Commission into sockeye salmon stocks releases areas of inquiry
Mark Hume
June 9th, 2010
Globe and Mail
A federal judicial inquiry into the state of sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser River which begins hearings next week has released a discussion paper detailing its areas of interest.
The organizational structure of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; the harvesting sector, which will include an examination of pre-season planning; and the methods for forecasting run sizes and conservation efforts, will all come under examination by the inquiry led by British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen.
But the key focus of the commission appears to be on fish biology and ecosystem issues - a category in the discussion paper which includes numerous, lengthy sub-sections, including water pollution, salmon farms, logging, diseases and parasites, predators, non-retention fisheries, climate change, urbanization and agricultural activities and hydro.
“The commission will contract out, to recognized experts, research projects on a wide range of fish biology and ecosystem issues,” states the discussion paper, released Wednesday. “The scientific reports will be provided to participants and posted on the Commission’s website.”
One of the more contentious issues to be examined will be the role salmon farms may have played.
“The commission intends to examine whether there is a linkage between salmon farm operations and Fraser River sockeye survival, including reductions of sockeye smolt survival from sea lice exposure, impacts of farm wastes on seabed and ocean habitat quality, effects of Atlantic salmon escapes on Fraser River sockeye, as well as any potential for the spreading of disease,” states the discussion paper.
Read the full story in the Globe and Mail
Posted June 10th, 2010
