I walk along the Adams River several times a week. I haven’t seen one sockeye salmon this fall. I’d read that the expected return of Fraser River sockeye was revised from 2.2 million to 650,000, but I haven’t seen any at all. I fear an irreversible decline of the sockeye run.
One factor of the decline is the use of open cage fish farming. Diseased farm fish infect the wild stocks. A bill is coming before Parliament soon, Bill C-228, which would require the fish farms to transition from open net cages in the ocean to safe closed containment facilities. This is a critical first step in reversing the decline of wild salmon stocks.
The Cohen Commission, struck by the last federal government, made many recommendations to halt the decline of salmon stocks. These should be implemented as soon as possible. Not one has been implemented so far.
If you’re concerned about our wild salmon, this would be a good time to write a letter to Dominic Le Blanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans-dominicleblanc@parl.gc.ca and also to our MP Mel Arnold.
Madeline Whittington