Salmon Farming Comes Ashore

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Fish grown in closed containment systems offer big environmental advantages, proponents say

By Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun November 17, 2012

7562927Photograph by: Jackie Hildering

Twenty-three thousand Atlantic salmon smolts will arrive at the ‘Namgis First Nation’s salmon farm in January, just a fraction of the millions of similar fish that grow to maturity each year in B.C.

What’s different about these fish is that they will never swim in the ocean, never come in contact with wild salmon and never be treated for sea lice.

‘Namgis Closed Containment Salmon Farm is the first commercial-scale, land-based fish farm for Atlantic salmon in North America. It’s part of a global trend of large closed-containment farms also being pursued in Denmark and in Chile.

The ‘Namgis smolts will grow to maturity in just 12 to 15 months in a facility nearing completion not far from Port McNeill on Vancouver Island. The ‘Namgis farm uses five 500-cubic-metre tanks capable of producing a total 500 tonnes of fish each year.

The system is the first of five identical modules to be built on the site, when the designs and systems are proven, for total capacity of 2,500 tonnes a year, about the same as a net-pen salmon farm.

Despite the extra costs associated with land-based salmon farming, the product needn’t cost much more than net-pen Atlantic salmon. The carefully controlled environment in an advanced closed-containment system allows the fish grow to maturity twice as fast, in a smaller space with less feed than net-pen salmon.

Concerns about the spread of disease and sea lice between wild and farmed salmon make a commercially viable land-based Atlantic salmon farm something of an environmental Holy Grail.

And that search has intensified since the report of the Cohen Commission found that net-pen salmon farms can and do hurt the health of B.C.’s wild sockeye salmon stocks. The report urges an immediate freeze on new net-pen farms along sockeye migration routes.

The ‘Namgis project is intended to be a hothouse for innovation with the goal of advancing closed-containment technology for Atlantic salmon to commercial viability as quickly as possible. For that purpose, ‘Namgis has attracted $8.5 million from philanthropic, conservation and government sources, coordinated by the conservation foundation Tides Canada.

“We put together this innovation fund to explore land-based aquaculture as an alternative to open net aquaculture, primarily as a way to better protect the marine environment and wild salmon,” said Catherine Emrick, who co-ordinates the fund at Tides Canada.

The ‘Namgis First Nation spent years challenging the provincial and federal government in court over the “mismanagement” of the net-pen salmon industry near their traditional territories, according to Chief Bill Cranmer.

“We had seen the effects on our sockeye salmon returns on the Nimpkish River and the effect of the sea lice on the chum,” said Cranmer. “Eric Hobson at Save Our Salmon told us we could use litigation, but we should also provide an alternative.”

From that seed planted six years ago, a partnership has grown including Tides Canada Salmon Aquaculture Innovation Fund ($3.7 million), Sustainable Development and Technology Canada ($2.65 million), Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program, ($800,000), Aboriginal Affairs Canada ($257,000), Coast Sustainability Trust ($113,000) and the ‘Namgis First Nation ($1 million.)

To survive and thrive, land-based systems have to compete on both price and quality with net-pen Atlantic salmon, while using an infrastructure that requires significantly more money to build and to run.

Closed-containment systems are already used in B.C. to grow Atlantic salmon to 100-gram one-year-old smolts, which are then transferred to mature in ocean-based net pens.

But using land-based systems that grow salmon to maturity have a number of advantages over net-pen farming, according to aquaculture systems researcher Steve Summerfelt of the Freshwater Institute in West Virginia.

The advantages can be summed up in a single word: Control.

. Control of light and temperature allows growth rates that are double those of ocean-raised Atlantic salmon.

. Control of effluent and solid waste protects B.C.’s marine environment and the nutrients recovered can be sold as fertilizer.

. Control of the growing environment protects farmed fish from predation, bad weather and disease, eliminating the need for pesticides and antibiotics.

Along with additional control, land-based systems come with additional costs. ‘Namgis will cost nearly $30 million when it is completed, compared with a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) estimate of $5 million to install and stock a net-pen operation.

Pumping, heating, cooling and lighting all require energy, which adds about 30 per cent to the costs of running and-based systems over ocean-based farms.

