[Fishlink] ~~>SUBLEGALS 30May03<~~
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~~>SUBLEGALS 30May03<~~
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A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT AND
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S
ASSOCIATIONS
VOL. 07, NO. 22 30 MAY 2003
##########################################################
"The fish sees the bait, not the hook; a person sees the gain,
not the danger." ......Chinese Proverb
##########################################################
IN THIS ISSUE.......
Major Anti-Salmon Farm Ruling Handed Down In Maine. 7:22/01
New Study Finds Male Farmed Salmon Threaten Wild Genes. 7:21/02
Report Says North American Countries Have Failed To
Protect Wild Salmon. 7:22/03
Chile joins NAFTA, Egypt Withdraws Support From US
Trade Case Against the EU. 7:21/04
World Summit on Salmon Coming Up. 7:21/06
AND MORE......
##########################################################
7:22/01. JUDGE RULES THAT SALMON FARMS "PRESENT
AN IMMINENT THREAT OF IRREPEPERABLE HARM TO THE
WILD ATLANTIC SALMON POPULATIONS OF MAINE": U.S.
District Court Judge Gene Carter issued another ruling on 28 May 2003
that sent salmon aquaculture corporations reeling. The ruling prohibits
Atlantic Salmon of Maine, LLC and Stolt Sea Farm from stocking any
more fish in their net pens until the companies receive water discharge
permits under the Clean Water Act. The farms were fined $50,000 each
for ignoring regulations. Perhaps Carter's most stunning order came in
the requirement of a two-year mandatory fallow period, during which no
salmon are to be farmed in the net pens. This ruling was made to
hopefully allow for the sea bed to recover and regenerate from the high
levels of waste that had been discharged by the farm. In the forty-seven
page ruling, Judge Carter also banned the use of non-North American
strains of salmon at the farms, citing worries of hybridization with
remaining native wild stocks of Atlantic Salmon that are struggling to
survive. The state's proposed permit would have given the companies
until December 2008 to stop using European hybrids.
The ruling also ordered the farms to start complying with their current
permits, which require dead fish to be removed daily from the nets pens,
as it was shown in the trial that the farms routinely violated this
requirement. The rulings were a result a citizen enforcement suit by the
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S.PIRG) and two Maine
residents. This ruling comes after Judge Carter's June 2002 ruling,
which ruled that since 1990 both companies have been discharging
pollutants in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
Although the Judge took a hard line in dealing with the salmon farms,
he blamed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maine
Department of Environmental Protection (MEPA) for letting the farms
run amok without enforcing regulations. The farms had actually applied
for wastewater discharge permits twelve years earlier, but the agencies
weren't prepared to deal with the permitting as the EPA never went
through the process of creating and enforcing specific limits on the use
of pollutants such as feed, pesticides and fish waste. In his ruling, Judge
Carter wrote that the court was forced to impose regulations because the
agencies had not taken responsibility and failed to protect the public
resource.
The ruling may have far reaching consequences, not only in the U.S.,
but in Canada too. British Columbian (B.C.) Prime Minister John Van
Dongen said that he and his staff will study the ruling set down by Carter
and if the findings seem conclusive, possibly change B.C. laws regarding
waste management from their own fish farms.
The coast of B.C. is home to the majority of North American salmon
farms. To see more information on B.C.'s reaction to the ruling see:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/
story.asp?id=6B0F9D6F-2D94-40DB-85A4-72F18754CFCE.
The president of Atlantic Salmon of Maine in Belfast, David
Peterson, said they are considering an appeal, and acknowledged that it
will take the farms years to replace the European hybrid fish. Maine's
Resource Commissioner, George LaPointe, was concerned over the
economic impacts of the ruling on Maine's flailing economy. The salmon
farming industry has been worth $58 million/year to Maine's economy
and employs around 1,200 people but, according to Judge Carter, the
companies haven't turned a profit in two years. Ironically, Carter's ruling
comes as state and federal regulators finally appear ready to issue the
companies their Clean Water Act permits with specific discharge limits.
The MEPA is scheduled to vote on the rules June 19, and the EPA could
formally issue the permits soon afterward. Judge Carter's two related 28
May decisions in the U.S. PIRG cases can be read on-line at:
http://www.med.uscourts.gov/opinions/carter/2003. To see the 29 May
Portland Press Herald article on the ruling go to:
http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/030529salmon.shtml.
