An Open Letter to Protect Wild Salmon Migration

The Courier-Islander has published an open letter to Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, to better protect migrating wild salmon in 2010 and beyond. The letter states that finfish aquaculture regulations, as they currently exist in BC, are inadequate to protect wild salmon, as they do not address the impacts that open net cage salmon farms have on the wild salmon stocks. They are urging for the following three interim emergency steps to be implemented immediately:

1. Emergency Migration Corridor to Protect Fraser River Salmon.

2. Wild Fish Monitoring Program for Discovery Islands.

3. Sea Lice Monitoring

The group that prepared this letter (Alexandra Morton, David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia Straight Alliance, Living Oceans Society, Outdoor Recreation Council of BC, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Ritchie Foundation, Save Our Salmon Marine Conservation Foundation, T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, Wilderness Tourism Association) believe these minimal precautions must be taken in order to ensure the health and survival of wild salmon, and the people and economies that depend on them.

Find the full letter here.