The project will marry an array of technologies, such as variable speed pumps, high-density rearing environments and biofilters, and employ creative new uses for proven systems such as geothermal heating and cooling and heat exchangers that draw energy from groundwater to maintain optimal temperatures in the tanks, according to operations manager Cathal Dinneen.

The ‘Namgis were a natural partner for the project because they are the B.C. First Nation most affected by the collapse of wild salmon stocks, said Hobson, also a board member of the K’udas Partnership, the company formed to build and operate the project with the ‘Namgis.

“The ‘Namgis have occupied the land at the mouth of the Nimpkish River and the Broughton Archipelago for 5,000 years and it’s only in the last 20 that the salmon have been wiped out,” said Hobson. “There are 27 net-cage farm sites in the Broughton Archipelago, so they are very eager to prove that you can grow salmon on land.”

A 2010 DFO analysis of land-based and in-ocean closed containment systems found land-based aquaculture has potential to be profitable with available technology, even without charging a premium price in the market for a sustainable product.

“Even 3½ years ago we didn’t know if this would work,” said Hobson. “(Save Our Salmon) wanted to mitigate the impacts of net-pen farming and come up with a vision for the long term.”

Recent studies have found that more than three quarters of the world’s wild fish stocks are being fished to capacity or headed to extinction, while global demand for seafood is rising steadily, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

“We knew we needed to move these fish onto land and we needed to be able to clean the water, so we didn’t create another environmental problem on land,” Hobson said. “What we found out was that not only was the technology already there, but it was off the shelf.”

Cost projections based on the enhanced technology being used at ‘Namgis and the results of growth trials convinced SOS and Tides Canada that a true closed-containment system could finally produce a superior product at a price that is competitive with net-pen operations.

Recirculating aquaculture systems – land-based farming systems that the industry calls RAS – are being used to raise trout, catfish, yellow perch, Arctic char, eels and tilapia in North America, Chile and Europe. Sturgeon and coho are being raised in RAS systems in B.C.

But while Atlantic salmon have been grown to maturity in research facilities and boutique-sized projects, they have never been grown to harvest size in a commercial-sized RAS system.

Without the help of angel investors – governments and philanthropists – it might have been many years before anyone was willing to invest private funds in land-based Atlantic salmon farms.

“It has to be this way,” said Hobson. “It has never been tried before so there was little chance of attracting traditional investors.”

Tides Canada recruited expertise for the project from cutting edge researchers such as Freshwater’s Summerfelt to advise the K’udas project. Systems for water recirculation and waste capture developed by the Freshwater Institute are being employed in commercial RAS systems all over North America and will be incorporated into the ‘Namgis project.

The ‘Namgis project has also sought out the most experienced growers in the industry for guidance to complete the first of five production modules this winter.

K’udas board member Per Heggelund operates a RAS-based farm capable of annual production of 180 tonnes of coho, which he sells in Over-waitea stores under the Sweet-Spring brand. SweetSpring coho is regarded as the most sustainable farmed salmon on the market by Greenpeace.

“‘Namgis has learned a few things from us on the design side and about some of the pitfalls from our mistakes,” said Heggelund. “(SweetSpring) is operating the fifth generation of RAS technology and we are proving that out, growing fish to three kilos in 12 months.”

WASTE POTENTIAL

The path from environmental hazard to revenue stream

. Bell Aquaculture uses leftovers from processing – heads, tails, guts and gills – from its yellow perch farm in Indiana to make Fish Rich 2-2-2 Organic Fertilizer, a significant additional revenue stream.

. Waste water from recirculat-ing aquaculture systems is naturally rich in nitrogen and is used to grow aquaponic greenhouse vegetables, algae and even brine shrimp suitable for use as fish feed.

. Solid waste from aquaculture tanks is used to create nutrient-rich compost for farmers and gardeners.

rshore@vancouversun.com

Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Salmon+farming+comes+ashore/7564642/story.html#ixzz2CgA7Q4Xw

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Parasites have big impact on salmon

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07 November 2012

Authors: Martin Krkošek, Crawford W. Revie, Patrick G. Gargan, Ove T. Skilbrei, Bengt Finstad and Christopher D. Todd

Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

A new study published in Proceedings of the Royal society B today shows that between 18% and 55% of adult salmon in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean are lost to parasites each year.

