Friends of Clayoquot Sound: News 010907

Immediate Release - September 7, 2001

Massive Die-off at Clayoquot Sound Salmon Farm

TOFINO - Pacific National Aquaculture is trying to cope with 200 tonnes of dead Atlantic salmon at one of their Bedwell Inlet farms in Clayoquot Sound. Approximately 80,000 fish are floating in a yellow sludge in the affected cages.

The salmon began to die a few weeks ago as a result of a plankton bloom inside the netcages. Farm workers were in the process of harvesting the salmon at the time. Ironically, a tarp that had been placed around the netcages to prevent any plankton blooms from drifting into the farm, instead contained a plankton bloom that arose inside the netcages.

"Once again this raises the question of what role salmon farm sewage plays in the generation of such toxic blooms", said Dr. Sergio Paone, an environmental consultant based in Tofino. "If their tarp was preventing outside blooms from coming into the farm, then the bloom must have arisen from inside the netcage", continued Paone.

Open netcage salmon farming allows sewage from the farms to accumulate under the netcages. As this sewage decays it generates nutrients that contain nitrogen and phosphorous. While toxic phytoplankton blooms are a naturally occurring event, excess nutrients from industrial or municipal sewage can fertilize their growth. No comprehensive studies are being conducted in BC on the link between salmon farm sewage and toxic plankton blooms.

The farm where this salmon die-off is occurring is the same one that experienced an escape on August 17, 2001. It turns out that the dying salmon weighted down the netcage and caused it to buckle, resulting in the escape. Farm operators have been stating that less than 10 salmon escaped. The fact that most of them were already dead can perhaps account for such a low number escaping.

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