The damage the open net pen salmon farming industry has caused in B.C. is immoral, irreversible and unforgivable.
If anyone investigates this mainly foreign-owned industry they will learn it has a reputation for environmental destruction wherever in the world they set up shop. The industry relies on maintaining a curtain of deceit and pseudo science to portray to the public whilst lobbying and manipulating governments to relax environmental regulation in their favour, all in the name of profit.
The industry has no grounds to now claim surprise or harsh treatment, they knew this end was coming since the Liberal government announced it in October 2019. The industry has been well aware of their parasite and disease problems for decades and been developing closed containment systems to control them – for their own good, not the environment.
They are the ones that chose to be in the salmon farming business, they knew the consequences if enough public learned the truth of their disease and parasite transfer and environmental destruction. After 30 years, the pendulum of public opinion has finally swung the other way. It is only through deceit and government manipulation they have gotten this far for this long.
Never before in human history have wild salmon stocks been at such perilously low numbers, and as science proves this industry is partially to blame. We owe them nothing! Thankfully a government finally has the courage to stand up to the industry and get them out.
Paul Dean,
Vancouver