Submitter: Robert Mountain

Community: Alert Bay

Date Submitted: July 1, 2023

Summary:

My concern with fish farms is with all the various sites that have different size mesh nets. These nets are in the water all year round. With 12 pens per site that means that there are over 800 nets illegally fishing. Smolts and adult salmon are gilled in these nets because they aren’t of sufficient size. Some have said that hundreds are cleaned from the nets, not counting the fish that enter the pens and get eaten. Yet, there is no reporting on this. This needs to be investigated.

Submission:

hello, I have a concern with the fish farms. They have about 130 FF in Bc and about 80 active all at once during a fiscal year. My concern is that these sites all have different size mesh nets at different times of the year. And these nets are in the water and are fishing all year round. If anyone else had a net in the water they would be charged. With 12 pens per site that means that there are over 800 nets illegally fishing all year round.

There are some people who have quit and are no longer under the confidentiality agreement and have come forward with this. They have said that smolts and adults get gilled in these nets and they have to clean their nets all the time. But there is no reporting of this . And also adult salmon gill themselves because their pred nets are of sufficient size mesh to gill them.So how long has this been happening and to what extent is this happening. Some have said that hundreds at a time are cleaned from the nets from being gilled, not counting the fish that enter the pens and get eaten. This needs to be investigated, thanks, Gilakasla, Hereditary Chief Robert Mountain