ADAM OLSEN -- The federal and provincial governments soak up the attention of multi-million-dollar announcements. If they’re unwilling however to make the tough decisions on aquaculture license holders, then it’s a waste of money
I feel I must circle back around and address the recent explosion of sea lice on the west coast, and the continued persistence of open-net pen fish farms in British Columbia waters. And, I must restate my dissatisfaction with the decades of poor resource management in our province. In recent months, I have been working on several fronts, primarily forestry, fish, wildlife, oil and gas development. For an entire year my colleagues and I drew considerable attention to the urgent crisis with wild salmon on the British Columbia coast. Policy decisions in a half dozen Ministries impact the well-being of wild salmon. Our work has shone a light on the historic mismanagement of watersheds, over-logging and the impact of poorly designed infrastructure. Fish farms are another significant threat to wild salmon in coastal waters. Background Open-net pen fish farms have been a major source of frustration for British Columbians; there is a growing bod...