Correction: Sea Shepherd 'Operation Virus Hunter'

BCSFA CORRECTION DOCUMENT: SEA SHEPHERD – “OPERATION VIRUS HUNTER” CAMPAIGN

Background:

On Monday July 18th, the Sea Shepherd Society fronted by celebrity activist Pamela Anderson, along with anti-salmon farming activist Alexandra Morton, launched a new campaign entitled “Operation Virus Hunter” which they say will be investigating the lawfulness of the salmon farming industry in British Columbia.

To promote their campaign, the Sea Shepherd Society has launched videos and promotional materials featuring Pamela Anderson and Alexandra Morton who make numerous false and/or misleading statements about nutrition, science, and salmon farming as practiced in British Columbia, Canada.

Corrections to Pamela Anderson statements:

• Pamela Anderson states that farm-raised salmon is not a healthy food.

The claims raised by Ms. Anderson are completely misleading and false. The reality is health authorities around the world recommend people eat more salmon, including farm-raised salmon. All levels of metals, dioxins and other unwanted contaminants that may be found in salmon – and are also found in most foods we eat – are well below safe levels set by health authorities.

• “The pink colour is an additive in their [fish] feed.”

This is true, and is the same process by which a wild salmon receives its flesh colour. The feed ingredient is a healthy carotenoid known as “astaxanthin”, which is also an antioxidant that a salmon requires for healthy growth.

• “The white stripes [in the salmon flesh] are fat….and doctors are warning woman that farmed salmon fat is high in chemicals.”

This first part is true – the second part is false. All salmon is known for its fatty oils that contain high levels of healthy Omega 3s. But contrary to what Ms. Anderson states, doctors and health authorities (including the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans) recommend eating oily fish twice a week – because it is widely known to provide important nutritional benefits.

• “Farms breed disease and sea lice that can kill wild salmon.”

Farm-raised salmon in B.C. are healthy and boast a survival rate of over 90% on farms. Under the watchful eye of a veterinarian and vaccinated against common ocean pathogens, farm-raised salmon do not negatively impact wild salmon populations.

• “The only places in the world where there are lots of salmon are places where there are no salmon farms.”

The Pacific Northwest, where B.C. salmon farms are located, is home to millions of wild salmon. Aquaculture is common in Washington State, Alaska and British Columbia, and while wild salmon returns are variable from year to year, the last decade has witnessed very healthy returns of wild salmon in many rivers in the Pacific Northwest. (Source: Pacific Salmon Status and Abundance Trends 2012 Update by Irvine et al.)

• “Harmful chemicals found in farmed salmon are 10x greater than in wild salmon.”

This is a generic statement that is not accurate. All levels of unwanted contaminants are very low in all (six) species of salmon. However, there are variations in levels in each species due to variables like genetic structure, lifespan, and feed sources, not just whether it is farm-raised or wild-caught.

• “Because fish farms hurt wild salmon, they are making it very hard for whales to feed their families.”

As stated above, salmon farming in British Columbia does not negatively impact wild salmon populations – in fact aquaculture (as practiced in Washington, B.C. and Alaska) helps supplement the catch of wild salmon.

Corrections to Alexandra Morton statements:

• Morton claims she won a “landmark court decision” which “ruled that the salmon farming industry could no longer stock their farms with diseased fish.”

This statement grossly misrepresents the court ruling. A B.C. salmon farm’s aquaculture license to operate has always ensured only healthy fish are transferred from freshwater hatcheries to ocean farms. The final ruling in this case asked for the licenser (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) to amend the aquaculture license to ensure the decision to transfer fish was that of the Minister, and could not be delegated.

• “… so as it stands today, salmon farming industry cannot put piscine reovirus infected fish into the net pens unless they get express permission from the Fisheries and Oceans Minister to transfer diseased fish”.

This is incorrect, and purposely confuses a common benign fish virus with disease. Piscine reovirus (PRV) is a commonly found virus in the ocean (a single drop of sea water contains a million viruses) and is known to have been present for decades or more – it is not new to this coast and is not a disease. No research in British Columbia has confirmed a causal link between the PRV virus and any disease.

• Morton claims she first discovered PRV – which according to her was likely to have arrived from Norway somewhere around 2007.

This statement is false. PRV was first detected in fish on the Pacific Northwest by Dr. Kristi Miller, and follow up molecular testing of archival samples has shown it to be present in salmonids in the Pacific Ocean since at least 1988.

The latest information about PRV research and findings can be read at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) website - http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/aah-saa/species-especes/aq-health-sante/prv-rp-eng.html.