canada operates three hatcheries, 24 farms and two processing plants in Tofino, Campbell River and the Broughton Archipelago areas. In September 2007, salmon escaped from the company's Saranac farm into Clayoquot Sound.

Riversong

2009-01-07 16:12:37

Please keep in mind that there are at least three types of salmon stocks:

Pen raised

Hatchery raised & released

Truly wild stock

Wild **caught** would include both truly wild stock and hatchery raised & released. To be fair these ought to be considered separately.

I personally believe that the truly wild stock should receive the most regulatory protection. Each wild stock has genetically adapted to its specific stream, and, once lost is lost forever.

I believe the evidence is pretty well in that the pen raised fish have a detrimental affect on the truly wild stock for a host of well documented reasons.

I'd wager the same is true of the hatchery raised & released hurting the truly wild stock. While learning about the Prince William Sound hatcheries, terminal runs and "cost recovery" operations, my young son, in his insightful innocence asked "won't that tend to breed out the spawning behaviors that the salmon have evolved to deal with their individual streams?"

Makes one think.

The billions of hatchery raised & released fish, not just here but also in Japan, must compete with the truly wild stock on the open seas for feed.

This is not intended to be a treatise on the subject, just to get folks thinking.

Riversong

ata

2009-01-07 21:11:13

Hi All:

The fish farm issue is one that ATA has been involved with for over 20 years, right through about 9am this morning. It is a long a complicated matter, but some of the most significant issues have already been posted above. I am always happy to discuss fish farming and our involvement in a variety of forums. I'll attach for you a testimony presented in Canada several years back. Since that time, we have been working the issue in a little different manner with a number of other industry and environmental interests - trying to find some form of compromise while providing maximum safeguards for ocean dwellers in the event the USA embraces fish farming in the EEZ, which is a real concern since the last two administrations have favored the idea. Bear in mind, there might be some opportunities in several other locations around the country, perhaps with mussels, etc. But fear not - ATA has not wavered from it's commitment to wild fish and fisheries, those are our highest priorities!

Incidentally, there have been several other large escapes this week, and more disease outbreaks in foreign farms. Seems the issues are never ending and speak to the dangers of raising finfish in ocean net cages. A couple of other impacts on our industry have been depression of wild caught salmon prices and a demand to harvest large volumes of 'low value' species to make food for fish in pens.

It's fair to say that there are different types of aquaculture, which includes hatcheries, and we have one of the biggest hatchery programs in the world right here in Alaska. Fortunately, they are governed by strict genetic and other guidelines, which minimize much of the risk. That said, we should be vigilant to ensure that we constantly reevaluate our programs and take care of our wild stocks. ATA has a stated organizational policy that favors wild stocks over hatchery fish - in all ways. New production and management programs are scrutinized by our board with that in mind. This is yet another puzzle to sort out when discussing hatchery allocation - how to find an equitable balance amongst producers without compromising our wild salmon stocks? As is the norm for our industry, hatcheries are another complex issue and we're always happy to discuss the particulars.

Good morning!

Dale, ATA

Salty

2009-01-07 21:38:55

Commercial Fishermen Honored by Conservationists for Helping Wild Salmon

OCTOBER 6, 2006. JUNEAU, ALASKA. Alaska commercial fisherman and longtime Alaska State Senator Richard I. Eliason was honored in a precedent-setting nomination to the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame. Eliason was honored for his exceptional contributions to the health of wild Pacific salmon runs; as the first Alaskan and the first commercial fisherman ever nominated, he put Alaska on the map of the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center.

While serving in the Legislature, Eliason championed legislation to protect Alaska’s healthy wild salmon stocks by prohibiting finfish farming in Alaska, a law passed in 1990 and still in effect. During his two decades of service in the Legislature he advocated tirelessly on behalf of careful management Alaska’s fishery resources. He was instrumental in creating a statutory priority for sustained yield of wild salmon stocks in Alaska, a guiding principle in the successful management of Alaska’s abundant sustainable salmon fisheries today.

In addition to commercial fishing for nearly 70 years, Eliason has a long history of distinguished public service: city government, the mayorship of his hometown of Sitka, membership in the Alaska State House of Representatives and a long stint as a leader in the Alaska State Senate including the post of Senate President. His Senate district covered coastal communities from one end of the Southeast “Panhandle” to the other, and he developed a statewide reputation as an effective champion of Alaska’s fisheries and commercial fishing.

Commercial fishing and conservation often go hand in glove in Alaska. Eliason’s decades of accomplishment in supporting the health of wild salmon fisheries were recognized in letters of support sent to the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center by Seafood Producers Cooperative, Alaska Trollers Association, United Fishermen of Alaska, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.

