Private Prosecution Against Marine Harvest Results in Guilty Plea
Salmon Are Sacred put out a news release earlier today about a trial set in Port Hardy for next week to hear four charges against Marine Harvest for illegal possession of wild salmon and herring.

Subsequent to this news release it was discovered that the trial had been adjourned on October 12, 2011 when the court was advised that the matter was to be for a guilty plea. The plea and sentencing will occur on January 18, 2012.

This is the first time in British Columbia that a private prosecution, laid by a citizen, has been taken over by the Department of Justice and  it resulted in a conviction.  

“Bright lights are known to attract herring and other small schooling fish,” says Alexandra Morton, “which is why lights were banned for use in commercial fishing. How do we know these farms aren’t using these lights to feed their fish? What impact do these lights have on allowing transfer of disease from farm salmon to wild fish?  Is this how the wild sockeye got ISA virus?  No one knows, because no has been allowed to look for wild fish in the stomach contents of farm salmon as they are processed, nor look in the pens at night to see the number of wild fish attracted to and into the pens.”