7:22/02. STUDY FINDS MALE FARM SALMON ESCAPEES
THREATENING WILD GENE POOLS: A new study entitled
"Alternative Male Life-History Tactics as Potential Vehicles for
Speeding Introgression of Farm Salmon Traits into Wild Populations,"
by Dany Garant, Ian A. Fleming, Sigurd Einum, and Louis Bernatchez,
shows that male farm fish escapees mature precociously and THEN
compete with wild fish for mates much more aggressively than
previously thought. It had previously been theorized that farmed
escapees weren't very successful at mating in the wild.
In what is called an "alternative reproduction strategy," the early
maturing males use their small size to sneak into copulations occurring
with wild stocks and can then fertilize up to a third of the eggs in the
redd. The report states that farm males "are more successful at sneaking
copulations, participating in more spawning events and having higher
fertilization success than wild males." Thus farm salmon escapees have
a higher chance of depositing their genes into existing wild stocks and at
a rate much faster than previously thought possible. Since farmed
salmon are raised in crowded pen enclosures, they are much more
aggressive then wild fish. To purchase the report, published in Ecology
Letters, Vol. 6 Issue 6 Page 541 June 2003, online you can go to:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=showIssues&
code=ele.
7:22/03. REPORT SHOWS NORTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES
HAVE FAILED WILD SALMON: On 29 May 2003 the World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) and the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) released an
independently prepared analysis on the progress that North American
countries have made to protect wild salmon from industrial salmon
farming. The report is entitled, "Protecting Wild Salmon from the
Impacts of Aquaculture," and blames Scotland, along with Canada, the
United States, Norway, Ireland, and Iceland for letting salmon farms go
unchecked, particularly in the Atlantic. It also faults these countries with
not adhering to the articles of the 1994 Oslo Resolution, which
recommends specific actions for nations to control the negative impacts
of salmon farming.
The report goes into detail regarding the Scottish Executive's (SE)
lack of initiative in dealing with the aquaculture problem, saying that the
SE's policy on farm location that is due in 2005 is not soon enough. The
SE released an aquaculture strategy earlier this year and outlines a
commitment to identify, within 12 months, the sites that need to be
relocated. The strategy also limits any further expansion to areas that can
support fin or shell fish farming and to companies that can guarantee
high quality production with a minimum of impact on the environment.
The report details the failings of the Scottish government to safely
protect the remaining wild stocks of Atlantic salmon by allowing salmon
aquaculture to go on unchecked along it's coast. Scotland produces over
22% of all the farmed salmon in the Atlantic. As a result of the report,
the Chairman of the Scottish Salmon Farm Protest Group, Bruce
Sandison, announced that the group will be lodging a formal complaint
with the E.U. For more on that, go to:
http://www.salmonfarmmonitor.org.
The report also states that through 1983-2001, wild Atlantic salmon
have declined by forty-five percent, while farmed salmon has increased
by fifty-five percent, with wild fish now being outnumbered forty-eight
to one in the North Atlantic. The WWF recommends mandatory
monitoring and enforcement of the Oslo Resolution regulations, as well
as creating "exclusion zones" in every country to protect wild salmon
stocks in certain key rivers.
The report will probably be gone over in detail at the 1-6 June
meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization
(NASCO) in Edinburgh. Representatives from Canada, the E.U.,
Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation and the U.S.
will use the annual meeting to chart their progress on restoring wild
salmon populations. For more information on the conference go to:
http://www.nasco.org.uk. For information on the WWF's report, go to:
http://www.wwf-uk.org/core/about/scotland.asp.
7:22/04. CHILE JOINS NAFTA, EGYPT WITHDRAWS ITS
SUPPORT OF US GMO TRADE CASE AGAINST EU: The 1-3 June
2003 meeting of the Group of 8 summit meeting in Evian-Les Bains,
France was also a stage for the continuing battle between the U.S. and
the E.U. on genetically modified organism (GMO) food trade issues. On
13 May 2003, the United States filed the equivalent of a lawsuit with the
World Trade Organization (WTO), saying that Europe's temporary
moratorium on genetically engineered crops violates international trade
rules (see Sublegals, 7:20/01, 7:07/09). Until last week, Egypt, Canada,
and Argentina had backed the U.S. in the trade case. That changed on 30
May 2003 when Egypt's E.U. Ambassador announced, "...Egypt decided
not to become a party to the motion for arbitration launched by the
United States within the dispute settlement body of the World Trade
Organization." For the Reuters story on Egypt's withdrawal see:
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/20979/story.htm.