Scientists have long been puzzled by the fluctuating numbers of fish in the oceans. An international team of researchers, led by Martin Krkošek from the University of Otago, New Zealand, compared the survival of wild salmon that received parasite medication with those that did not. The authors conclude that parasites can have a significant impact on fisheries and conservation.

The scientists analysed data from 24 trials, which tagged 283,347 young Atlantic salmon between 1996 and 2008. Paired groups of control and anti-parasite treated salmon were released into ten areas of Ireland and Norway. All experimental fish were infection free when released and a proportion of each group were recovered as adults returning to coastal waters one or more years later.

Treatment had a significant positive effect on survival. The untreated salmon were 1.29 times more likely to die. The parasites were probably acquired during migration in areas that host large populations of domesticated salmon, which elevate local abundances of parasites. The concern is not only for a loss in salmon abundance, but also the loss of genetic variability and its associated potential for adaptation to other environmental changes.

Article can be seen at http://royalsociety.org/news/2012/parasites-impact-salmon/

Nearly 40 per cent of Atlantic salmon is being killed by parasites, researchers believe

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DAILY MAIL (UK)
sealice
Salmon louse may affect up to 55% of population
Fears it could harm genetic variability of species already at risk

By Mark Prigg

PUBLISHED: 00:00 GMT, 7 November 2012 | UPDATED: 17:27 GMT, 7 November 2012

Nearly 40 per cent of Atlantic salmon is being killed by parasites, researchers believe.

A study found that 39 per cent of the fish are being lost to the parasitic salmon louse, which spreads from fish to fish and feeds on surface tissue.

The true mortality figure could even be as high as 55 per cent, reports journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Martin Krkosek, of New Zealand’s University of Otago, was part of a team which studied surveys of thousands of hatchery raised salmon young – or smolts – as they were released into rivers.

Half received parasiticide treatment and the other did not, and all were tagged on release.

Twelve months later, after a year in the North East Atlantic, the recovered fish were examined.

The researchers estimate that nearly 40 per cent of the salmon was dying because of the lice.

They found that although the parasiticide significantly increased their chance of survival, in all 39 per cent of the fish had been killed by the parasites.

Dr. Krkosek said that a further worry was that because salmon tended to return to their native rivers, it meant that the parasite could easily infect small populations of the fish.

He said: ‘The concern therefore is not only for a 39 per cent loss in salmon abundance but also for the loss of genetic variability and its associated potential for adaptation to other environmental changes.

‘Our results supply manipulative field evidence at a large spatial scale that parasitism may be a significant limiting factor for marine fish, fisheries and conservation.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2228864/Almost-half-Atlantic-salmon-killed-parasites.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

No ‘smoking gun’ for Fraser River sockeye salmon collapse

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CBC News

Posted: Oct 31, 2012 12:59 PM PT

There is “no smoking gun” to explain the “steady and profound” decline of the Fraser River sockeye, according to the B.C. Supreme Court justice who led a two and half year inquiry into the collapse.

But in his final report released today in Vancouver, Justice Bruce Cohen lays out 75 recommendations, including the shutdown of dozens of fish farms on the sockeye migration route, if they’re found to be too risky.

In a hefty, three-volume report spanning more than a thousand pages, Cohen says that “the idea that a single event or stressor is responsible for the 1992-2009 declines in Fraser River sockeye is appealing but improbable.”

There is no smoking gun to explain the steady and profound decline of the Fraser River Sockeye, according to the B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen who led a two and half year inquiry into the collapse.There is no smoking gun to explain the steady and profound decline of the Fraser River Sockeye, according to the B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen who led a two and half year inquiry into the collapse. (CBC)

Instead, Cohen says a string of cumulative factors likely played a role, such as contaminants in the Fraser River, development along its shores, and ocean conditions that may have contributed to long-term decline as well.

“Climate change and warming waters present perhaps the most daunting long-term threat to the Fraser River sockeye fishery,” Cohen wrote.

