Aquaculture Consultant

Is this where political grandstanding by the current federal government finally has to come to terms with harsh reality? Unfortunately probably not, as it will take far more damage to the economy them to wake up.

Netflix Seaspiracy - Serious documentary or misinformed vegan propaganda?

FARMED VS WILD? It's a question we get a lot, but it's not one we find very useful! There are many well managed wild fish stocks, and lots that aren't sust...ainable or safe. Just like there are many well-run fish farms, and plenty that aren't! Buying wild fish is complicated. There's lots you don't know, like contaminants in the water, if you're impacting the wild population, how much bycatch is wasted, and fraudulent labelling. Then buying farmed fish is a whole different can of worms. You need to worry about where the fish is raised, how it was treated, and if it's hurting the surrounding ecosystem. This is why we recommend looking for sustainability certifications or recommendations for any fish you purchase. Some of the most reputable and relevant ones in Ontario are Best Aquaculture Practices, Ocean Wise, Marine Stewardship Council, and ASC - Aquaculture Stewardship Council. These are voluntary, third party groups that often send auditors to review data on environment impacts, fish welfare, and how you treat your staff. We obsess over the sustainability of Springhills fish because it's the right thing to do, and it also results in a better tasting, fresher fish! And another wild fact for you: many "wild" fish actually start their lives at fish farms. Globally 35 - 150 billion young fish are raised in hatcheries to be released into the wild every year including 10+ million in Ontario!

What we are looking at is a potential environmental disaster of an epic scale. Not only have the invasive mussels successfully invaded the Great Lakes are now the predominant species driving the nutrient cycles of the lakes and their eco-systems.

McMillan Pit Fish Farm raceways in operation. https://youtu.be/Lpwgsdg39Ow

I'd love to fact check to what extent Alexandra's personal finances benefit from her 'activism' and fundraising. I'll bet that she is as financially dependent on preaching hellfire and damnation as any old-time travelling preacher.

This TVO documentary on the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere focuses on quarry rehabilitation and environmental restoration within the Biosphere. The project I envisioned, planned and got the permitting and backing for to use commercial aquaculture to establish and maintain a diverse and thriving aquatic ecosystem in sterile a quarry lake appears in the last 12 minutes of the video. The entire video is well worth watching. https://www.tvo.org//d/striking-balance-niagara-escarpment

Something to take into consideration in the wild vs. farmed debate.

What could possibly go wrong here?

What could possibly go wrong here? https://www.seafoodsource.com//legendary-vish-creates-3d-p

The reason I am posting this with aquaculture topics is the common thread which exists between the modern green movement and the anti-aquaculture movement which is their refusal to look at issues holistically, often creating a situation where the solution is far worse than the originally perceived problem. https://stopthesethings.com//burying-the-truth-no-sensibl/

Giving a plug to my son https://www.aquaculturenorthamerica.com/vet-to-support-ont/

The reason these groups are not really interested in science is that their environmentalism is just a smokescreen for the collapse of industrial economies so that they can build their new Marxist post-modernist society.

I like Hugh Mitchell's message. In this day and age whether or not to support aquaculture development is not an option. The debate should be rational, science based and not driven by political philosophies, particular those which question whether people even have a right to exist on this planet. https://seawestnews.com/fact-checking-the-falsehoods-by-//

Saving the environment by eating uni sushi.

Why is it that federal Liberal policymakers feel that they can ignore reality? Instead of stepping up to the plate and promoting a vibrant sound industry in a country that is second to none in terms of aquaculture potential they want the entire Canadian industry to compete with urban fish barns catering to exclusive high-end micro-markets.

When people have to resort to lies in order to forward their arguement you know they have already lost the debate and deceit is their only way to save face (and to keep donation money flowing). The industry has every right to sue these groups for slander. It has in fact shown tremendous restraint in dealing with these irrational faux environmentalists.

Big news for US Trout production.

Despite numerous attempts to establish successful runs in BC Atlantic salmon have never been able to produce a viable or sustainable population in BC.

Sex reversal of sturgeon has the potential to reduce the cost of caviar.

I have to agree with their decision. I like to mentally flip scenarios to see how much sense the proposed concept makes. Can you imagine the uproar which would occur if a meatpacker tried to market an animal-based fake vegetable salad at a vegan food show?

This list is far from comprehensive, but it gives people a sense of how challenging land-based RAS systems can be.

Based on previous experience and history there are probably going to be a lot more mega aquafarm failures. So many of these farms tout sustainability as their strength and yet based on the massive facilities and investments required to build these farms it is immediately apparent that their metric for sustainability is one dimensional and probably only based on whether the farm adds nutrients to the local receiving water. This metric in and of itself can be a very misleading indicator of environmental sustainability as it ignores all of the other factors that contribute to the question of sustainability. I have yet to see a comprehensive multi-dimension analysis of sustainability based on life cycle costing for any aquaculture venture which would allow for such claims.