In trade news specifically related to the salmon industry, the U.S.
Office of Trade Representative (USTR) announced 27 May 2003 that the
U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement will be signed June 6 in Miami by
USTR Robert B. Zoellick and Chilean Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear.
The signing had been delayed a few months, possibly because Chile did
not back the U.S. in the second Gulf War. Chile was asked to be the
fourth member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
at the conclusion of the 1994 Summit of the Americas. Chile is one of
the largest exporters of farmed salmon in the world. For more
information see the USTR Press Release at:
http://www.ustr.gov/releases/2003/05/03-35.pdf.
At the summit meeting, U.S. President George Bush is expected to
press his case that Europe accept corporate-controlled GMO food, using
the issue of eradicating third world hunger as a emotional ploy. Bush
has already out and out accused Europe of obstructing the "great cause of
ending hunger in Africa" by not accepting GMO products. However,
ActionAid, a U.K.-based development agency, released a report on 28
May 2003 that indicated that GMO crops will not solve hunger problems
as there is no consistent evidence that they yield more crops. The report,
entitled, "Going Against the Grain," further indicates that genetically
engineered food could actually cause more world food insecurity, as
farmers would have to go into debt to buy the patented seeds each year
and wouldn't be able to use traditional reseeding farming methods. The
report also noted that less than one percent of all GMO research money
was directed at poor or third-world farmers. To see a copy of the report,
go to: http://www.actionaid.org/ourpriorities/foodrights/gmtechnology/
gmcrops.shtml.
Two months of negotiations between the E.U. and the U.S. regarding
the GMO trade policy are to follow, with the U.S. stating that if not
satisfied with arbitration, the complaint will be formally lodged and
eighteen months of investigation into the E.U. policy will follow. A
successful complaint would likely lead to large-scale trade sanctions
against the E.U. in favor of the U.S., unless the E.U. rescinded the
policy.
7:22/05. TWO NOVEMBER CONFERENCES OFFERED BY THE
U.S. REGIONAL FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCILS: There are
two upcoming conferences in November 2003. A conference sponsored
by the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils and the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is entitled "Managing Our Nations
Marine Fisheries-Past, Present, and Future," and takes place in
Washington D.C. 13-15 November. For more information on this
conference see: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/press_releases/
Nov_Conf_Press_Release-final.doc.
A second conference, hosted by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries
Commission (PSMFC) on "Marine Aquaculture: Effects on the West
Coast and Alaska Fishing Industry" will be held in Seattle, Washington
on 17-19 November 2003. This three-day conference will be focused on
the environmental and economic costs of aquaculture. For more
information on the aquaculture conference see:
http://www.psmfc.org/meetings/MarineAquacultureConf.pdf or call
(503)650-5400.
7:22/06. WORLD SUMMIT ON SALMON TO BE HELD: The
"World Summit on Salmon" will be held 10-13 June in Vancouver,
British Columbia. The summit is a forum for the globe's leading salmon
scientists, conservationists and managers. Participants will review the
prognosis and prospects of the world's wild salmon, identify knowledge
gaps and directions for future research. A community satellite
conference will be held 14-16 June in Port Alberni and Bamfield, British
Columbia. The satellite conference is hosted by the West Coast
Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board and will be held on a
passenger vessel traveling down Barkley Sound. Field Tours and a First
Nation's feast round out the event. For more information see:
http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/summit.htm.
7:22/07. MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA MUNICIPAL WATER
DISTRICT TO HOLD DESALINATION WORKSHOP: On
Wednesday 25 June Northern California's Marin County Municipal
Water District will hold a workshop to discuss its current programs
including plans to incorporate desalination. Stakeholders and ratepayers
are invited to attend and participate in the discussion. The event will
take place from 1900 HRS on the evening of the 25th at the Marin Art
and Garden Center (30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, California). For
more contact the MMWD at 415-945-1455 or go to:
http://www.marinwater.org.
