John Cummins, M.P. Delta-South Richmond

News Release

January 30, 2003

Fisheries Minister Ignores Sea Lice Threat
And John Fraser's Recommendations to Protect Salmon

OTTAWA- " In Port McNeill at a recent meeting on the sea lice crisis in the Broughton Archipelago, participants concluded that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans plan to deal with the crisis was to have no plan at all," said John Cummins, M.P. (Delta-South Richmond).

The meeting had been organized by the BC government to bring together salmon farmers whose net pen operations are located in the Broughton Archipelago, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Pacific Fisheries Resources Conservation Council, local government, native representatives and conservation groups.

The salmon net pen operators arrived at the meeting with a proposal to monitor their operations every two weeks and begin chemical treatment only when the sea lice population reaches five lice per salmon, a dangerously high level of infestation. Non-governmental participants were insulted by the proposals that offered voluntary standards far below the mandatory standards under which salmon farm companies operate in Norway.

"Only a weak and ineffectual Minister of Fisheries would permit foreign fish farm operations to harbour sea lice infestations that are prohibited in their home country," Cummins said. "The Federal Liberal Government stands idly by while peer reviewed science world-wide has documented the perils to wild salmon of sea lice from fish farms."

This past November 25th, John Fraser, Chair of the Pacific Fisheries Conservation Council wrote the Federal Minister of Fisheries requesting the immediate removal of all caged salmon from the migration route through the Broughton Archipelago. The removal was to be commenced "prior to mid-January otherwise the program was not likely to be effective". To date, the Minister has:

• failed to respond to Mr. Fraser's letter,
• failed to begin the removal of caged salmon,
• failed to stop the restocking of fallowed farms, and
• failed to put in place any regulation requiring continuous monitoring of salmon farms to ensure that lice are not present when young migrating salmon pass by the farms.

"The clock is ticking. The mid-January deadline set by John Fraser has been ignored. Meeting the February deadline to have all caged salmon removed from the Spring migration route now seems unlikely. The future of pink salmon hangs in the balance," Cummins concluded.

Contact: John Cummins, M.P.
(613) 992-2957 or cell (604) 970-0937