Salmon farming centres. (Photo: Cooke Aquaculture)
DFO closely monitors Atlantic salmon escape in US
CANADA
Friday, August 25, 2017, 02:50 (GMT + 9)
The Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (DFO) ensures it is closely monitoring the incident that resulted in Atlantic salmon being released from a net at a farming centre belonging to Cooke Aquaculture into the waters off Washington state, near British Columbia.
Minister Dominic LeBlanc clarified that although the salmon escape happened at an American facility subject to US laws and regulations, the Canadian government takes this incident very seriously given its proximity to Canadian waters.
“The protection of our aquatic ecosystems and the sustainable management of all our aquatic resources are of primary importance,” LeBlanc stressed.
The incident, during which Atlantic salmon were accidentally released into the waters between Anacortes and the San Juan Islands, took place from an imploded net holding 305,000 fish at a Cooke fish farm.
DFO staff have communicated with its US counterpart, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other US regulators to help ensure impacts from this incident are minimized.
DFO explained that the Pacific Aquaculture Regulations and the Conditions of Licence for marine finfish aquaculture require licence holders to take various measures to prevent the escape of farmed fish into the ocean, including proper maintenance of cages and nets.
Sites must be structurally engineered to withstand strong ocean tides and rough weather conditions. Escapes from aquaculture facilities in BC have dropped dramatically since these licence conditions were introduced, DFO states.
Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, ensured British Columbians can rest assured that FDO is taking this incident very seriously.
“While our science shows that there is an extremely low likelihood of Atlantic salmon becoming established in BC waters, we are constantly monitoring to ensure the health of our marine ecosystems,” Beech added.
As part of its monitor activities, DFO announced it will conduct stream surveys in areas closest to the US border to monitor for any escaped Atlantic salmon.
Related article:
- Eclipse's high tides cause mass farmed Atlantic salmon escape
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