The following letter was sent to MP John Weston and MLA Nicholas Simons with a copy to Coast Reporter.
Dear Mr. Weston and Mr. Simons:
I have read with dismay a recent story in the Vancouver Sun regarding Ottawa's announcement regarding major expansion of fish farms in British Columbia.
There is a mountain of scientific evidence that fish farms pose many hazards and are jeopardizing wild salmon stocks. Several major salmon runs were dismal in 2013 for returning chinook and sockeye salmon, so bad, in fact that orcas are suffering because of lack of food. Did no one listen to the recommendations of the Cohen commission? Why did we spend $26 million on the inquiry? Why are we even considering jeopardizing our wild stocks with even more fish farms?
Canadians and British Columbians are being played for fools.
The majority of open net fish farms are owned by Norwegian companies, not Canadians, not British Columbians. It is not acceptable in a democracy when the needs of corporations and lobbyists usurp the needs of a country's citizens.
Fish farms should be taken out of the ocean and onto the land, not expanded!
As representatives of our coastal community, it is your duty to take these concerns seriously and let the federal and provincial government know that it is not all right to sneak this policy through without looking at the science that speaks against it.
Bette Chadwick
Sechelt
