Salmon and the Olympics -- an update
I'm not an Olympic fan, and still, one has to smile and rejoice with the inclusive, celebratory atmosphere that surrounded much of the recent Vancouver 2010 games. Want a touching sample: go to http://vimeo.com/9451898 and be prepared to move! :-)
Part of the celebration was the Wild Salmon Circle's recent Rally During the Games for Wild Salmon at Vancouver's Vanier Park on Feb 20, during the Olympics. Get a flavor for the rally on the WSC website http://www.wildsalmoncircle.com/. Scroll down for pictures, and watch a short video reprise. This was one of series of initiatives to reach out to people of Norway through the media in town for the Games -- most people, Canadian, Norwegian or otherwise, don't know this stunning fact: 92% of BC's salmon farms are Norwegian-owned.
Here is a sampling of the scope of media exposure for wild salmon during the games:
• NBC Nightly News story (10 million viewers) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#35697305%2335697305
• 5 national TV news stories in Norway and Scandinavia
• Multiple print and web stories in Norway and Canada
• Reuters international news story
• Thousands of Youtube and Facebook hits around the world
And to the case against open-net salmon farms, check this out: Norway was one of the first countries to use salmon farms on a large scale, and here's what one of the founders has to say. (red print below contains the kicker but the background is interesting too.)
Georg Fredrik Rieber-Mohn, a Norwegian judge who, as Attorney-General, drew up important environmental protection guidelines for Norwegian fish farms recently said the following during his remarks before the pending hockey game between Canada and Norway:
"Put simply, we had an open goal to save wild salmon but we missed the target. Now we are dealing with the consequences of poor defending. Atlantic salmon in the wild in Norway are now threatened with extinction in many rivers in Norway. There are many causes to this decline, but in vast areas the farming of salmon is the main factor. Escaped farmed salmon is a huge problem added to the problem of uncontrolled growth of sea lice. Scientists foresee remarkable damaging effects in new areas in the future.
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"In 1999, I was proud to present the so-called 'wild salmon plan' which proposed national protection for the 50 best salmon rivers and the 9 most important fjord-systems across Norway - the national laksfjords - where salmon farms would be prohibited. However, intense lobbying from the salmon farming industry watered down the proposals so that by the time they passed the parliament in 2007 the protected fjords had become smaller and gave less protection against the salmon farming industry.
The result has been a heavy defeat for wild salmon and a huge win for sea lice. Scientific research published by the Norwegian Institute of Nature Research indicates that the areas protected from open net cage salmon farms are simply too small to offer adequate protection from sea lice.
Scientists in Norway detail growing sea lice resistance to the chemicals designed to kill them. The Norwegian Food and Safety Authority recently reported nearly 100 cases of chemical treatment failures as sea lice are now immune. So serious is the situation that the Directorate of Nature Management - the Norwegian Government's conservation adviser - has called for drastic reductions in farmed salmon production and slaughter of farm stock to reduce the sea lice burden. "
And one more item: Read how the decline of salmon is resulting in hunger for First Nations' communities. http://www.straight.com/article-295756/vancouver/hunger-tied...
Want to be a part of turning the tide for wild salmon, and all that depend on this incredible species? Join the Wild Salmon Circle, http://www.wildsalmoncircle.com/join/ stay informed, and be among the first to take part in our action alerts.
