The Kristi Miller Fund

Last January a study by Dr. Kristi Miller, a scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, was published in the journal Science. Her research has identified a genomic signature which may link the decline of the Fraser sockeye to a viral infection.

In particular, her candidate virus may account for the high levels of salmon mortality observed in the Fraser before spawning. Her study is said to be one of the most important to come from DFO in years.

Yet the federal government has cut Dr. Miller’s funding, undermining her ability to continue her critical research. In particular, while she was on the witness stand at the Cohen Commission, Dr. Miller said that she put forward a proposal to test farmed salmon for her virus.

But her funding request – which only amounted to $18,750 – was denied by DFO.

To complicate the matter, Dr. Miller testified that the Prime Minister’s office in Ottawa barred her from talking to the media about her research into the sockeye salmon decline.

These curious actions by government have not gone unnoticed by Wild Salmon People, and have sparked suspicion of blatant political interference. Once again, it’s up to the people to rise to the task. Together, we will raise the money that DFO denied to Dr. Miller to test farmed salmon for the salmon leukemia virus.

The monies donated by concerned citizens for this urgent and critical research will be presented to DFO. By doing this, we will send an uncompromising message that the public will take no further excuses to stall Dr. Miller’s research, and that the federal government must allow those critical tests to take place without further delay.

And if DFO refuses to take the money, then we will use it to conduct disease tests independently of government and industry. Those tests will focus on the alarming pre-spawn mortality, the exotic ISA virus and possible jaundice epidemic currently affecting the 2011 Fraser River salmon run.

A jaundiced pink salmon found last week in the Fraser, apparently killed by liver disease

You have a chance to be a part of a direct action that can make an ocean of a difference.

No gift is too small. Whether you can afford to give $10 or $1000, help us send a message to government, and support good people working hard for the preservation of our wild salmon for generations.

Visit the Salmon Are Sacred website and click on their PayPal button. *Please add a note (in PayPal’s “Add special instructions for the Recipient” box) indicating that your donation is for the “Kristi Miller Fund”

If you send a cheque [att: Pacific Coast Wild Salmon Society or PCWSS - Box 399, Sointula BC V0N 3E0], please add that mention as well.

Jaundiced pink salmon, Fraser River, October 2011

Have you ever seen a bright yellow salmon before? With shock and horror, we give you one.

This photo was taken on October 5 by Dr. Alexandra Morton and wild salmon activist Anissa Reed on the banks of the Fraser river.

They found several such dead yellow Pink salmon during a recent field study. Those salmon clearly died of jaundice. And when Alex opened one fish, she found a severely diseased liver, one which appeared to be covered with tumor-like growths.

The diseased liver of a jaundiced pink salmon

What is causing this deadly disease in so many of our salmon? Is it a virus? We don’t know. But we need to find out, right now. Fish farms, once again, appear as a prime suspect. In an open letter last week to DFO Pacific Region Director Dr. Laura Richards, Alexandra Morton asked the hard questions:

“While you testified that you have not read the salmon farm disease records, I have read every line and note that the Provincial vet Dr. Gary Marty is diagnosing a form of jaundice in farm salmon that he states is similar to a virus found in Coho in Chile, he cites a paper by P.A. Smith et al 2006.

I want your report on these jaundice farm salmon and the jaundice pink salmon DFO must be aware of – why are they yellow, why are there so many of them, is this the Chilean virus Dr. Marty notes and how would such a virus get here?”

Dr. Kristi Miller, the DFO researcher whose work has been recently published in the journal Science, has discovered a candidate virus which may be causing cancer and anemia in wild salmon. Yet last month, it was revealed at the Cohen Commission that she has been denied funding by DFO to test Atlantic salmon in fish farms for her virus. She was asking for $18,750 – a pittance in research terms. But her DFO hierarchy told her that they didn’t have the money!

Pre-spawn deaths, Fraser River Oct. 2011

Why is DFO doing this? Why is it pretending that it does not have twenty thousand dollars to conduct critical tests on salmon disease? Why would it say that, when it was also revealed at the Commission that the federal government has given $145,000 to the fish farm industry to conduct “research” on how to make farmed salmon more palatable to the end consumer?

