Submitter: Peter Tebbutt

Community: Powell River

Date Submitted: September 16, 2023

Summary:

DFO has mismanaged the salmon fishery. Its promotion of open net pen fish farming, which is exacerbating the problems facing salmon, is at odds with its mandate to protect wild fish species and the ocean environment. The commission should uphold the protection of wild salmon above all else. Open net pen fish farms should only be permitted to operate on land.

Submission:

Judge Cohen,

I believe our governments, both Federal and Provincial have are letting us down. I am old enough to have witnessed the tail end of what was once a Georgia strait full of abundance. So many fish it was almost impossible not to return home with dinner in hand in a very short while. The DFO has woefully mismanaged the salmon fishery and is now promoting net pen fisheries which are exacerbating the problems salmon are facing in their attempt to survive (and hopefully thrive) into the future.

DFO’s undertaking with so called salmon farming is at odds with its mandate of protection of fish species and the ocean environment. It appears to actually undermine that mission by allowing destruction of the ocean environment by these companies. Further it protects these companies who undertake various actions disallowed by the fisheries act while at the same time spending resources enforcing the act on the citizens of B.C.

Our politicians have become blind to the importance of wild salmon to the coast of B.C., its citizens and denizens. Their eyes are filled with abundant short term dollars and do not care about the destruction in its wake.

Sir, I call on you to uphold the protection of wild salmon above all, and I do mean ALL else. I believe this decision would become a most wonderful foundation of a lasting, sustainable future for British Columbia.



For me, I would like to see an end to open net pen fish factories. If ‘farming’ is to take place at all it should be on land in properly managed facilities. This industry has said that the costs of operation would be to expensive. I say that environmental degradation and the direct destruction of wild salmon stocks is too high a cost. No product should be produced which has the remotest chance of destroying the ocean environment and wild fish stocks.

Thank you. P.T.