Cohen Commission to Hear Whether Sea Lice Are Impacting Fraser Sockeye
Sidney, B.C. –
A scientist with Raincoast Conservation Foundation and
the University of Victoria, Michael Price, is scheduled to testify at
the Cohen Commission of Inquiry Tuesday, September 6, based on a recent
study that showed the first link between salmon farms and elevated
levels of sea lice on juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon.
The article published in February by PLoS ONE titled, Sea Louse
Infection of Juvenile Sockeye Salmon in Relation to Marine Salmon Farms
on Canada’s West Coast, genetically identified 30 distinct stocks of
infected Fraser sockeye that pass by open net-pen salmon farms in the
Strait of Georgia, including the endangered Cultus Lake stock.
The study
found that parasitism of Fraser sockeye increased significantly after
the juvenile fish passed by fish farms. These same species of lice were
found in substantial numbers on the salmon farms.
Not only did juvenile Fraser sockeye host higher lice levels in the
Georgia Strait after they passed salmon farms, these fish hosted an
order of magnitude more sea lice than Skeena and Nass River sockeye that
migrated along the north coast where there are no farms.
Michael Price, the lead author of the study, will be joined by 3
other researchers on a panel to discuss the threat of sea lice to
juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon.
“The implications of these infections are not fully clear, but in
addition to any direct physical and behavioural impacts on juvenile
sockeye, sea lice may also serve as vectors of disease or indicators of
other farm-origin pathogens,” said Price.
Raincoast Conservation Foundation and other researchers also recently
published an article in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic
Sciences titled, Evidence of farm-induced parasite infestations on wild
juvenile salmon in multiple regions of coastal British Columbia, Canada,
which suggests that salmon farms in multiple regions elevate levels of
sea lice on wild juvenile pink and chum salmon.
Cohen Commission hearings are open to the public and will be held
from 10 am to 12:30 pm, and 2-4 pm at the Federal Court at 701 West
Georgia Street, 8th floor, Vancouver.
Media Release: September 2, 2011
For more information contact:
Michael Price
Raincoast Conservation Foundation (www.raincoast.org)
