Submission 0944-WARES

Submitter: Royt Wares

Community: Vancouver

Date Submitted: December 13, 2023

Summary:
A potential outcome of the Cohen Commission should be a better policy process in the DFO. DFO should give as much significance and funding to genomics and biosurveillance of the Pacific Salmon as it does to the Atlantic Salmon. DFO should ensure they have a properly funded biosurveillance system using all the tools of molecular genetics. It is prudent to remove fish farms from the migration routes of wild salmon.

Submission:
Three Recommendations:

I.Genomics: The DFO accord significance to genomics and biosurveillance of the Pacific Salmon and properly fund these initiatives. and fish farm molecular biology
II. Biosecurity: That the DFO ensure they have a properly funded biosurveillance system for wild salmon using all the tools of molecular genetics.
III. Fish farms: Even if there is not a massive epizootic outbreak (as far as we know) it is still prudent on ecological and economic grounds to remove fish farms from the migration routes of wild salmon.