Mr. Speaker, on February 28 of this year in reply to my question about the need of setting rules banning the bad practice of net-cage salmon farming, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans said that before taking any action it had to be fully understood whether the sea lice problem was caused by aquaculture. I wish to point out that the root cause of the sea lice outbreak is the practice of net-cage salmon farming. On that occasion the minister said:
It is our belief that we can have both an aquaculture industry and at the same time protect the wild salmon resource.
The minister's reply was surprising because there is ample evidence of the negative impact of net-cage salmon farming on wild salmon. It has been clearly documented by several authorities, including the Auditor General in 2000. In addition, the Pacific Fisheries Resources Conservation Council confirmed this fact in March.
According to several scientific reviews, the aquaculture industry has frequently violated the Fisheries Act since its expansion on the British Columbia coast in the early nineties. This has included: the escape of hundreds of thousands of fish, including Atlantic salmon; the harmful alteration of habitat, including the smothering of the benthos under the net pens with fish waste; the construction of unapproved facilities that interfere with navigation; and the illegal deposit of deleterious substances.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has the authority to protect wild species under the Fisheries Act, yet it has not exercised that authority. Recent studies by the Pacific Fisheries Resources Conservation Council in Vancouver, an independent body appointed by the federal government, confirmed that the government had strongly promoted the aquaculture industry, but it had not adequately seen to it that salmon farmers adopt environmentally sustainable practices and procedures.
As to sea lice, the British Columbia provincial government disagreed with the fisheries council's findings that sea lice were a threat to the wild fishery. The provincial fisheries minister indicated that the aquaculture industry would continue to operate as in the past. As recently stated by former Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientist and aquaculture specialist Otto Langer:
The Fisheries Act bestows on the Federal Minister of Fisheries all the powers he needs to protect wild fish and their habitat while allowing for the proper development of a viable aquaculture industry
Against this background, namely Dr. Langer's authoritative statement, plus the findings of the Auditor General, the findings of the Pacific Fisheries Resources Conservation Council, can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans explain today why the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has not acted under the Fisheries Act and removed the net-cage salmon farming operations in light of the irreparable damage they cause to wild stocks?