DFO conflict of interest

Cohen also identified a potential conflict in the job of the federal Fisheries Department, which both promotes and regulates B.C.’s fish farms.

“As long as DFO has a mandate to promote salmon farming, there is a risk that it will act in a manner that favours the interests of the salmon farming industry over the health of wild fish stocks.”

Salmon farms along the sockeye migration route in the Discovery Islands — amounting to dozens of farm sites — have the potential to introduce exotic diseases and to aggravate diseases endemic to the wild fish.

“Mitigation measure should not be delayed in the absence of scientific certainty.”

Cohen recommends a freeze on new open-net salmon farm production in the Discovery Islands until September 2020.

“If by that date DFO cannot confidently say the risk of serious harm to wild stocks is minimal, it should then prohibit all net-pen salmon farms from operating in the Discovery Islands.”

Cohen also took a jab at the Harper government, writing that he was troubled by the recent amendments to the environmental assessment process and the Fisheries Act, because experts he heard from emphasized the importance of protecting fish habitat.

He says it’s “regrettable” the Harper government put them through without the benefit of the final report from his commission.

Cohen appointed in 2009

The report comes after Cohen held several months of hearings, collected more than three million pages of documents and heard from 179 witnesses at the $25-million inquiry.

Cohen was appointed to lead the inquiry by Prime Minister Stephen Harper after only 1.4 million of the highly prized salmon returned to spawn in 2009. Approximately 10 million sockeye were expected to return to the river that year.

The huge shortfall forced the closure of the commercial, recreational and aboriginal sockeye fisheries on the river over the summer, and raised questions about the long-term survival of B.C.’s salmon stocks.

Although only a fraction of the fish that were forecast showed up in 2009, the 2010 run saw 35 million sockeye, the biggest run since 1913. About 4.5 million returned in 2011 and just 2.3 million in 2012.

The offspring of those few sockeye that made it back in 2009 are now out in the ocean and are due to form the run for the summer of 2013.

Article taken from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/31/bc-cohen-salmon-report-released.html

Multimillion dollar fish farming industry suing activist for defamation

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Reporting on the trial of Don Staniford vs Mainstream, by Elena Edwards

Round two for Don Staniford has wrapped up as the slapp suit from Mainstream Canada, aka Cermaq, ended its second week. While the first week started on shaky ground, the footing in this boxing ring for justice solidified as Don’s lawyer, David Sutherland, delved deeper into the deception of Norwegian parent company Cermaq’s offspring. Round III begins with Dr. John Volpe on the stand Monday, January 30th.

Mainstream’s case, like so many other lawsuits launched by big industry, is not so much about seeking justice as it is about trying to protect its economic interests by keeping damaging information from emerging. Don has been exposing just such damaging information for over 14 years, earning him the title of “Public enemy # 1” by the fish farming industry. (One might imagine what the courts would be like if every damaging industry had a “Don Staniford” to contend with.)

Of the 52 allegations made by Don through his “Cigarette ad” campaign, Mainstream has narrowed the focus down to “Salmon farms are cancer,” and “Salmon farming kills like smoking” as the two “stings” they feel to be most damaging.

Week one brought witnesses selected by Mainstream and, not unlike many DFO witnesses at the Cohen Commission, they demonstrated having been coached to avoid telling the “whole truth and nothing but the truth”. Mainstream Area Manager Brock Thomson, Wallace Jones Samuel of Ahousaht Aquaculture Committee, Lise Bergan, spokesperson for Cermaq HQ in Norway, and toxicologist Dr. Michael Gallo all took turns on the stand, each displaying a willful, nay, intentional ignorance of the structure of the fish farming industry and the controversy that surrounds it. It was with disbelief that observers in the courtroom heard Mainstream witnesses refuse to admit controversy regarding fish farming, in spite of evidence proving as much. It makes one wonder just what kind of oath they take when entering into the business of Aquaculture.

The first witness of week two brought Ruth Salmon to testify much along lines, as the others. From forgetting what the EPA is (Environmental Protection Agency) to suggesting that the esteemed journal Science does not publish factual research, Ms. Salmon’s middle name should most certainly be “Farmed”. David Sutherland rightfully objected to Mainstream lawyer David Wotherspoon’s process of questioning, calling Ms. Salmon’s testimony “window dressing” and “irrelevant”.