As yellow salmon are dying on the banks of the Fraser, this DFO charade must stop. The people of this Province demand that viral tests be performed on fish farms – right now. Not next year. Not next month. Now.

At the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Fraser sockeye fishery, Greg McDade’s cross-examination of Dr. Laura Richards (DFO Regional Director of Science in the Pacific Region) revealed that DFO has been stifling information on diseases borne out of aquaculture sites. That the DFO is acting like a public-relations office for the fish-farm industry is outrageous if not a surprise to many citizens, and the Globe and Mail’s Mark Hume covered the revelation in an article this spring. Here’s an excerpt:

“Earlier this month, the Cohen Commission of Inquiry Into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River, saw an e-mail by Dr. [Kristi] Miller in which she complained about being kept away from a workshop because her DFO masters “fear that we will not be able to control the way the disease issue could be construed in the press.”

Dr. Miller, who suspects a virus is killing millions of sockeye salmon in the river, had a paper published in the prestigious journal Science earlier this year. But she has not been allowed to talk to the press about it.

“By preventing Dr. Miller from speaking to the media and from participating in non-DFO controlled meetings/workshops, DFO is inhibiting science,” Mr. Hutchings said in his e-mail. “This action, so evidently lacking in openness and transparency, is regrettably consistent with the objective of controlling the information that public servants are permitted to disseminate to the public.”

Dr. Miller’s situation also inspired Alan Sinclair, a retired DFO scientist, to write to Mark Hume: “Your recent article reporting that DFO put a gag order on Dr. Kristi Miller’s research on disease in sockeye salmon is very disturbing. Unfortunately, this sort of thing is all too common in DFO and other Federal Ministries with large science components. I encourage you to follow up on this and make Canadians more aware of what’s going on.’”

The full transcript of this particular cross-examination is on the Cohen Commission website.

In other Cohen Commission news, the deadline for the final report has been extended to June 30, 2012. This means a long wait for any meaningful analysis of the effect of salmon farms on Fraser sockeye and other wild fish.

Are you opposed to open-net fish farming and violations of a UNESCO biosphere reserve site?

Salmon farm corporation Mainstream Canada has applied for an enormous net-pen salmon farm. This farm would cover 1.25 hectares, and in terms of biomass—600,000 farmed salmon eating and excreting directly into the water— is equivalent to installing a town of about 40,000 people in the midst of a wilderness area. Plover Point is within the boundaries of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and like the rest of Clayoquot Sound, it is a gem that needs our support.

Learn more about this proposal and Plover Point.

Although much progress has been made, the retailers on the left side of this post still sell farmed salmon in Canada.  Listed below is their contact information.  The Wild Salmon Circle is gearing up to launch a consumer information campaign for one of these retailers.

Safeway Canada
Mr. Chuck Mulvenna, President & Chief Operations
Officer
1020 64th Ave. N.E., Calgary, Alberta T2E 7V8
chuck.mulvenna@safeway.com

Sobeys
Mr. Bill McEwan, President & Chief Executive Officer
115 King Street, Stellarton, Nova Scotia, B0K 1S0
bill.mcewan@sobeys.com

Loblaw Companies Ltd. (Dominion, Independent, No
Frills, President’s Choice, Provigo, Superstore, Zehrs)
Customer Services
1 President’s Choice Circle, Brampton, ON L6Y 5S5
customer_service@loblaw.ca

Costco Wholesale Canada
Customer Service
415 West Hunt Club Rd, Ottawa, ON K2E 1C5
service@costco.ca

Western Canada farmed salmon: 0.4 x per month (once every 2.5 months)
BC Wild Chinook: 1 x per month
BC Wild Sockeye: 1.2 x per month
BC Wild Coho: 2 x per month
BC Wild Pink: 2.5 x per month
BC Wild Chum: 3.8 x per month

According to the study, our oceans have become seriously contaminated with persistent organic compounds and the concentrated fish meal fed to farmed salmon is a major source of higher concentrations of these compounds in this variety of salmon.

