11 Jun BISC113 C100 Assignment #2: Argumenta?on Assignment
Question
Should the Bri?sh Columbian government allow open?cage system for salmon farms?
From a small industry which started over 40 years ago, salmon farming in British Columbia has grown to one that had
$1.14 billion of economic impact to the BC economy in 2013 (the last year that the data is available)[1]. BC is the
fourth largest global producer of farmed salmon, most of which is exported to the United States and Asia.
Figure 1. An open netcaged farmed Atlantic salmon operation in British Columbia. Source: Suzuki, D.(April 29 2014)
After a decade of controversy, has anything changed at B.C. salmon farms?. The Georgia Straight.com. Retrived
from: http://www.straight.com/news/635211/davidsuzukiafterdecadecontroversyhasanythingchangedbcsalmonfarms
(http://www.straight.com/news/635211/davidsuzukiafterdecadecontroversyhasanythingchangedbcsalmonfarms)
The salmon farms are usually located in sheltered inlets between Vancouver Island and the mainland (there are maps
shown in some of the videos listed below). The majority of fish farmed in BC are Atlantic salmon, as this species has
been farmed for a longer period of time and are adapted to the conditions found in open netcages. A typical salmon
farm with open netcages is shown in Figure 1. The opennet cages have netting to contain the salmon and prevent
marine predators (seals, otters, sea lions) from entering the pens. The nets do not restrict the normal movement of
water. Food is thrown into the pen from above and excess food and wastes fall through the pen onto the seafloor.
As the industry grew, so did the concerns about the impact of the fish farms on the environment and the wild salmon.
The concerns were centred around the impact of the salmon farms on the health of the wild salmon, environmental
contamination by wastes, medications, pesticides and escaped salmon.
No single government agency has complete control over establishment and monitoring of the salmon farming
industry. The government of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (a.k.a. DFO) has the responsibility to conserve
and protect wild salmon, fish and fish habitat. It is also responsible for the promotion of aquaculture in Canada. There
are eight additional federal organisations that have regulatory roles for aquaculture. The BC government, Ministry of
Agriculture (the name of this ministry has changed over the years) has responsibility for licensing, monitoring and
management of the sites once they are operational.
As the number of fish farms grew and the runs of wild salmon declined, the news media became the battlefield for this
debate on the future of salmon farms. If you do an Internet search on ‘BC Salmon Farms’ you will see the magnitude
of the videos, news articles, blogs, and industry reports on the subject.
Although there has been so much discussion on this topic over the years, the issue is still unresolved. At times there
have been moratoriums on the establishment of new fish farms, but these have been lifted. The Cohen Commission
of Inquiry was tasked with investigating the decline in Fraser River Sockeye Salmon. Hundreds of people testified and
2017625 Assignment 2: BISC113 C100 Biology in Everyday Life
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the final report was published in 2012. Although many of the recommendations found in the report are still under
review, it is important to note that Justice Cohen did state that the burden of proof was the responsibility of DFO to
show that there was no more than a minimal risk of serious harm to wild salmon from salmon farms. He further states
that if a minimal risk of serious harm could not be proven than he recommended that salmon farms be removed from
the Discovery Islands (the site of many fish farms in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland) by
2020.
With the confirmation of yet another fish disease, Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation, in BC salmon farms[2]
(HAMI is a disease associated with a virus. Originally detected in farmed salmon in Europe and has been shown to
move from farmed salmon to wild salmon.), it seems like only a matter of time before it too is added to the list of
pathogens imported from Europe and detected in wild salmon in BC. If the risk to wild salmon is indeed increasing as
the number of farmed salmon increase, it seems that we need a resolution of the effect of opennet salmon farms
sooner rather than later.
Figure 2. Are diseases transmitted from farmed salmon causing native salmon to die before they could
spawn? This photograph shows many dead fish that died before they spawned. Source: Retrieved from:
https://mobile.twitter.com/WatershedWatch_/status/621719148473663488
[1] http://www.theprovince.com/three+decades+here+five+quick+facts+salmon+farming+industry/11469641/story.html
[2] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britishcolumbia/farmedsalmonbcdiseasehsmiaquaculture1.3593958
Argumentation Assignment
You will consider this statement: The British Columbian government should change its current policies to no
longer permit open netcage systems for farming Atlantic salmon within BC coastal waters.
Pro reasons argue that open netcage systems for farming Atlantic salmon should not be permitted due to
considerable negative impacts to the environment and the disease risk to wild salmon.