This is nothing new, Canadian governments at all levels are excellent ditherers. Why take a small chance and try a new approach when countries with just a fraction of our freshwater and marine resources, can adapt our technology, take our species of fish and build world-class industries? God forbid our governments would ever consider just getting out of the way and letting Canadians develop true sustainable economic growth for the people of our country.

It would be good to have a much more critical analysis of the factors leading to this catastrophe. One has to wonder if climate change is a convenient way of deflecting scrutiny from poor planning, management limitations, poor contingency planning or a lack of long term monitoring to ensure that the sites were suitable for salmon farming.

It's great to see some hard facts about the feasibility and supposed environmental benefits of moving all salmon production onto land. After many years in the industry, most of them focused on various types of land-based systems and closed-containment I have no illusions that such systems are a panacea or cure-all. They have their very real advantages and can make significant contributions to the industry, however, they will not be, nor should they be, displacing net-pen production any time soon. There is a rapidly growing body of evidence that net-pen systems can actually make very substantial and beneficial contributions to wild fisheries. In the environment, as in life, we cannot solve problems by only looking at one side of the equation.

The Liberal party's fairy tale agenda for aquaculture isn't based on science or sound environmental principles. I have been active in the industry for many decades, primarily with various types of land-based systems and enclosed containment systems the Liberals are proposing. These systems definitely have their place within the industry and their own unique advantages. In fact the vast majority of trout fingerling and salmon smolt production is already land-based; however to ...think that a land-based system is inherently environmentally superior to large scale open pen culture production is narrow-minded and simplistic. Governments at most should set standards of environmental performance, they should not be legislating technology. The rapid pace of change in the industry when compared to the glacial pace of government is a recipe for disaster. To think that you can move a massive industry like the salmon industry, or trout industry for that matter, onto land purely by fiat decree is sheer lunacy. See more

It is interesting that in a Riding as dependent on the aquaculture industry as Campbell River only the PC and PPC party candidates seem to voice realistic objectives and clear support for the industry.

Misinformation, sacred cows and virtue signalling does not provide a good basis for a rational and scientific management policy of a key food resource.

I have yet to see a single study which backs up the hypothesis that farming salmon on land is somehow on balance better for the environment. We cannot look at environmental issues based on a single criterion but need to look at environmental issues holistically.

Where have all of the salmon gone? Probably Russia.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca//trash-fish-sustainable-seaf

A very interesting article on horseshoe crabs and the impact bleeding for biomedical use is having on their populations. https://www.popularmechanics.com///the-blood-of-the-crab/

Since I am not a champaigne or white wine lover, I'm all for pairing oysters with beer.

A very interesting pioneering project which would seem to have a lot of potential for commercialization.

It is time that we stop giving ocean ranching as carried out on the massive scale that it is in Alaska a free pass and calling it 'wild'. These fish are not wild and not produced in balance with nature. They are artificially spawned by literally corraling entire salmon runs through mega hatcheries where eggs and milt are stripped. Because they are to be stocked into the wild they are not governed by the same regulatory oversight regarding medications and antibiotics that farmed fish are. We are now finding out that as a result of the lack of control of the numbers stocked stocking on this massive scale of is upsetting the marine food chain with serious consequences for many other marine organisms including native wild salmon and marine mammals.

This article is about a massive campaign by US-backed foundations and NGOs to keep Canadian oil and gas landlocked with no direct access to world markets. This is something which is affecting the economic well being of First Nations and all Canadians in order to provide Americans with access to Canadian energy at prices well below the world market price. You may ask 'why should this be of interest to the aquaculture industry?' These same foundations and NGOs also launched a...nd funding a well-organized campaign to demarket and devalue Canadian farmed salmon in favour Alaskan ocean ranched salmon which is produced in massive hatcheries and net-pen operations, released to the wild and deceptively sold as 'wild'. The common thread in both of these cases is that the goal of these NGOs is to sabotage the Canadian economy to give US-based corporations an undisclosed and unfair advantage.

He destroys one of the predominant myths about aquaculture and sustainability. We cannot assume that just because something is sourced from the marine environment that it is not sustainable, just as we can't assume that just because it was terrestrially sourced that it is. I have seen so many so-called experts making claims that farming fish on land is automatically more sustainable than farming in an aquatic environment. Where is the analysis, based on life cycle costing and resource utilization, which is needed to back up this claim? https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com//marine-ingredients-don/

Farmed fish is one most contaminant-free and healthiest types of meat to eat. https://www.fishfarmermagazine.com//farmed-fish-only-food/