In cross examination by Mr. Sutherland, Ms. Salmon was asked if she knew about California seeking to have health warning labels placed on foods containing dioxins, PCB’s and contaminants. Ms. Salmon’s response was to hesitate before saying she’d heard “rumblings” but could not answer to that. It was an odd response given her position of promoting farmed salmon, with California being one of the largest importers of B.C. farmed salmon.

Sutherland followed with questions about when the tobacco industry was under pressure to put warning labels on cigarette packages, first in the U.S. and then in Canada. Ms. Salmon admitted to recalling “some of that”. Sutherland then brought up Don’s writings “Smoke on the Water, Cancer on the Coast” and asked Ms. Salmon to look at the part of the publication that showed ads by the tobacco industry prior to labeling, with slogans such as “More scientists and educators smoke Kents” and “As your Dentist, I recommend Viceroys “. Sutherland then made the point that the tobacco industry, much like the farmed salmon industry, were making their claims based on science, by comparison drawing attention to the BC Salmon Facts website and the public campaign making claims that farmed salmon was safe and healthy based on scientific “facts”. Ms. Salmon responded that she did not see the comparison and that she put her faith in the CFIA,WHO and the government of Canada, saying “If we can’t trust the government…” (Let’s put that can of worms on the shelf for the time being!)

Following lunch break, Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director of the BCSFA, took the stand. It was quickly established that Ms. Walling’s educational background was to study strategies used by ENGO‘s such as CAAR to attack the Aquaculture Industry, then working for the BCSFA to educate people about fish farming and the so-called benefits while promoting the industry to various communities and public in general. Not to her credit, she proudly mentioned working with the S.A.D. (Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue and yes, it’s as sad as it sounds) WWF, CAAR, PEW and a few others.

Mr. Sutherland took to cross examination of Walling with the composure and grace of Edvard Greig’s “Morning Mood”, getting straight to the matter of an editorial cartoon in the Province newspaper that depicted Ms. Walling as a gun toting seal killing PR person for the BCSFA. Why, pray tell, should Don’s depictions on his blogs be seen as any worse than what’s published in mainstream media editorial? The best Walling could come up with is that she feels Don’s attack is more personal and persistent and that he is not an editorial cartoonist.

While Mary Ellen Walling testified that she spent about 65% of her time “responding to miscommunication about salmon farms” (aka damage control), it would seem that she is blind to the fact that Don Staniford is doing the exact same thing spending his time on the miscommunication from the salmon farming industry. Only, he is working to prevent the damage done by salmon farms to wild salmon and the environment, not his economic proceeds.

Wednesday of week two had Dr. Gallo return as witness via Skype. It was almost impossible to follow Gallo’s testimony as he danced around questions and gave answers.

The afternoon continued with the cross examination of Jasminder Jason Mann, employee of EWOS Canada since 1988, currently working in feed formulation and nutrition. Descriptions of feed from processing plants where chicken guts and feathers were converted to feed were compared to “brown sugar” and “peanut butter” in substance. All in all the testimony was rather surreal as PCB and dioxin levels were discussed with the flippancy of tea and crumpets.

Mainstream employee Richard Finch was last to testify for the plaintiff, revealing that salmon samples were skinned before being sent for testing of PCB’s. Troubling information given that PCB’s and dioxins are most absorbed in the skin.

The final day saw Justice Adair grant the admission of Eric LeGresly’s study on the tobacco industry that she may fully understand how comparing the salmon farming industry to the “worst of the worst” might bring a “sting” to the offended party.

Come Monday, January 30th, the tide will change significantly as Dr. John Volpe steps up as witness for Don Staniford, followed by Don Staniford on the stand as of Wednesday. The next few weeks will be Truth time. Free speech cannot be denied. Be there to bear witness to the court case that will expose the salmon farming industry as comparable to the “worst of the worst”.

For more on this article check out http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/

Check out Don Staniford’s website at http://www.gaaia.org/