Published: April 7, 2005

Salmon & Sea Lice

Published: April 7, 2005

Letter to the Editor

April 7, 2005

Vancouver — With a recent study published by the Royal Society of London, the well-oiled anti-aquaculture machine has bamboozled Canadian and international media into believing sea lice from salmon farms are killing British Columbia’s wild salmon.

With his article Team Links Farmed Fish to Outbreak (March 30) and his column Biologist’s Research Hooks DFO-But Is It Too Late? (April 4), Mark Hume has added further fuel to the misinformation campaign.

The study, funded in part by the David Suzuki Foundation, passes off correlation for causation, overlooks the basic reproduction cycle of sea lice and fails to point out that 2004 pink-salmon returns in the area were well above the 50-year average.

By spreading bad science, Mr. Hume’s articles will harm struggling B.C. coastal communities that rely on aquaculture for survival. First Nations and women, who form the backbone of the salmon-farming work force, will be hit particularly hard. Mr. Hume will scare consumers into avoiding one of the most nutritious, affordable and heart-friendly sources of protein in the world.

By Dr. Patrick Moore, PhD

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