7:22/08. NOAA FISHERIES STRATEGIC PLAN AVAILABLE: As
part of NOAA's new strategic planning process, NOAA has recently
published its draft Line Office strategic plans in the Federal Register.
The NOAA Fisheries [NMFS] Strategic Plan outlines that agency's
priorities through 2008 and can be accessed online at
www.osp.noaa.gov/docs/fisheries_strategic_plan.pdf. The public is
invited to comment on the draft strategic plan before it is finalized.
Comments are due by June 20, and can be e-mail to:
strategic.planning@noaa.gov.
7:22/09. NEW SALMON NETWORK WEBSITE: 28 May 2003
marked the launch of the new Salmon Network website. This website
connects fishing, environmental, consumer, food and indigenous groups
and organizations across the U.S. that are devoted to saving, promoting,
and enjoying wild salmon. The U.S. Salmon Network is designed to
educate about salmon issues. The Website contains a newsroom, action
alerts, details of events surrounding salmon issues, a directory of stores
and restaurants selling wild salmon, details on how to set up a local
sustainable seafood buying club and a newsletter. Participants can sign
up for list serves to receive further information and to get involved. The
U.S. Salmon Network is currently coordinated by the Institute for
Agriculture and Trade Policy and other participating members. Visit:
http://www.ussalmonnetwork.org to check it out.
7:22/10. U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE CONSIDERING BILLS
AGAINST INVASIVE SPECIES AND ALGAL BLOOMS: Two
important environmental bills will be heard 4-5 June by the U.S. House
Science Committee. The Aquatic Invasive Species Research Act (H.R.
1081), sponsored by Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), would dedicate $180 million
over four years to fight aquatic invasive species. The Harmful Algal
Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act (H.R. 1856), which
would reauthorize a 1998 law by providing about $30 million for
research into algal blooms and hypoxia. For copies see the Library of
Congress THOMAS service at: http://thomas.loc.gov.
********************
Paying Attention? Why is the Maine salmon aquaculture ruling so
important?
A) Because "as Maine goes, so goes the nation."
B) Because it goes along with Bush's plan to phase out the environment
by 2004.
C) Because it reads as an indictment against the salmon faming industry
and catalogues the environmental and health costs.
D) It doesn't. Studies have shown that Mainers are just a bunch of hard
drinking backwoods survivalists with little to no interest in the world
south of the New Hampshire border.
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org. One winner is
drawn each week from a list of those submitting the correct answer.
And the Winner is......JULIA SANDERS, who correctly answered "D)
Nichols is insistent that the flows on the Klamath River be raised to
avoid another catastrophic fish kill like last year" to the question, "Why
does California Resources Secretary Mary Nichols persist in her letter
writing campaign to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, even though
thus far her efforts haven't produced a response?" She will receive an
"Order of the Fringehead" certificate and a handsome gray shirt with the
cuddly Sarcastic Fringehead Sublegals logo.
CORRECTION: Thanks to intrepid Sublegals reader Jill Zarnowitz, who
pointed out a typo in Sublegals 7:21/11. The buyout of the English
salmon fishing fleet cost 3.4 million British pounds, not 3.4 British
pounds. Thanks Jill!
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,
comments or any corrections to Sara Randall, Editor at:
sublegals@ifrfish.org, or call the IFR/PCFFA office with the news and a
source at either: (415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000
(Northwest Office).