Con reasons argue that open netcage systems for farming Atlantic salmon should be permitted as the overall
benefit out weighs the negative impacts to the environment and the disease risk to wild salmon.
Assignment should be only 400–500 words (approximately one page).
Make two to three pro arguments in favor of this statement and two to three con arguments opposing it.
Your arguments supporting or opposing the statement must be clear and well explained. You will provide
supporting evidence for each of your pro and con arguments.
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Pro arguments and evidence
The following videos/documents will give you some information on the concerns that many groups have expressed
about the environmental impacts of farmed salmon in BC.
Produced by CAAR (Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform) made up of 4 major organizations (David Suzuki
Foundation? Georgia Straight Alliance? Living Oceans Society? T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation).
Unfortunately this video will only stream in Canada (sorry for those of you that are outside Canada).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbxOFcvC4U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbxOFcvC4U)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbxOFcvC4U)
This video is longer, but it gives you more background information. It includes footage of testimony from the Cohen
Commission of Inquiry.
I don’t recommend that you attempt to read the Cohen Report, so this document will give you a sampling of the
Justice Cohen’s recommendations and the input from the scientists (many from SFU) about those recommendations.
The Cohen Commission of Inquiry Final Report (all 1200 pages of it) is available online (Volume 1
(http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/bcppco/CP329320121eng.pdf) ? Volume 2
(http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/bcppco/CP329320122eng.pdf) ? Volume 3
(http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/bcppco/CP329320123eng.pdf) ).
Con arguments and evidence:
The following videos/documents will give you some background information about the industry and present the issues
from the industry point view. The first publication is produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and will give you an
overview of aquaculture in BC. The second and third are produced by industry.
The supporting evidence you provide must be relevant to each argument.
You must clearly explain the evidence and explain how it supports the argument.
Finally, you must state a clear conclusion, briefly explaining the arguments and evidence that support your
conclusion.
1. Farmed and Dangerous 2013 (http://thewaterbrothers.ca/farmedanddangerous/)
2. Salmon Confidential (Documentary) 2013
3. Speaking for the Salmon Fraser Sockeye Salmon: An Uncertain Future Charting a Course of Action on
Cohen Commission Recommendations Statement from Scientists’ Think Tank
(http://johnreynolds.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/03/sfuthinktankstatementcohencommission2013.pdf) .
February 27, 2013 SFU
1. Aquaculture in British Columbia – DFO Canada (http://www.pac.dfompo.gc.ca/publications/pdfs/aqua_mgmtgest_aquaeng.pdf)
2. Marine Harvest – Reference Document: Salmon Farming in British Columbia
(https://canvas.sfu.ca/courses/31729/files/5612789/download?wrap=1)
(https://canvas.sfu.ca/courses/31729/files/5612789/download?wrap=1) .
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Marine Harvest is one of the major players in the BC salmon farming industry and is a member of the BC Salmon Farmers Association.
There is a link in this document to a ’60 Minutes’ story about salmon farming in BC. You can view the story and read Marine Harvest’s
response to the story.
Click on the “LEARN MORE” buttons to see more information in each section.
In the section “Growing the world’s best fish” click on the down arrow. This will take you to a second page that has a
link to the “Sustainability Progress Report”. This 2015 report will give you the industries prospective on how their
industry is changing to become environmental sustainable.
You are also welcome to find other references on your own. If you use popular articles or web resources, try to figure
out the credentials and credibility of the author(s) of the material. You are not expected to incorporate all the
information that is provided in these six videos/publications provided above. However, make sure that you
understand the evidence clearly enough to present two or three clear and well explained pro and con reasons that
support and oppose the statement, to summarize relevant supporting evidence for each of your reasons, and to
reach a wellsupported conclusion.
You do not have to cite your sources, but keep track of the papers you use.
You must write your arguments, evidence, and conclusions in your own words.
If you quote a source word for word, use quotation marks and include a brief citation (author, year). However, if
you use quotations, we will not be able to assess your own understanding of the content and will not consider
your arguments or evidence as evidence of your grasp of the issues you are discussing. Thus, quotes in
quotation marks will lead to low marks, although they will not be considered plagiarism.
Do not patch write by simply patching together blocks of text, perhaps with slight modification, taken from one
or more sources. If you have any concerns about plagiarism or patch writing, contact your tutormarker to
review your assignment before it is due.
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