Campaign Launched Against Large-scale Aquaculture

‘Salmon Farming Kills’ employs graphic imagery similar to the ‘Smoking Kills’ campaigns against Big Tobacco and warns of the dangers of salmon farming.

This month, GAAIA said it will issue a new report on salmon - ‘Smoke on the Water, Cancer on the Coast’ - followed by reports on shrimp, tuna and GE fish.

“Salmon farming kills around the world and should carry a global health warning,” said Don Staniford, global coordinator for GAAIA in British Columbia.

“As good global citizens we need to face the fact that salmon farming seriously damages human health, the health of our global ocean and the health of wild fish. Salmon farming is spreading in Norway, Chile, Scotland, Canada, Ireland, the Faroes, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and now in Russia like a malignant cancer on our coasts. Quit salmon farming now and help stub out farmed salmon from the face of our precious planet.”

“Expensive PR campaigns promoting farmed salmon as ‘safe’ and ‘sustainable’ serve only to raise the alarm that salmon farms harm,” said Kurt Oddekalv, leader of Norges Miljøvernforbund (Green Warriors of Norway) in Norway.

“Salmon farmers are shooting themselves in the foot by denying peer-reviewed scientific evidence detailing human health and environment risks. Here in Norway the industry is on death row with infectious diseases, sea lice infestations, chemical resistance, escapes and depleted fish feed issues looming as the last nails in the coffin.”

“By draining our Southeast Pacific oceans of wild fish for feed, Norwegian-owned salmon farmers are robbing Pedro to pay John and stealing fish out of the mouths of Latin Americans,” said Juan Carlos Cardenas, a veterinary doctor and Director of Ecoceanos in Chile.

“This lethal industry has been responsible for the deaths of divers and sixty four workers as well as hundreds of sea lions and other marine birds and mammals. The bad practices of Norwegian companies operating here in Chile provoked the most important sanitary, environmental and social crisis in the south Chilean coastal regions where 20,000 jobs have been destroyed during the last three years. The industry has blood on their hands and ought to hang their heads in shame.”

Don Staniford, global coordinator for GAAIA is attending the Seafood Summit - ‘Responsibility Without Borders?’ – in Vancouver this week.