##########################################################
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service. To find out more about Fishlink, list information can be viewed
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####<BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; ~~>SUBLEGALS 30May03<~~<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT=
AND<BR>
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES <BR=
>
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S<BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; ASSOC=
IATIONS<BR>
<BR>
VOL. 07, NO. 22 =
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; 30 MAY 2003<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
"The fish sees the bait, not the hook; a person sees the gain, <BR>
not the danger." ......Chinese Proverb<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
IN THIS ISSUE.......<BR>
<BR>
Major Anti-Salmon Farm Ruling Handed Down In Maine. 7:22/01<BR>
<BR>
New Study Finds Male Farmed Salmon Threaten Wild Genes. 7:21/02<BR>
<BR>
Report Says North American Countries Have Failed To <BR>
Protect Wild Salmon. 7:22/03<BR>
<BR>
Chile joins NAFTA, Egypt Withdraws Support From US <BR>
Trade Case Against the EU. 7:21/04<BR>
<BR>
World Summit on Salmon Coming Up. 7:21/06<BR>
<BR>
AND MORE......<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
<BR>
7:22/01. JUDGE RULES THAT SALMON FARMS "PRESE=
NT<BR>
AN IMMINENT THREAT OF IRREPEPERABLE HARM TO THE<BR>
WILD ATLANTIC SALMON POPULATIONS OF MAINE": U.S.<BR>
District Court Judge Gene Carter issued another ruling on 28 May 2003<BR>
that sent salmon aquaculture corporations reeling. The ruling prohibits<BR>
Atlantic Salmon of Maine, LLC and Stolt Sea Farm from stocking any<BR>
more fish in their net pens until the companies receive water discharge<BR>
permits under the Clean Water Act. The farms were fined $50,000 each<BR>
for ignoring regulations. Perhaps Carter's most stunning order came in<BR>
the requirement of a two-year mandatory fallow period, during which no<BR>
salmon are to be farmed in the net pens. This ruling was made to<BR>
hopefully allow for the sea bed to recover and regenerate from the high<BR>
levels of waste that had been discharged by the farm. In the forty-sev=
en<BR>
page ruling, Judge Carter also banned the use of non-North American<BR>
strains of salmon at the farms, citing worries of hybridization with<BR>
remaining native wild stocks of Atlantic Salmon that are struggling to<BR>
survive. The state's proposed permit would have given the companies<BR>
until December 2008 to stop using European hybrids. <BR>
<BR>
The ruling also ordered the farms to start complyin=
g with their current<BR>
permits, which require dead fish to be removed daily from the nets pens,<BR>
as it was shown in the trial that the farms routinely violated this<BR>
requirement. The rulings were a result a citizen enforcement suit by the<BR>
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S.PIRG) and two Maine<BR>
residents. This ruling comes after Judge Carter's June 2002 ruling,<BR=
>
which ruled that since 1990 both companies have been discharging<BR>
pollutants in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. <BR>
<BR>
Although the Judge took a hard line in dealing with=
the salmon farms,<BR>
he blamed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maine<BR>
Department of Environmental Protection (MEPA) for letting the farms<BR>
run amok without enforcing regulations. The farms had actually applied<BR>
for wastewater discharge permits twelve years earlier, but the agencies<BR>
weren't prepared to deal with the permitting as the EPA never went<BR>
through the process of creating and enforcing specific limits on the use<BR>
of pollutants such as feed, pesticides and fish waste. In his ruling, Judge<=
BR>
Carter wrote that the court was forced to impose regulations because the<BR>
agencies had not taken responsibility and failed to protect the public<BR>
resource.<BR>
<BR>
The ruling may have far reaching consequences, not=20=
only in the U.S.,<BR>
but in Canada too. British Columbian (B.C.) Prime Minister John Van<BR>
Dongen said that he and his staff will study the ruling set down by Carter<B=
R>
and if the findings seem conclusive, possibly change B.C. laws regarding<BR>
waste management from their own fish farms. <BR>
<BR>
The coast of B.C. is home to the majority of North=20=
American salmon<BR>
farms. To see more information on B.C.'s reaction to the ruling see:<BR>
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/<BR>
