Editor National Post 300 - 1450 Don Mills Road Don Mills, Ontario Canada M3B 3R5 Dear Editor:	August 19, 2004
	Minister John van Dongen (far left, wearing a Canadian Sablefish Association jacket) with Marine Harvest Canada's Curtis Wrestler and Assistant Deputy Minister Bud Graham on a tour of an aquaculture farm at Saltspring Island on Dec. 9, 2003.

In Canada supply side is commonly used as a method to control production or consumption. For example, just about every local government limits the number of taxi licenses available. There is a limit on the number of new doctors trained so the ones who do put in a decade of training will have a guaranteed clientele when they graduate.

Mr. van Dongen supported this concept very strongly when he fought for the preservation of the milk quota system which limits the production of milk and milk products. Even though the majority of the quotas are held in Québec Mr. van Dongen still fought successfully to preserve this system. He and his family have been in the dairy business for many years and are direct benefactors of milk quotas.

What is strange is that Mr. van Dongen is now supporting a group that is trying to destroy the most successful quota fishery in Canada - British Columbia's sablefish fishery limits the annual quota or production to ensure stocks stay healthy. This is somewhat different, but similar to what Mr. van Dongen's people are doing with milk quota by limiting production to achieve a higher, consistent price.

The sablefish fishery is a very successful fishery that sells primarily to Japan at premium prices bringing substantial revenue into the province. This fishery is owned and operated by local British Columbians. None of the licenses, quotas or boats are owned by large foreign corporations.

Though there are less than 50 license holders, together they pay $1 million annually in fees to the government. Plus they spend well in excess of that amount taking care of the management costs of their fishery. In fact, this is one of the few fisheries in the world that actually pays its way and generates revenue for the taxpayers of Canada.

One would think that the provincial government would cheer such a successful operation and support them in whatever way necessary. Especially since the license holders and boat owners are all small business entrepreneurs that probably supported this government in the previous elections.

Instead, Mr. van Dongen is encouraging his friends the salmon farmers to come in and try to take over the markets from these fishermen. He has unconditionally issued permits to over 40 salmon farmers to go ahead and farm sablefish. Many of these farms are in the juvenile rearing areas for the wild sablefish. No one knows what will happen when you put massive amounts of adult sablefish in open-water net pens in the rearing areas for the juvenile sablefish. The interaction between large numbers of farmed sablefish put into the juvenile rearing areas of wild fish is a danger that simply has not been explored.
He has not requested any studies on the possible transfer of disease and/or parasites from the farmed fish to the wild or the dangers of genetically manipulating the farmed fish and potential impacts if these fish escaped into the wild. Nor has he addressed the highly migratory nature of sablefish and the likelihood that any disease, parasite or genetic damage could quite easily spread to the much larger US stocks off Alaska, Washington and Oregon.

The salmon farming industry is the only segment of BC's fishing industry that is in a downturn and is laying off staff and downsizing operations. Fifteen years into its promise of employment and wealth it is still less than one quarter the size of the wild industry, and getting smaller.

Regardless, the aquaculture industry still claims to produce 2000 plus jobs! Even if this were true, it pales by comparison to the over 10,000 jobs in BC's wild fishing industry. Further, the wild fishery produces approximately $1 billion of revenue annually while salmon farmers' revenues are less than $300 million and falling.

It's time the liberal government realized it has hitched its horse to the wrong cart. This industry is not sustainable and just by switching over to another specie will not save itself. The only thing it seems to be doing well is damaging the environment. In fact a recent study by Stanford University on global fish farming came to the conclusion that salmon farming costs more in damage to the wild stock and environment and the value it creates. And recent study in Europe has shown that the escaped salmon from fish farms have interbred with the wild salmon and genetically downgraded them to the point that they may not continue to survive. Another report, yet to be released, speculates that we probably lose two wild salmon for every one farmed salmon produced in British Columbia. This is primarily from the transfer of parasites such as sea lice and disease from the local farmed fish to the wild stock.

Still, the provincial government blindly pushes forward sablefish farming and halibut farming without spending one minute or one dollar looking in the possible dangers that this may have on the wild stock.

We can understand the government's obsession with jobs and industry, but it appears in this case to be a net loss of both jobs and revenue for the government and the people of BC not to mention the loss of a valuable marine resource.

In a recent court case launched by the Canadian Sablefish Association, fishermen attempted to protect the wild sablefish resource by demanding proper environmental assessments be done on sablefish farming before the farm fish go into the water, as required by law. Minister van Dongen's department intervened in this case on the side of the aquaculture industry arguing against the environmental assessments. Minister van Dongen says they're being careful, but actions speak louder than words.

Sincerely,

Eric Wickham, Executive Director
Canadian Sablefish Association