Salmon and Pesticides

Just in case you needed more proof that farmed raised salmon is bad for the environment.

A drug long used by the fish farming industry to control sea lice infestations has become increasingly ineffective on the East Coast and is under scrutiny on the West Coast, according to federal government documents obtained under Access to Information.

Slice, which is administered to farmed salmon in their feed, is the only fully registered sea lice treatment in Canada. But the documents show its declining efficacy has forced the industry to seek alternatives – raising concerns that toxic pesticides are being released into the ocean under emergency authorizations.

LINK (Via: The Globe and Mail)

Alpha Max is the alternative being used in areas where Slice has become ineffective.

According to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website:

While AlphaMax ™ is used successfully in other jurisdictions; concerns may arise about its effect on other marine species and the eco-system in the vicinity of aquaculture cage sites. With this in mind, the release of AlphaMax ™ in the region includes specific environmental requirements, such as research, monitoring, and surveillance as components of proper risk management.

Testing will take place while the pesticide is in use to efficiently observe any negative effects against other species. Should this occur the use of the pesticide would stop immediately.

Farmed Salmon Still Sucks

The newest big idea in "environmentally friendly" aquaculture is to raise Ballen wrasse in commercial fish farms so they can be used to eat the lice infecting salmon in commercial fish farms.

LINK (Via:FIS)

Farmed Salmon Exposed

A new short documentary produced by Canadian film-maker Damien Gillis lifts the lid on the problems caused by open net cage salmon farms worldwide. 'Farmed Salmon Exposed: The Global Reach of the Norwegian Salmon Farming Industry' reveals the pervasive nature of the issues plaguing salmon aquaculture and features testimonials by witnesses discussing the environmental and socio-economic damage caused by poorly managed salmon farms.

40,000 salmon escape from B.C. fish farm

Marine Harvest Canada says the fish escaped on Wednesday from its farm at Port Elizabeth, on the mainland across the water from the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

LINK  (Via: The Prince George Citizen)

How do you train a fish?

Mr Lindell is the director of the scientific aquaculture programme at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. And for the last few years, he has been training fish.  More here via BBC News

Sent to us by good friend (and killer photographer) Alan Corbett