story.asp?id=3D6B0F9D6F-2D94-40DB-85A4-72F18754CFCE.<BR>
<BR>
The president of Atlantic Salmon of Maine in Belfas=
t, David<BR>
Peterson, said they are considering an appeal, and acknowledged that it<BR>
will take the farms years to replace the European hybrid fish. Maine's<BR>
Resource Commissioner, George LaPointe, was concerned over the<BR>
economic impacts of the ruling on Maine's flailing economy. The salmon<BR>
farming industry has been worth $58 million/year to Maine's economy<BR>
and employs around 1,200 people but, according to Judge Carter, the<BR>
companies haven't turned a profit in two years. Ironically, Carter's ruling<=
BR>
comes as state and federal regulators finally appear ready to issue the<BR>
companies their Clean Water Act permits with specific discharge limits.<BR>
The MEPA is scheduled to vote on the rules June 19, and the EPA could<BR>
formally issue the permits soon afterward. Judge Carter's two related 28<BR>
May decisions in the U.S. PIRG cases can be read on-line at: <BR>
http://www.med.uscourts.gov/opinions/carter/2003. To see the 29 May<BR>
Portland Press Herald article on the ruling go to:<BR>
http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/030529salmon.shtml.<BR>
<BR>
7:22/02. STUDY FINDS MALE FARM SALMON ESCAPEES<BR>
THREATENING WILD GENE POOLS: A new study entitled<BR>
"Alternative Male Life-History Tactics as Potential Vehicles for<BR>
Speeding Introgression of Farm Salmon Traits into Wild Populations,"<BR>
by Dany Garant, Ian A. Fleming, Sigurd Einum, and Louis Bernatchez,<BR>
shows that male farm fish escapees mature precociously and THEN<BR>
compete with wild fish for mates much more aggressively than<BR>
previously thought. It had previously been theorized that farmed<BR>
escapees weren't very successful at mating in the wild. <BR>
<BR>
In what is called an "alternative reproduction stra=
tegy," the early<BR>
maturing males use their small size to sneak into copulations occurring<BR>
with wild stocks and can then fertilize up to a third of the eggs in the<BR>
redd. The report states that farm males "are more successful at sneaki=
ng<BR>
copulations, participating in more spawning events and having higher<BR>
fertilization success than wild males." Thus farm salmon escapees have=
<BR>
a higher chance of depositing their genes into existing wild stocks and at<B=
R>
a rate much faster than previously thought possible. Since farmed<BR>
salmon are raised in crowded pen enclosures, they are much more<BR>
aggressive then wild fish. To purchase the report, published in Ecology<BR>
Letters, Vol. 6 Issue 6 Page 541 June 2003, online you can go to:<BR>
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=3DshowIssues&<BR=
>
code=3Dele. <BR>
<BR>
7:22/03. REPORT SHOWS NORTH AMERICAN COUNTRIE=
S<BR>
HAVE FAILED WILD SALMON: On 29 May 2003 the World Wildlife<BR>
Fund (WWF) and the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) released an<BR>
independently prepared analysis on the progress that North American<BR>
countries have made to protect wild salmon from industrial salmon<BR>
farming. The report is entitled, "Protecting Wild Salmon from the<BR>
Impacts of Aquaculture," and blames Scotland, along with Canada, the<BR>
United States, Norway, Ireland, and Iceland for letting salmon farms go<BR>
unchecked, particularly in the Atlantic. It also faults these countries with=
<BR>
not adhering to the articles of the 1994 Oslo Resolution, which<BR>
recommends specific actions for nations to control the negative impacts<BR>
of salmon farming. <BR>
<BR>
The report goes into detail regarding the Sco=
ttish Executive's (SE)<BR>
lack of initiative in dealing with the aquaculture problem, saying that the<=
BR>
SE's policy on farm location that is due in 2005 is not soon enough. The<BR>
SE released an aquaculture strategy earlier this year and outlines a<BR>
commitment to identify, within 12 months, the sites that need to be<BR>
relocated. The strategy also limits any further expansion to areas that can<=
BR>
support fin or shell fish farming and to companies that can guarantee<BR>
high quality production with a minimum of impact on the environment. <BR>
<BR>
The report details the failings of the Scottish gov=
ernment to safely<BR>
protect the remaining wild stocks of Atlantic salmon by allowing salmon<BR>
aquaculture to go on unchecked along it's coast. Scotland produces over<BR>
22% of all the farmed salmon in the Atlantic. As a result of the report,<BR>
the Chairman of the Scottish Salmon Farm Protest Group, Bruce<BR>
Sandison, announced that the group will be lodging a formal complaint<BR>
