Infected Blood and Collapsing Wild Sockeye

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Campbell River, B.C. - Dec. 3, 2019
In 2017 British Columbia’s salmon farming industry was caught dumping virus-infected blood into Discovery Passage, Canada’s largest wild salmon migration route. Recent dives in Nov. 2019 have shown the blood is still flowing and still infected with piscine orthoreovirus (PRV).

Genetic sequencing of this virus reveals that it came from the Atlantic Ocean and was most likely imported via salmon eggs by the fish farm industry. Fisheries and Oceans Canada - DFO’s science reports that PRV is harming Pacific salmon by rupturing their red blood cells, leading to jaundice yellowing and organ failure. With over 80% of the farmed salmon in B.C. infected with PRV, open net-pen fish farms and processing plants continue to release this virus into wild salmon habitat in blatant disregard for the precautionary principle. Under Section 56(b) of the Fisheries (General) Regulations, transferring farm salmon into the ocean from hatcheries infected with a disease agent is prohibited. DFO continues to approve this high-risk behavior by allowing infected farmed salmon to be grown in wild salmon migration routes on the B.C. coast.

‘Namgis First Nation of Alert Bay B.C. has recently filed a second lawsuit to review DFO’s policy decision to allow the stocking of open net-pen fish farms with PRV infected Atlantic salmon.
This will be the fourth time DFO has been sued for disregarding the threat of PRV to wild salmon.

2019 was the worst Fraser River sockeye salmon return in Canadian history with 90% fewer fish returning to the river than forecast by DFO. (These near extinct sockeye salmon swim through the effluent of both the processing plant and the infected fish farms twice on their migration to and from the Pacific Ocean.

***Please Note: The collapse was not connected to the Big Bar landslide. Returning sockeye salmon are counted at the Mission hydroacoustic station near the mouth of the Fraser, far downstream from the slide. The collapse percentages shown are based on DFO's predicted run size versus actual run size.

Huge thank-you to Farlyn Campbell and Jody Eriksson for logistics, banner painting, dive tending, filming, drone-catching, boat driving and general support!

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