Salmon farm industry's choice for third-party auditors slammed by environmental groups

Stefania Seccia
August 12, 2010
Westerly News

The B.C. salmon farming industry's recent decision to have a third-party conduct its disease audit is being slammed by environmental groups as a refusal to cooperate that renders government officials impotent to regulate.

Creative Salmon and Mainstream Canada, which have salmon farms in Clayoquot Sound, back the decision, according to Colleen Dane, BC Salmon Farmers Association communications manager.

"[Who the auditors are] is still being determined," Dane told the Westerly. "We are coming up with the program during the interim."

Dane, who spoke on behalf of the two fish farming companies out of Tofino, said the decision was made to provide consistency during the industry's transitional phase from provincial to federal jurisdiction.

However in a media release August 4, Ecojustice and the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation said, as of April 1, salmon farms have refused to volunteer or make available tissue samples for government fish health and sea lice monitoring audits.

"The government's risky approach of voluntary self-reporting has backfired," said Randy Chistensen, Ecojustice staff lawyer. "The government now has little-to-no oversight of the industry and as such, has essentially abdicated any responsibility for industry's impact on the environment."

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