OTTAWA-"Environmental assessments at fish farm sites are not being undertaken in a manner that will protect wild fish and shellfish stocks," said John Cummins, M.P. (Delta-South Richmond). "The Minister of Fisheries has compromised the environmental assessment process."
Cummins today asked a detailed question on the status of environmental assessments involving sablefish and halibut aquaculture. It is recorded on the House of Commons Order Paper as Question 13 (Q-13) and will remain on the Order Paper until answered by the Minister of Fisheries in Parliament.
With regard to the environmental and economic issues posed by the development of halibut or sablefish aquaculture:
has a comprehensive environmental impact analysis of halibut and sablefish aquaculture been completed under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, Fisheries Act, the Navigable Water Protection Act or some other authority and what were the findings;
has a comprehensive economic impact and cost/benefit analysis of halibut and sablefish aquaculture been undertaken to determine the total impacts and net economic benefits to British Columbia and Canada been completed and what were the findings;
have the locations of nursery and juvenile rearing areas of various species of halibut and sablefish in coastal inlets, bays and fiords of British Columbia been established and if so where are they;
have guidelines been developed for the siting of halibut and sablefish aquaculture that would prohibit placement of halibut and sablefish net pens in nursery and juvenile rearing areas in coastal inlets, bays and fiords;
have authorizations or approvals been given for the establishment of halibut and sablefish net pen aquaculture operations in the coastal waters of British Columbia and if so what are the locations;
is a sablefish hatchery operation or operations, that would have as its objective the providing of stock for sablefish aquaculture operations, under construction and if so what is its location or locations and what measures have been undertaken to ensure that its production will not be placed in net pen aquaculture operations in Canadian waters until assessments under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act have been completed and authorizations given under either the Fisheries Act or the Navigable Waters Protection Act;
has Fisheries and Oceans undertaken or funded research into the development of halibut and sablefish aquaculture and if so what were the results and what species of sablefish were studied;
have provincial authorities licenced halibut and sablefish aquaculture operations in Canadian coastal waters without Canadian Environmental Assessment Act assessments and if so what is the specific location of each licence;
which of the sites licenced by a provincial authority are within five nautical miles of nursery or juvenile rearing areas of wild halibut or sablefish;
what studies or research have been undertaken or funded to ensure that these provincially licensed sites are not within five nautical miles of a halibut or sablefish nursery or juvenile rearing area;
what studies or research have been undertaken or funded with regard to diseases and parasites associated with halibut or sablefish aquaculture, their possible transfer to wild stocks, and what were the findings;
what studies or research has been undertaken or funded with regard to the level of escapes from net pens, whether escaped halibut and sablefish tended to migrate north toward Alaska or south toward California in the manner that wild stocks do and what were the findings;
what is the level and composition of waste from Fisheries and Oceans experimental halibut and sablefish aquaculture operations or experimental operations funded or authorized by Fisheries and Oceans;
what is the cost shared funding arrangement for the research and development work undertaken by Fisheries and Oceans;
what is the cost to Fisheries and Oceans with regard to all research and development activity involving halibut and sablefish aquaculture, including staff time, salaries and contributions;
what is the nature of the consultations with halibut and sablefish fishermen with regard to the development of halibut and sablefish aquaculture;
what measures have been established to compensate fishermen should halibut and sablefish aquaculture lead to a collapse of wildfish stocks or a reduction in fish caught;
what measures have been established to compensate fishermen should the production and marketing of farmed halibut and sablefish aquaculture lead to a decline in market prices for halibut and sablefish and a resulting loss of the income by fishermen; and
what measures have been established to restrict or prohibit the export of live halibut or sablefish broodstock?
Contact: John Cummins, M.P.
(613) 992-2957, (cell) (604) 970-0937, (604) 940-8040, or
www.johncummins.ca
