For Immediate Release
October 9, 2009
Conservatives must get expert input on salmon collapse
OTTAWA – Liberals are demanding the Harper Conservative government immediately convene an independent panel of experts to study the collapse of the Fraser River salmon stocks.
“We want a scientific panel of independent, non-governmental experts, with a short mandate, to help us understand why this has happened, and we want the government to commit to implementing its recommendations right away,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
“This year, a record number of sockeye salmon left the lakes but never made it back. They simply disappeared, and the Conservatives have remained silent on how we address the crisis,” said B.C. Liberal MP Dr. Keith Martin.
Dr. Martin, who represents the riding of Esquimalt–Juan de Fuca, made the request yesterday in Question Period. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea totally ignored the request.
“What we know is that this phenomenon has been escalating since 2004,” said Liberal Fisheries Critic Gerry Byrne. “This is not some cyclical trend, it is an unprecedented threat to the fisheries of the West Coast.”
“When you make cuts to science, as the Conservatives have done, ecosystem changes cannot be studied, monitored and accurately predicted,” said Hedy Fry, Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre.
Dr. Martin pointed out how the previous Liberal government committed to protecting up to one-third of Canadian coastlines by 2012 in order to avoid catastrophes just like this one and give fish stocks safe spots.
“Currently only half a per cent of marine areas in Canada are protected, compared with five per cent for the U.S.,” he said. “We need action on this – and now. If animals can recover when their habitat is restored to optimal conditions, so can sockeye.”
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Contact:
Office of the Hon. Keith Martin, 613-996-2625
Office of the Hon. Gerry Bynre, 613-996-5511
Office of the Hon. Hedy Fry, 613-992-3213
