A previous blog suggested that a 26 million dollar study into the recent decline of Fraser River sockeye salmon in British Columbia was perhaps heavily influenced by the agenda of numerous environmental groups and individual anti-salmon aquaculture zealots.
It seems as though we were spot on.
A single tweet appeared today, compliments of @ClayoquotKid, which clearly proves there is an orchestrated campaign to sway public opinion about salmon aquaculture in British Columbia.
That is, a $25,000 gift from Tides Canada to the ‘Save Our Salmon’ Foundation to “support public education about the findings of Cohen Commission aquaculture evidentiary hearings.”
No, don’t communicate climate change (the #1 concern to Fraser River sockeye according to the Final Report) or over-fishing. Just communicate aquaculture.
There is no doubt the money was well spent. Prior to, during and after the release of the Cohen Commission’s final report, the Watershed Watch’s executive director (a partner with ‘Save Our Salmon’) was just one of many activists enjoying celebrity status as the ‘go to guy’ for media.
And what was his main message prior to the report being made public? That’s easy - salmon aquaculture is the main risk to Fraser River salmon. Again, no evidence to back up that claim, but it sure makes great headlines, and certainly puts the agenda top of mind for many story starved media.
So now, peice by piece, it is becoming much clearer on how a report, which found zero evidence of aquaculture having any negative impact on Fraser River sockeye, has been communicated as an indictment of the very method that can relieve pressure off wild fish – aquaculture.
It really is too bad. $26,000,025, which could have gone to improving the habitat of wild salmon, has only increased the habitat of rich lawyers and public relations experts.
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