Diverse views on environmental and economic impacts of finfish and shellfish farming were presented in Sechelt Tuesday to the B.C. Legislative Assembly's special committee on sustainable aquaculture - struck to make policy recommendations to the B.C. government.
"We heard the whole range of issues in the Sechelt hearing," committee member NDP MLA for Vancouver - Fairview Gregor Robertson said in a phone interview Wednesday.
The committee, made up of six NDP MLAs and four Liberal MLAs, heard from local aquaculture companies, environmental groups, local government leaders, First Nations and residents at the five-hour hearing at the Sechelt Seniors' Centre. The Sechelt hearing was part of the committee's province-wide tour gathering input from communities.
Discussions centred around fish farms' impact on wild salmon stocks. Sea lice, disease, escape and waste issues, along with debate over closed containment technologies were brought forward by presenters. Economic opportunities and job creation from aquaculture industries were also discussed.
Presentations were given by representatives from Gemini Marine Services, West Coast Fish Culture, T-Buck Suzuki Environ-men-tal Founda-tion, Thunder Bay Saw Shop Ltd., Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs, Georgia Strait Alliance, Target Marine Products, Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Okeover Rate Payers Asso-ciation, the Sunshine Coast Conservation Asso-ciation, as well as Sechelt Mayor Cam Reid, Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk, Guy Johnston, Gus Angus and Justin Henry.
"One thing that stuck out was the support for Target Marine in particular as a locally-owned salmon farming company that has clearly demonstrated a good record, has high regard in the community and is trying to respond to the many concerns that people have about salmon farming," Robertson said. The committee members toured Target Marine's land-based hatchery Tuesday morning.
"Clearly they are as concerned as anyone about sea lice and disease and impact on wild salmon," Robertson noted.He noticed a marked difference between the north and central coast public hearings and the south coast hearings."In the central and north coast, people are almost unanimously opposed to salmon farms," Robertson observed. "The south coast meetings like Sechelt where we have salmon farms and lots of jobs in the communities, the response is much more diverse and there's real concern about protecting jobs and helping the industry get sustainable so there is no impact on wild salmon."
Powell River - Sunshine Coast NDP MLA Nicholas Simons attended the Sechelt hearing. Most of the people he has heard from are concerned with the fish farms in areas that have an impact on the wild stocks.
"Clearly we have a responsibility to protect our environment," Simons said in a phone interview Wednesday. People are also concerned with how changes to provincial aquaculture regulations and legislation could impact jobs, he added."I'm hoping that the provincial government holds back on issuing new tenures while the committee is deliberating, as an act of good faith," Simons said. "I hope that whatever decision is made is based on the best scientific data available."The committee will make its recommendations by May 31, 2007. "We're totally dedicated to it," Robertson stated. "A lot of us have been concerned and involved in the issue since before we were elected. So we're taking it on, learning a lot from these public hearings in particular, reviewing the science carefully and doing our best to make well-informed recommendations. Our expectation is that the government will listen to us and carry out the recommendations. A lot of people in the communities are dedicating lots of time and energy to move all this forward."
Transcripts of the Sechelt hearing are available at www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/aquaculture.
In addition to hearing the presentations, the committee is also receiving written comments from the public until Oct. 31. The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board submitted comments to the committee. In its motion, the board supports the work of the provincial committee provided that the policy review is acted on and "can be used to offer regional policy direction for such multi-resource dependent communities as the Sunshine Coast."
The motion goes on to read, "The Regional District is in principle supportive of both finculture and the wild fisheries as viable ventures on the Sunshine Coast, but is not prepared to have any resource activity occur at the expense of the natural environment or its dependant wild species on the Sunshine Coast. Provincial policy commitments should be made to assure marine water and species protection by both the finculture industry and the concerned regulating agencies (e.g. use of upland closed tank rearing finfish aquaculture systems). Provincial policy is also required to closely monitor all the concerned regulating finculture and wild fishery agencies, particularly as concerns the need for prudent management of the Sunshine Coast's wild fishery and this fishery's return to historic levels.
The SCRD states its support for wild fisheries resource and that aquaculture ventures must not adversely impact this resource."
An additional motion states, "That the Sunshine Coast Regional District support an enhanced 'Poly and Mari culture' on the Sunshine Coast that would enhance marine water quality, provided it is maintained, monitored and managed in a responsible fashion."
