Submitter: Ward Griffioen

Community: Powell River

Date Submitted: September 27, 2023

Summary:

Given their diet, it is unlikely that salmon smolts view fish farms as potential feeding sites. For this reason, fish farms are likely not the cause for the decline of wild sockeye populations.

Submission:

Mr. Cohen,

I have been involved with growing salmon since the early seventies presently as a salmon farmer in the past as a fish hatchery technician at the Pacific Biological station at Nanaimo. I have reared many sockeye salmon smolts in the past over different cycles and have found that these smolts once they are used to plank-tonic feeds are extremely difficult to switch to salmon diets.

With my past experience I do not see any likelihood of sockeye smolts having any interest to hang around salmon farms and get infected by parasites or any proposed diseases. I would guarantee from my fish rearing experience that seining around salmon farms for sockeye smolts would be a waste of time as these fish will have no desire in staying near farms for potential feeding opportunities.

So in my opinion it is ludicrous to suggest that declining wild sockeye populations are in anyway associated with salmon farming. Thank you Ward Griffioen