Independent reviews of open netcage salmon farms

Alaska

"Atlantic Salmon: A White Paper (March 2002)." This is a simply written paper which presents the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's findings on the salmon fishfarm issue and gives a blueprint for a BC policy, starting with a moratorium on expansion, which would save our joint resource. govdocs.aquake.org/cgi/reprint/2003/1025/

Canada

Union of BC Indian Chiefs: "We Must Close the Salmon Farms NOW!" www.ubcic.bc.ca

Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council , (John Fraser): "Making Sense of the Salmon Aquaculture Debate". www.fish.bc.ca This is a recent, comprehensive review of the science mentioning The Scottish Executive Summary, noted below, Alexandra Morton's published work, and alarming recent Norwegian studies. There is much else as well.  Note especially sections 3.2.5 pgs 37+38 and 3.5.5 pgs 66+67;  they explain why we have to avoid wild salmon migration routes.

Skeena Native Development Society after an independent review of the science released a policy against fishfarms in their June 2004 website newsletter (page 11). www.snds.bc.ca/documents/JuneNews04_000.pdf

Auditors General of Canada, British Columbia, and New Brunswick October 2004 Report: “salmon aquaculture poses risks to wild salmon stocks and the marine environment”

Scotland

The Scottish Executive recently concluded that “although there is as yet no absolute proof of a causal link between sea lice on wild salmon and salmon farming, owing to the increasing body of supporting (although as yet inconclusive) evidence, the burden of opinion has recently begun to swing in favour of accepting the likelihood that lice from farms constitute a direct threat to wild salmonids.” The Scottish Executive Summary www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/green/reia-00.asp  (draw your attention to 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, and 4.9.)

Europe

The European Commission (2002) concluded “The reduction of wild salmonid abundance is also linked to other factors but there is more and more scientific evidence establishing a direct link between the number of lice-infested wild fish and the presence of cages in the same estuary.”