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Environmentalist Arrested In Salmon Smolt Protest

Salmonids Biosecurity Politics +2 more

CANADA - The president of the Medway River Salmon Association, Darrell Tingley, was arrested at the weekend during a protest over the transfer of salmon smolts from trucks to a boat at Medway Port in Nova Scotia.

The MRSA members were protesting over potential contamination of the water by the transfer.

The fish were en route to an open pen salmon farm off Coffin Island nearby.

Mr Tingley was arrested and briefly detained by RCMP officers before being released without charges.

Although unsuccessful in preventing the transfer, the association said that work continues behind the scenes to alleviate the threats that this fish transfer pose.

Mr Tingley said: "On Saturday, June 25 three DARTEK transport trucks off loaded Saint John River Smolts onto a Cooke Aquaculture boat at the Port Medway dock. Cooke was assisted by the RCMP, who made sure any protestors would be arrested if they attempted to stop the trucks. DFO and the Aquaculture Branch of Inland Fisheries "failed" to show up to protect Wild Atlantic Salmon from these "foreign" species.

"Wild Medway Atlantic Salmon Stock are under serious threat as any escapees will penetrate the Medway and other rivers in the area. Escapees are sure to happen as 500,000 Rainbow Trout escaped during hurricane Juan and 13,000 escaped the spring of 2010 as seals tore holes in the nets."

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