40,000 fish escape farm - Gillnetters near Sointula report catching Atlantic salmon

Judith Lavoie
October 24,2009
The Times Colonist

A recovery vessel working for a fish-farming company recovered about 1,100 escaped Atlantic salmon yesterday, and will continue working over the weekend to catch more of the estimated 40,000 escaped fish.

The salmon got out late Wednesday evening after crews, using a pump system and pipe, removed dead fish from the two pens at Port Elizabeth on Gilford Island, said Clare Backman, director of environmental relations for Marine Harvest Canada.

The fish died because of low oxygen levels in the water, a phenomenon that occurs intermittently in the area, Backman said. "It was during that process that a hole in the net occurred," he said.

But the recapture vessel was not able to start fishing until Thursday and by that time, gillnetters in areas such as Sointula, about 40 kilometres from the Broughton Archipelago, were reporting catches of Atlantic salmon.

"The response time really troubles me," said Chief Bob Chamberlin of the nearby Kwicksutaineuk-Ah-Kwaw-Ah-Mish band.

"One of the only reasons we found out was because a commercial fishery was going on and they were catching Atlantics."

Chamberlin, who is also secretary-treasurer of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, an organization that's pushing for more First Nations involvement as regulation of fish farms passes from the provincial to the federal government in February, said assurances from the industry that Atlantic salmon won't affect Pacific salmon have been proved wrong.

Read the full story in The Times Colonist 

Read related stories:

CBC News; October 23, 2009; "40,000 salmon escape B.C. farm" 

North Island Gazette; October 23, 2009; Atlantics escape Broughton fish farm

The Province; October 24, 2009; "Thousands of salmon escape from B.C.'s largest farm (same article in The National Post; The Windsor Star and The Ottawa Citizen). 

The Tyee; October 24, 2009; "Morton renews call for judicial inquiry after latest farmed-salmon escape"

Straight.com; October 24, 2009; "Marine Harvest reports huge escape of Atlantic Salmon from Broughton fish farm"

On FishNewsEu; October 26, 2009; "Farmed salmon escapes in Canada and Scotland"

Alberni Valley Times; October 27, 2009; "Fish farmers must pull their nets if they don't change"

The Canadian Press; October 27, 2009; Renewed calls for fish farm changes after escape"

Campbell River Mirror; October 29, 2009; "Marine Harvest reacts to Atlantic salmon escape"

The Times Colonist; "Farmed salmon capable of eating wild fish: biologist"

Courier-Islander; October 30, 2009; "DFO says smolt "an interesting data point"

Courier-Islander; November 5, 2009; "No cents to recover fish"

Nanaimo Daily News; November 12, 2009; "Fishermen forced to watch escapees flee"

Courier-Islander; November 25, 2009; "Confusion over special licence and the 40,000 fish question"

The Courier Islander; December 4, 2009; "Weight of dead fish caused massive escape"