New Report Shows Governments Fail to Protect Wild Salmon; Efforts to Regulate Salmon Farming Fall Far Short

5/29/2003

From: Martha Wilson of WWF-US (in London), 011 44 2072 210 564, or mobile 011 7929 118 287 ( May 23-30), or Sue Scott of ASF-Canada (in London), 011 44 2079 302 111 (May 28-31), (in Edinburgh) 011 44 131 240 5500 (June 1-6)

LONDON, May 29 -- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) released a report that documents nearly a decade of inaction by governments to reduce the impacts of North Atlantic salmon farming practices. Despite dramatic increases in aquaculture, with farmed fish outnumbering wild fish 48 to one in the North Atlantic, governments have ignored warnings from scientists recording a disturbing decline in the numbers of wild salmon.

The report catalogues the failures of seven of the largest salmon-producing countries to live up to an agreement to regulate the industry, and safeguard threatened wild salmon populations. It is also a warning to delegates at next week's (2-6 June) meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) in Edinburgh, where governments will chart their progress on restoring the wild species.

"The reality is that problems for wild Atlantic salmon have increased while efforts by governments lag far behind," said Tom Grasso, U.S. director of WWF's Marine Conservation Program.

WWF and ASF's independent researcher and author of the report, Gareth Porter, reports failing scores for all seven countries that have sizeable salmon aquaculture industries (Canada, the United States, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands). The scores average 2 out of 10, revealing empty promises made in a NASCO resolution nearly a decade ago.

A 1994 NASCO meeting produced the Oslo Resolution, which recommended specific actions for nations to adopt to control the negative impacts of salmon farming. Aquaculture became a booming business in the late 1980s, but while farm-raised salmon prospered, millions escaped from cages into the habitat of threatened wild salmon.

"Research by governments and scientific bodies clearly states that salmon farming can and does present a risk to wild salmon, notably through the threats posed by diseases and parasites, especially sea lice," said Bill Taylor, president of ASF.

"The bottom line is that signatory nations to the nine-year-old Resolution have allowed North Atlantic aquaculture production to grow to a whopping 777,468 tons in 2002 (a 55 fold increase in 20 years) while wild salmon stocks have dramatically declined in the North Atlantic to endangered levels in many rivers. Our report shows that none of the seven signatory countries achieved proposed goals to protect the wild salmon from aquaculture impacts," said Taylor.

Porter, a monitoring and evaluation specialist, developed indicators based on the Oslo Resolution's articles, and the extent to which signatory nations controlled impacts of salmon farming. The least amount of progress was found in monitoring and enforcement of fish husbandry (or health) standards, standards for design and deployment of equipment, and siting decisions involving cumulative impacts.

"Our report is both constructive and timely as NASCO reviews its salmon aquaculture measures. In theory, the seven nations that made proactive pledges to reduce the environmental impacts of salmon aquaculture had good intentions. Rather than being proactive, these nations have proven to be passive and, subsequently, ineffective," said Grasso.

Taylor concluded "NASCO nations must take a more aggressive and transparent approach to protecting wild salmon from salmon aquaculture impacts. In our roles as international conservation organizations, ASF and WWF want to work with NASCO to improve the organization's ability to conserve and protect wild Atlantic salmon."

WWF and ASF's report provides recommendations for improvements that would lead to better protection for wild salmon, than is presently provided by the Oslo Resolution. These include -- adopting salmon aquaculture exclusion zones; -- requiring monitoring and enforcement of management systems to minimize escapes and improve fish husbandry and benthic (bottom of the sea) ecosystem quality; -- requiring consideration of cumulative environmental impacts of multiple aquaculture sites in siting decisions; -- requiring more comprehensive reporting on the provisions of the Oslo Resolution by nations in their obligatory annual submission to NASCO; and -- obligating nations to make public all relevant data on the degree of industry compliance with a selected set of regulatory requirements.

Salmon farming practices worldwide and their impacts have been scientifically reviewed three times by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and in numerous reports by environmental groups and governments. ASF and other scientific research has proven that escaped farmed salmon breed with wild salmon and negatively impact the fitness of the progeny and their ability to survive in the wild. Escaped farmed salmon also compete with wild salmon for food and can displace them in their freshwater habitat.

------ Video, photos, charts available on request

For further information (and photos, CDs, video) please contact:

-- Martha Wilson, WWF-US (in London) 011 44 2072 210 564 or mobile 011 7929 118 287 (23-30 May); -- Sue Scott, ASF-Canada (in London) 011 44 2079 302 111 (28-31 May); (in Edinburgh) 011 44 131 240 5500 (1-6 June) -- Sue Windebank, WWF-UK, 011 44 1483 426 444

For the full report, please go to the ASF or WWF websites: Http://www.asf.ca or http://www.worldwildlife.org.

Editor's Note: For more information on aquaculture impacts, see May/June 2003 Seaweb report at http://www.aquacultureclearinghouse.org.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organization with 4.7 million supporters and a global network active in 96 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the conservation and wise management of the wild Atlantic salmon and its environment. ASF represents seven regional councils which have a membership of 150 river associations and 40,000 people, throughout the North American range of the wild Atlantic salmon.

The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) was established to promote the conservation, restoration, enhancement and rational management of salmon stocks in the North Atlantic Ocean through international cooperation. NASCO will be meeting in Edinburgh 1-6 June, with government and NGO representation from Canada, Denmark (representing the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the European Union, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and the United States. NASCO is an international organization established under the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean, which entered into force on 1 October 1983. The Oslo Resolution, adopted in 1994, includes articles that recommend specific actions for nations to control impacts of salmon farming on wild Atlantic salmon.