Please direct all media inquiries to Allison Murray, Communications Associate, at allison [at] murraycommunications.org | 604-442-1846.

DFO seeks to undo important precedent for at-risk species

January 17, 2010 Environmental groups headed back to court to uphold killer whale victory   VANCOUVER – Environmental groups vowed today to fight the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) appeal of a decisive and precedent-setting Federal Court ruling that declared that  DFO must protect critical habitat of killer whales and other aquatic species. DFO seeks to overturn the decision…

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New Pacific Aquaculture Regulations pose major concerns, only marginal improvements

December 10, 2010VANCOUVER, BC – The new Pacific Aquaculture Regulations, unveiled today in Vancouver by Fisheries Minister Gail Shea bring some areas of improvement over the previous Provincial regime. But the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) has major concerns around the transparency of industry reporting and lack of clarity concerning possible exemption from habitat destruction provisions of the Fisheries…

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Cohen inquiry orders release of salmon farm data

December 8, 2010 VANCOUVER – The Conservation Coalition – a participant group in the federal sockeye inquiry – applauds Justice Bruce Cohen’s order instructing the salmon farming industry and the federal and provincial governments to release farming data from 120 farms, dating back 10 years. The information requested includes disease, sea lice and stocking data that must be supplied to…

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Cohen Inquiry orders release of salmon farm data

VANCOUVER – The Conservation Coalition – a participant group in the federal sockeye inquiry – applauds Justice Bruce Cohen’s order instructing the salmon farming industry and the federal and provincial governments to release farming data from120 farms, dating back 10 years. The information requested includes disease, sea lice and stocking data that must be supplied to the Cohen Commission by…

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Decisive killer whale court win offers hope for at-risk species

December 7, 2010 Federal Court rules DFO failed to protect B.C. resident killer whale critical habitat VANCOUVER – Conservation groups, represented by Ecojustice, have won a landmark decision (see below) in the Federal Court which ruled today that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has failed to adequately protect critical habitat of B.C.’s resident killer whales. The win ensures stronger…

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DFO study affirms viability of closed containment technology for salmon aquaculture

For Immediate ReleaseNovember 24, 2010VANCOUVER, BC – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has released a new report that affirms the economic viability of closed containment technology for salmon aquaculture. The department also recommends building a pilot scale or demonstration system as a next step. The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) is delighted that the federal government is finally recognizing the potential of closed containment technology…

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Elevated lice levels reported in the wake of new published science in Discovery Islands

For Immediate ReleaseNovember 12, 2010CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – New research published this week confirming salmon farms as a major source of sea lice on juvenile salmon migrating through the Discovery Islands comes at the same time CAAR campaigners have discovered salmon farming companies in this region are reporting elevated lice levels on their farms. The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform…

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New research suggests salmon farms & sea lice are main cause of 7-fold decrease in coho productivity in Broughton Archipelago

For Immediate Release October 7, 2010 VANCOUVER, BC – Two new sea lice papers published online in the Journal of Applied Ecology suggest that sea lice from salmon farms may be dramatically affecting the health of coho salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago. The first paper, co-sponsored by Watershed Watch Salmon Society, indicates that sea lice transmitted from pink salmon prey…

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Participants in sockeye Judicial Inquiry demand salmon farm companies release critical disease, sea lice & stocking information

For Immediate Release:September 22, 2010VANCOUVER, BC – Two participant groups in the Judicial Inquiry into the decline of Fraser River sockeye – the Conservation and Aquaculture Coalitions – are pressing for critical fish health and stocking records from the salmon farming industry, the Province of B.C. and the Federal Government. The groups maintain that the data are needed by the…

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