Salmon Aquaculture:
Views of an Independent Scientist
Rick Routledge
Centre for Coastal Studies
Simon Fraser University
Captain George
Vancouver’s
map from his
1792-94
explorations.
The Precautionary Approach
•  Is there a reasonable chance that our present
actions may cause irreversible or very long-term
damage?
•  If so, then we need to make changes.
Summary of Current Status: Sockeye
•  Some large stocks still faring well.
•  Three major stock complexes in deep trouble:
•  Rivers Inlet,
•  Early Stuart, and
•  Late-Run Fraser River.
•  Numerous small stocks faring poorly or unmonitored.
B.C. Catch Statistics: 1961
•  “These two areas [Rivers and Smith Inlets]
produced 1,056,000 sockeye … or 23.1% of the
provincial total. Area 9 [Rivers Inlet] was the
second highest producing sockeye area in the
province.”
Rivers Inlet Sockeye Returns
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Year
2000
1990
1980
1970
1960
1950
1940
1930
Escapement
Catch
1920
1910
Millions of Sockeye
(no escapement data prior to 1951)
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
Year
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
1988
1986
1984
1982
-
2000
200,000
1980
Numbers of Sockeye
Rivers Inlet Sockeye Escapement
Estimates
Summary of Current Status: Other Pacific
Salmon
•  Coho: Thompson River and Strait of Georgia still
depressed.
•  Chinook: Increasing concerns especially for
WVCI.
•  Steelhead: Signs of chronic depression for many
southern stocks.
•  Some signs of improved ocean conditions.
•  Global warming impacts?
Simon Fraser University Meeting
March, 2000
•
•
•
•
Focused on state of scientific knowledge
Identified key knowledge gaps
Discussed associated risks
Considered relevance of Precautionary Principle
Adaptive Management
•  The provincial government representative, in his
opening remarks, stated the government’s
intention to deploy adaptive management in
salmon aquaculture.
Three Areas of Potential Impact
•  Genetic Interactions
•  Disease Impacts
•  Ecological Interactions
Genetic Interactions
•  Major impacts on interbreeding populations.
•  Of potential concern in B.C. for farmed chinook
and coho.
•  Lack of knowledge of local genetic adaptations.
•  Critically needed in light of depletion of wild
stocks and hatchery releases.
Transgenic Fish
•  Not of interest at present, but this could change
rapidly.
•  Critical need for stringent rules to be laid out in
advance.
Disease Impacts
•  Disease and parasite transfers between farmed and
wild salmon have had serious consequences on
both sides of the Atlantic.
•  Special concerns when wild stocks depressed.
•  Continuing need for tight restrictions on fish and
egg importation and for disease monitoring.
•  Side concerns over ballast water and food
importation.
Disease Interactions: Related Concerns
•  Lack of expertise in fish diseases in government
and universities.
•  Serious concerns over other sources of exotic
species, including pathogens, especially ballast
water and live food importation.
Ecological Interactions
Three key areas:
1.  Juvenile competition with steelhead in
freshwater,
2.  Spawning interactions, including egg eating by
precocious smolts and gamete wastage, and
3.  Ocean survival of the progeny of escaped
Atlantic salmon.
Unavoidable Conclusion (RR)
•  The possibility that Atlantic salmon will
successfully invade the northeastern Pacific can
no longer be characterized as remote.
•  How large an impact might such an invasion
have?
Answer
•  It is impossible to predict the eventual outcome of
the evolutionary process.
•  Could be as benign as the introduction of the
horse.
•  Could be as devastating as the introduction of the
sea lamprey to the Great Lakes.
Precautionary Principle
•  General Consensus on the following:
•  There is sufficient lack of certainty in the
potential impacts associated with salmon farming
to invoke the Precautionary Principle.
•  Of special concern was the risk of changes to wild
Pacific salmon that will be either irreversible or
long-term.
Questions (RR)
•  Who is taking responsibility for ensuring that
Canada honours its international commitment to
the Precautionary Principle as applied to
aquaculture?
•  Are the management agencies in compliance with
a Precautionary Approach?
Is the information on which conservation and
management measures are to be based
uncertain, unreliable, or inadequate?
No
Develop measures based
on this information. No
need to apply a
Precautionary
Approach.
Yes
Apply a
Precautionary
Approach. Err on the
side of caution.
Measures are
consistent with a
Precautionary
Approach.
Monitor
implementation
and effectiveness
of measures.
Continue to gather
relevant
information.
Yes
to
all
Seven Tough
Questions
No to any
Measures are out of compliance
with a Precautionary Approach.
The Tough Questions
1.  Have the needs of future generations been
considered?
2.  Will changes that are not potentially reversible
be avoided?
3.  Have undesirable outcomes and measures that
will avoid or correct them been identified?
4.  …
The Questions (continued)
4.  Can corrective measures be initiated without
delay?
5.  Will the corrective measures achieve their
purpose promptly?
6.  Has priority been given to conserving the
productive capacity of the resource?
7.  Has there been an appropriate placement of the
burden of proof?
Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries
Signed by Canada, this document states that
governments:
“…should apply the precautionary approach widely
to conservation, management and exploitation of
living aquatic resources in order to protect them
and preserve the aquatic environment.”
More from the Code
“The absence of adequate scientific
information should not be used as a
reason for postponing or failing to take
conservation and management
measures.”
Questions
•  Are Canadian management agencies in
compliance with a Precautionary
Approach?
•  Who is taking responsibility for ensuring
that Canada honours its international
commitment to the Precautionary Principle
as applied to aquaculture?
Closing Paragraph of Meeting Summary
•  Managers to develop measures to ensure
compliance with the precautionary approach.
•  Essential to face the evidence squarely.
•  Focus on long-term, serious consequences.
•  Need for thorough, demonstrably objective
monitoring.
•  All results to be made freely available.