with the E.U. For more on that, go to:<BR>
http://www.salmonfarmmonitor.org.<BR>
<BR>
The report also states that through 1983-2001, wild=
Atlantic salmon<BR>
have declined by forty-five percent, while farmed salmon has increased<BR>
by fifty-five percent, with wild fish now being outnumbered forty-eight<BR>
to one in the North Atlantic. The WWF recommends mandatory<BR>
monitoring and enforcement of the Oslo Resolution regulations, as well<BR>
as creating "exclusion zones" in every country to protect wild salmon<BR>
stocks in certain key rivers. <BR>
<BR>
The report will probably be gone over in detail at=20=
the 1-6 June<BR>
meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization<BR>
(NASCO) in Edinburgh. Representatives from Canada, the E.U.,<BR>
Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation and the U.S.<BR>
will use the annual meeting to chart their progress on restoring wild<BR>
salmon populations. For more information on the conference go to:<BR>
http://www.nasco.org.uk. For information on the WWF's report, go to:<BR>
http://www.wwf-uk.org/core/about/scotland.asp.<BR>
<BR>
7:22/04. CHILE JOINS NAFTA, EGYPT WITHDRAWS ITS<BR>
SUPPORT OF US GMO TRADE CASE AGAINST EU: The 1-3 June<BR>
2003 meeting of the Group of 8 summit meeting in Evian-Les Bains,<BR>
France was also a stage for the continuing battle between the U.S. and<BR>
the E.U. on genetically modified organism (GMO) food trade issues. On<=
BR>
13 May 2003, the United States filed the equivalent of a lawsuit with the<BR=
>
World Trade Organization (WTO), saying that Europe's temporary<BR>
moratorium on genetically engineered crops violates international trade<BR>
rules (see Sublegals, 7:20/01, 7:07/09). Until last week, Egypt, Canada,<BR>
and Argentina had backed the U.S. in the trade case. That changed on 30<BR>
May 2003 when Egypt's E.U. Ambassador announced, "...Egypt decided<BR>
not to become a party to the motion for arbitration launched by the<BR>
United States within the dispute settlement body of the World Trade<BR>
Organization." For the Reuters story on Egypt's withdrawal see:<BR>
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/20979/story.htm.<BR>
<BR>
In trade news specifically related to the salmon in=
dustry, the U.S.<BR>
Office of Trade Representative (USTR) announced 27 May 2003 that the<BR>
U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement will be signed June 6 in Miami by<BR>
USTR Robert B. Zoellick and Chilean Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear.<BR>
The signing had been delayed a few months, possibly because Chile did<BR>
not back the U.S. in the second Gulf War. Chile was asked to be the<BR=
>
fourth member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)<BR>
at the conclusion of the 1994 Summit of the Americas. Chile is one of<BR>
the largest exporters of farmed salmon in the world. For more<BR>
information see the USTR Press Release at:<BR>
http://www.ustr.gov/releases/2003/05/03-35.pdf.<BR>
<BR>
At the summit meeting, U.S. President George Bush i=
s expected to<BR>
press his case that Europe accept corporate-controlled GMO food, using<BR>
the issue of eradicating third world hunger as a emotional ploy. Bush<=
BR>
has already out and out accused Europe of obstructing the "great cause of<BR=
>
ending hunger in Africa" by not accepting GMO products. However,<BR>
ActionAid, a U.K.-based development agency, released a report on 28<BR>
May 2003 that indicated that GMO crops will not solve hunger problems<BR>
as there is no consistent evidence that they yield more crops. The report,<B=
R>
entitled, "Going Against the Grain," further indicates that genetically<BR>
engineered food could actually cause more world food insecurity, as<BR>
farmers would have to go into debt to buy the patented seeds each year<BR>
and wouldn't be able to use traditional reseeding farming methods. The<BR>
report also noted that less than one percent of all GMO research money<BR>
was directed at poor or third-world farmers. To see a copy of the report,<BR=
>
go to: http://www.actionaid.org/ourpriorities/foodrights/gmtechnology/<BR>
gmcrops.shtml. <BR>
<BR>
Two months of negotiations between the E.U. and the=
U.S. regarding<BR>
the GMO trade policy are to follow, with the U.S. stating that if not<BR>
satisfied with arbitration, the complaint will be formally lodged and<BR>
eighteen months of investigation into the E.U. policy will follow. A<B=
R>
successful complaint would likely lead to large-scale trade sanctions<BR>
against the E.U. in favor of the U.S., unless the E.U. rescinded the<BR>
