by Miriam Trevis
The Record
Sept. 10, 2003
An announcement at the end of last month that a new fish farm has been approved for Muchalat Inlet has been welcomed in some areas while other interests are still studying their options.
Cited by proponents Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. as an "important economic driver for Nootka Sound and its surrounding communities offering well paying employment opportunities," the announcement was welcomed by Gold River Mayor David Lewis who stated that the Village is "excited about the development of this new salmon farm and the economic contribution which it will play."
The new farm will be licensed to raise 750,000 salmon and will employ seven people year-round with a further 25 jobs being provided for six months at a processing plant in Campbell River. It is anticipated that approval of this farm will be an important component towards the construction of a fish processing plant in Nootka Sound.
Approved under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Pilot Project Technologies Initiative the farm site, which will be located in King's Passage near Gore Island (see correction below), will be linked directly with a closed container on-land salmon farm near Nanaimo which sells its products under the "Eco-salmon" label. Grieg Seafoods is a direct contributor to the on-land salmon site research, according to its press release.
The whole project is being monitored by local First Nations who feel that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has ignored its input and concerns. A meeting to discuss the options open to First Nations is scheduled for September 9 and The Record will carry information concerning the outcome of this meeting in its next edition.
Another area of concern for First Nations is the recent fish die-off in Esperanza Inlet where 2.2 million pounds of Atlantic salmon succumbed to Heterosigma carterae - a type of Plankton. The dead fish were disposed of at landfill sites (see clarification below) in Port MaNeil, Campbell River and the Comox Valley.
A press release issued by Grieg Seafoods at the time of the loss stated that employees monitor daily for this and other types of plankton. The release indicates that "the exact means by which the plankton affects the salmon is unknown but it is believed that the byproducts of the planktons natural processes affect the salmon's ability to absorb oxygen from water.
Grieg Seafoods currently
operates five farms in the Nootks Sound region. The company hopes to eventually
have 16 farms in the area of which nine would be operational at any one
time with the remaining fallow.
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NOTE: The following corrections were received since the original publication of the article:
1. The approved site is not in King's Passage but Muchalat Inlet approximately 2km east of Gore Island.
2. With regards to
removal of the dead fish, they were taken to composting facilities that
will utilize the material to produce soil / compost products.
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