“The food fed to the farmed salmon is mainly fish meal and fish oil, and is about 33% fat by weight. In contrast, the percentage fat in wild salmon is of the order of 6%, while farmed salmon, which get little exercise, have a lipid content of about 16% (Hamilton et al., 2005). Wild salmon, in addition to having to search for their food, eat lower on the food chain and, therefore, take in fewer contaminants.”

Thank-you Organic Oceans

Greetings! Our Wild Salmon Circle contest winners were recently announced at the first annual Wild Salmon Circle BBQ.

The Wild Salmon Circle Contest has received dozens of incredible stories.  It was truly inspiring to see how people from all walks of life were supporting wild salmon in so many different ways.  It was impossible to choose a single winner, so we chose 6 that we believe exhibit an cross section of the various ways people are making a difference.  We hope that their stories also inspire you.  Every little bit helps.

Incidentally for those that are wondering why so many sockeye returned this year and whether Salmon Farms are still a cause of declines, here is some interesting info.

In a study reported by the Pacific Salmon Forum, in 2008, the year which the sockeye first migrated out to sea for this years returning run was a year of very low sea lice due to efforts from the Salmon Farming industry.  The study reports that in 2008, sockeye had an average of 1.8 lice per smolt compared to 7-9 lice per smolt tested in 2007 and 2009.  Also in that year, 4%–7% of the Chum and Pink salmon fry were infected with sea lice compared to 2007, where up to 70% were infested.  What this means is that although we had a large run this year, Salmon Farms are still a threat to the future of wild salmon.

With this is mind, we appreciate the efforts of the following winners and all those who submitted entries.  Your efforts will make the difference in the future of our province’s iconic Wild Salmon.

In no particular order:

Joan Lopez

For informing people during the course of her daily job about the dangers of Salmon Farming.

Joan wins a A custom consultation, hair colour, and haircut service with stylist Sally Traynor at Joji’s SalonLife. An Aveda salon located at 1126 Commercial Drive at Napier St.  Here is here story:

“I work on a whale watching boat out of Steveston. We usually encounter the Southern Resident Killer Whales, an endangered population of animals. Our passengers are often emotionally overwhelmed when they are able to observe these animals in their natural habitat. Learning they are endangered, people pay attention when they hear that wild salmon, the food the Orcas need to survive, are potentially threatened by open net cage salmon farming practises. I may have a small captive audience, (12-47 passengers), so I ask them to share the information with friends and relatives. I have been linking Orca encounters with the salmon farm controversy for the past 2 seasons (with my boss’s blessing), and hope to have reached thousands of individuals, and altered their future salmon dining choices.

We are truly blessed to have the opportunity this year to enjoy a bounty of the best wild salmon – Sockeye – available to man. No one should be eating anything farmed this season!

Thanks for the opportunity to share my story” — Joan Lopez, Vancouver Whale Watch

Avery Walker

For showing others how to fish responsibly so that fish stocks will be preserved for the future.

Avery wins a Midstream 690-2X 9′ flyfishing rod from Riverside Fly and Tackle in Port Coquitlam.   Here is his story:

“I fish only with barbless hooks, I’ve taken the all treble hooks from the all the buzzbombs I have and replaced them with single barbless hooks. I don’t jig the fish, I fish the ones who bite. Sometimes this is really hard to do, because not all of my friends fish like this, and so they sometimes take home more fish than I do. I abide by the regulations about which salmon I can keep and which ones I can’t. I never go over my limit. Or keep undersized fish. Most of the time, I catch and release. I love to fish, and I want to be able to do it forever.” – Avery Walker, Port Hardy

J Peachy

For using art to raise awareness and raise funds for wild salmon initiatives.

JP wins a day trip on the Fraser Riverkeeper’s boat.

JP has created several salmon themed art pieces including “Return” shown below:

He also exhibited Salmon Circle of Life: Body Art with Sarah Byer and is organizing a Spirit of the ‘Salmon Woman’ Wild Salmon Advocacy Fundraiser on September 17th.  JP’s ongoing commitment to wild salmon can be viewed on his gallery website.

