As a founding group member of the Healthy Bays Network we are represented as co-signers of this joint letter, which rightfully calls out the industry's bs in their response to DFO Minister Joyce Murray's recent decision.
The industry's PR messaging of late has taken a noticeable shift. The tired and dated media lines of jobs jobs jobs, 'misinformed busy bodies', and illegitimate research has been replaced with attacks of a more political nature with accusations of political agendas, and conspiracies with *self-interest* groups (ie; environment organizations, Indigenous leaders, non-industry scientists, community citizens.)
Anyone who knows anything about this industry has always seen right through the holes in their dated regurgitated messaging, it seems finally they realize this too. With growing global awareness and instantaneous information sharing in the palm of our hands - the same disastrous impacts are witnessed and documented in coastal communities around the world where salmon farms operate in public waters used by entire communities, local fisheries and tourists alike, the 'Nimby' busy bodies narrative, doesn't hold water and never did. With volumes of recent published evidence like Not On My Watch, Salmon Wars and non-industry funded peer reviewed research - both the 'misinformed' and lack of science narrative' hold no water either. Jobs? For the past few years job vacancies are at record highs with workers in demand even in rural areas. Not to mention working remotely is simply the norm for many. As the open pen industry has expanded, they use less workers not more. Development of closed contained land based operations are steadily on the rise. So now, Industry shifts to attacking elected authorities who universally are under pressure to crack down on protecting the environment from impacts of industrial feedlots.
We saw Industry launch this line of attack against Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands, who recently banned net pens in Washington State. And earlier this week, Cermaq CEO Steven Rafferty declared Joyce Murray's decision "the most crazy decision in the history of global salmon farming". How selectively special. Not Argentina, Denmark or Washington banning net pens completely, nor Chili banning them in sensitive areas. Somehow it is Joyce Murray's that is the *most crazy* for shutting down 15 farms - a decision that was actually made two years ago by the former Minister Bernadette Jordan.
There is no doubt where the Industry's interests lie, its not in the environment or wild species. They aren't fooling anyone.
Thanks Geoff LeBoutillier, Healthy Bays Network et Al for calling this out.
Read the full letter below, or link to the original source here.
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