SRD to look at all helpful information about fish farms

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Editor’s note: While there are no fish farms on Cortes Island, there was one on Raza Island directly north of us. The Discovery Island fish farms were in Electoral Area C.

The Strathcona Regional District passed a motion for staff to prepare a report that ‘consolidates the information on open net pen transition provided to the SRD Board prior to October 2022, and updates.’

“I think if we're going to look at information, we need to look at it all,” said Regional Director John Rice of Area D.

“Outside of the friendly (sources)? of DFO?” asked SRD Chair Mark Baker

To which Campbell River Director Susan Sinnot responded, “Anything that the staff thinks is reliable and relevant.”

This segment of the Jan 25 SRD board meeting began with Director Sinnot’s account of DFO’s recent meeting with local government.

DFO’s Jan 16 meeting with local government

Susan Sinnot: “Fisheries and Oceans had an invitation that came out, I think maybe in December, and I indicated I was interested in attending what they call ‘the local government transition plan engagement.’ I think they'd had one previous to my being elected, but they had a further one in January, on the 16th. That was Wednesday. It was held between 9:00 and noon.”

“They had agenda items: aquaculture innovation and a trust and transparency section. They were looking for feedback from local government. What I did hear them say, which wasn't quite on the paperwork, was that they basically were looking for two choices in terms of the future of aquaculture on the coast: A zero impact wild salmon in the ocean in net pens, so some sort of technology that prevents any feed or any type of flow of water escaping from the pens into the wild; and then land-based technology.”

“There was a lot of discussion about innovation, but they also said that there was no current technology that permit either choice and my recollection was that they said if they can't do one of the two choices that they're proposing, then there'd be no more industry.”

“It was quite confusing at the meeting. A number of the participants were saying, ‘why are we doing this? You already decided to close everything. I don't understand, you've already made your decision. Why are we talking about having transitions and accommodations of ongoing aquaculture salmon farms in the ocean? I thought you were closing them all down.’”

“Last April, the Federal Court of Canada overturned the minister's decision based on procedural fairness grounds and then it went back to, I believe, cabinet. This is now the end result, the DFO consultation process because they didn't do a consultation process before they made the announcement in 2020 to close down everything.“

“They've already prearranged the two choices and they're looking for local government impacts, and wants. They were specifically asking what does local government want? And I think they were suggesting that if they did close down the entire industry, what would we need and want?”