Judith Hammill

For her tenacity and ongoing commitment to wild salmon.

Judith wins a $100 gift certificate to the Raincity Grill.  Here is her story:

“In May, I travelled from Gibsons to Victoria to join Alexandra Morton on the Get Out Migration Walk finale.

In June, I engaged with the management of a restaurant in Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver about serving farmed salmon. We were taking some visitors from Australia to a good restaurant with a spectacular city-scape view with the mountains in the background. As we perused the menu, I bragged to our guests that a restaurant of this calibre in Vancouver would never serve farmed salmon. Fortunately (or maybe it was to prove my point!), I asked about the origin of the salmon before we ordered it. I was shocked to hear it was indeed farmed salmon. Of course, none of us ordered it, and our waiter, who wasn’t very happy himself about serving farmed salmon, provided me with contact info. My subsequent email elicited an immediate response from the management explaining that the farmed salmon were from an inland farm and endorsed by Oceanwise and the David Suzuki Foundation. I checked out the inland lake and found that, despite seemingly reputable claims to the contrary, there were all sorts of horrible problems with the fish and the lake reported by fishermen and other knowledgeable people. I relayed this info to the chef in a subsequent telephone call.

Coming up on Sept. 11 in Gibson’s Landing, the Business Association is holding its annual Salmon Festival. They have invited the Grieg company (Norwegian salmon farms) to participate!! The BA claim the festival is “not political”!! I am debating whether boycotting the festival is enough…. Any advice appreciated” — Judith Hammill

Julia Beard

For ongoing efforts in raising awareness to friends and family about the dangers of salmon farms.

Julia wins a wild salmon travel mug.  Here is her story:

“My name is Julia Beard, I am from Courtenay BC.  I walked the migration from Buckley Bay to Fanny Bay, and joined the migration on May 8th in Victoria along with the thousands who showed up at the Parliament.  I took some fantastic photos that I shared with all my facebook friends, and have posted links to all the petition websites that I receive from Alex Morton, and the salmon circle website.  Of course I have also signed the petitions myself, along with my family who is following as well.  I have educated so many friends about the damages caused by fish farms in our waters, and it excites me when I can see that I’ve informed them of something they were completely unaware of regarding the fish farms and wild salmon.

I am a born and raised Island girl, and I want fish farms out of our waters!

Alex Morton is my hero  …along with the works of Don Staniford, Anissa Reid, Bob Chamberlain, and everyone else who have their hearts involved in this issue.”  – Julia Beard

Terry Sawchenko

For his volunteer efforts at his local salmon hatchery.

Terry wins 2 weekend passes to the Mission Film Festival.  Here is his story:

“This summer I moved or helped move close to 3000 Coho fry that were in drying out ponds in Hyde Creek and moved them to sections of the creek that have water all year.

This week I reported to the engineering department (responsible for stream spills) of Coquitlam that the stream, after a light rain had turned a cement grey colour (cement tailings) instead of the usual brownish colour (soil).  They were going to send an inspector to the development sites up Burke mountain to observe the sites for improper containment of construction debris.  Cement tailings in the past have killed off Coho fry in Hyde Creek.” — Terry Sawchenko

Turn the Tide

The Wild Salmon Circle is pleased to announce our first-ever contest: We are challenging our members to come up with original, creative and meaningful ways to support B.C.’s wild salmon. Entries can be submitted in any form including pictures, videos, songs, sculptures, etc. Prizes will be awarded to those entries which, first and foremost, meaningfully impact the fight to protect wild salmon and, secondly, do so creatively. The contest closes September 7, 2010. Entries can be submitted either by email to: wildsalmoncircle@gmail.com or by mail to: Wild Salmon Circle, 101-1184 Denman St., Box 604, Vancouver, BC. V6G 2M9

Winners will be announced at the Wild Salmon Circle barbeque on September 11th at Ceperley Park in Stanley Park.

Great prizes will be awarded, so get your creative juices flowing!