The following letter was sent to the Prime Minister's office and copied to Coast Reporter for publication.
Dear Prime Minister:
I am writing about the lack of enforcement of the Fisheries Act on the open net fish farms operated close to wild salmon migration routes in B.C coastal waters. These farms have been permitted to allow parasites, antibiotics, chemicals, and other wastes into fish habitat contrary to the Fisheries Act.
Environment Canada advised me that the Act specifically addresses the deposit of deleterious substances into water frequented by fish. They further advise that the responsibility to ensure that all works comply with the requirements of the Fisheries Act rests with the proponents and they have a responsibility to prevent the introduction of deleterious substances into fish-bearing waters.
Why is it that over the past several years the Fisheries Act has not been enforced on these foreign owned fish farms?
Meanwhile in Gibsons, Environment Canada officers applied an enforcement order on a vessel haul out facility, even though the owner applied measures to prevent the release of any material from the servicing of vessels into the harbour This closure means that many of the 500 vessels in Gibsons are forced to go elsewhere.
These inconsistent actions of your Fisheries and Environment Ministries are causing harm to our community economy and I call on you for action to end the damaging effluents from fish farms and to re-establish a vessel haul out facility in Gibsons.
John Roper, P.Eng.
Gibsons