Before a crowd of 200 wild salmon supporters, at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton, Washington, Eliason and the three other nominees each received public recognition of their work to preserve wild Pacific salmon. Formal congratulations and commemorative awards were bestowed by Bill Ruckelshaus. Other finalists honored were Nat Scholz of the National Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle, Tom Stuart of Idaho Rivers United, and Jay Nicholas, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Nicholas was subsequently inducted to the 2006 Wild Salmon Hall of Fame.

Full Story: http://www.alaskaseafood.org/about/pressreleases/fisherman_conservationists.htm

Salty

2009-01-07 21:41:12

SUSTAINABLE SALMON POLICY ADOPTED BY ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES

After three years of work, the Alaska Board of Fisheries today formally adopted the "Sustainable Salmon Fisheries Policy for Alaska" that will become an integral part of the board's yearly review of the state's salmon fisheries. The policy contains five fundamental principles for sustainable salmon management, each with criteria that will be used by the department and the board to evaluate the health of the state's salmon fisheries and address any conservation issues and problems as they arise.

"This policy represents a major milestone in the management of Alaska's salmon fisheries," said Dan Coffey chair of the Board of Fisheries. "The state's salmon management program is internationally recognized as a model of sustainability. This policy will ensure that the state's abundant salmon resource remains healthy and available for use by future generations."

The five fundamental principles of the policy are:

* Wild salmon populations and their habitats must be protected to maintain resource productivity;

* Fisheries shall be managed to allow escapements within ranges necessary to conserve and sustain potential salmon production and maintain normal ecosystem functioning;

* Effective salmon management systems should be established and applied to regulate human activities that affect salmon;

* Public support and involvement for sustained use and protection of salmon resources must be maintained;

* In the face of uncertainty, salmon stocks, fisheries, artificial propagation and essential habitats must be managed conservatively.

"This symbolizes the emergence of an ocean ethic in Alaska that is every bit as important as the land ethic articulated by Aldo Leopold over half a century ago," said Dr. John White, a commercial salmon fisherman who is chair of the board's Sustainable Fisheries Committee. "Salmon embody the connections between the oceans and the upland watersheds which sustain us all. The time is right for us to clearly articulate the ways that fisheries science, management, and public process must work together to protect Alaska's precious salmon resource."

Commissioner Frank Rue pointed out that the policy represents collaborative work by department researchers, salmon managers, board members, independent scientists, commercial, sport, and subsistence fishermen, fish processors, hatchery managers, other resource agencies and boards, and conservation groups. "This policy is the result of one of the most thorough public and technical review processes I have seen as Commissioner," Rue said. "Many Alaska citizens worked hard to bring the policy to a point where we can all be proud of it."

A Department of Fish and Game and Board of Fisheries joint committee formed in February of 1997 to write the policy. The committee issued draft versions of the policy which were widely distributed and reviewed. In the course of developing the policy the board and department held more than 30 public meetings. In addition, the board convened a public advisory panel, the department convened a technical advisory panel, and technical reports received formal peer review.

The policy requires that department describe the extent salmon fisheries and their habitats conform to explicit principles and criteria. In response to these reports the board must review fishery management plans or create new ones. If a salmon stock concern is identified in the course of this review, the management plan will contain measures, including needed research, habitat improvements, or new regulations, to address the concern. The sustainable salmon fisheries policy will be implemented by the board and department in the course of the board's normal regulatory cycle.

Source: http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/news/99-02/3-24-00.php

Salty

2009-01-07 21:48:12

I had the privilege of serving on the Advisory group for the sustainable salmon policy and the opportunity to nominate Richard Eliason to the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame. I also worked with Paula Terrel and others at the Alaska Marine Conservation Council on farmed finfish issues when I was employed at AMCC.

I am confident we are doing well in Alaska to protect wild salmon stocks. In fact our policies to protect wild salmon from hatchery salmon are putting a serious crimp in our enhanced salmon development program in SE Alaska. Because our wild runs are so abundant and pernicious in Northern SE Alaska there is little opportunity to develop any hatchery programs in the Icy Strait/Cross Sound area. Nevertheless I strongly support our "Wild Salmon Priority".

kingquota

2009-01-15 06:13:54

Let's not forget the size of the hatchery produced salmon that go to sea at the same time as wild salmon. They are several times larger and faster that wild salmon. The limited feed stock is being taken by the hatchery larger fish and being infected by them as a double whammy. Altough at the time we could have had a hatchery in Yakutat, we turned it down in favor of our wild stock. Remember our wild stock is what we are trying to get back for our community fishery survival.

kingquota

2009-01-15 06:31:34

Just to clarify the issue; I am writing about the past, when the forces that were trying to put in hatcheries all over Alaska, We in the advisory Committee and the Community turned down Hatcheries not only to protect our wild stock (especially Kings) , but all the other species. At the time the South American countries were having all kinds of problems with their hatcheries.