policy.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
7:22/05. TWO NOVEMBER CONFERENCES OFFERED BY THE<BR=
>
U.S. REGIONAL FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCILS: There are<BR>
two upcoming conferences in November 2003. A conference sponsored<BR>
by the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils and the National<BR>
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is entitled "Managing Our Nations<BR>
Marine Fisheries-Past, Present, and Future," and takes place in<BR>
Washington D.C. 13-15 November. For more information on this<BR>
conference see: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/press_releases/<BR>
Nov_Conf_Press_Release-final.doc. <BR>
<BR>
A second conference, hosted by the Pacific States M=
arine Fisheries<BR>
Commission (PSMFC) on "Marine Aquaculture: Effects on the West<BR>
Coast and Alaska Fishing Industry" will be held in Seattle, Washington<BR>
on 17-19 November 2003. This three-day conference will be focused on<BR>
the environmental and economic costs of aquaculture. For more<BR>
information on the aquaculture conference see:<BR>
http://www.psmfc.org/meetings/MarineAquacultureConf.pdf or call<=
BR>
(503)650-5400.<BR>
<BR>
7:22/06. WORLD SUMMIT ON SALMON TO BE HELD: The<BR>
"World Summit on Salmon" will be held 10-13 June in Vancouver,<BR>
British Columbia. The summit is a forum for the globe's leading salmon<BR>
scientists, conservationists and managers. Participants will review the<BR>
prognosis and prospects of the world's wild salmon, identify knowledge<BR>
gaps and directions for future research. A community satellite<BR>
conference will be held 14-16 June in Port Alberni and Bamfield, British<BR>
Columbia. The satellite conference is hosted by the West Coast<BR>
Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board and will be held on a<BR>
passenger vessel traveling down Barkley Sound. Field Tours and a First<BR>
Nation's feast round out the event. For more information see:<BR>
http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/summit.htm. <BR>
<BR>
7:22/07. MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA MUNICIPAL WATER<B=
R>
DISTRICT TO HOLD DESALINATION WORKSHOP: On<BR>
Wednesday 25 June Northern California's Marin County Municipal<BR>
Water District will hold a workshop to discuss its current programs<BR>
including plans to incorporate desalination. Stakeholders and ratepaye=
rs<BR>
are invited to attend and participate in the discussion. The event wil=
l<BR>
take place from 1900 HRS on the evening of the 25th at the Marin Art<BR>
and Garden Center (30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, California). For<=
BR>
more contact the MMWD at 415-945-1455 or go to:<BR>
http://www.marinwater.org.<BR>
<BR>
7:22/08. NOAA FISHERIES STRATEGIC PLAN AVAILABLE: A=
s<BR>
part of NOAA's new strategic planning process, NOAA has recently<BR>
published its draft Line Office strategic plans in the Federal Register.<BR>
The NOAA Fisheries [NMFS] Strategic Plan outlines that agency's<BR>
priorities through 2008 and can be accessed online at<BR>
www.osp.noaa.gov/docs/fisheries_strategic_plan.pdf. The public is<BR>
invited to comment on the draft strategic plan before it is finalized.<BR>
Comments are due by June 20, and can be e-mail to:<BR>
strategic.planning@noaa.gov. <BR>
<BR>
7:22/09. NEW SALMON NETWORK WEBSITE: 28 May 2003<BR=
>
marked the launch of the new Salmon Network website. This website<BR>
connects fishing, environmental, consumer, food and indigenous groups<BR>
and organizations across the U.S. that are devoted to saving, promoting,<BR>
and enjoying wild salmon. The U.S. Salmon Network is designed to<BR>
educate about salmon issues. The Website contains a newsroom, action<B=
R>
alerts, details of events surrounding salmon issues, a directory of stores<B=
R>
and restaurants selling wild salmon, details on how to set up a local<BR>
sustainable seafood buying club and a newsletter. Participants can sig=
n<BR>
up for list serves to receive further information and to get involved. The<B=
R>
U.S. Salmon Network is currently coordinated by the Institute for<BR>
Agriculture and Trade Policy and other participating members. Visit:<BR>
http://www.ussalmonnetwork.org to check it out. <BR>
<BR>
7:22/10. U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE CONSIDERING BILLS<BR>
AGAINST INVASIVE SPECIES AND ALGAL BLOOMS: Two<BR>
important environmental bills will be heard 4-5 June by the U.S. House<BR>
Science Committee. The Aquatic Invasive Species Research Act (H.R.<BR>
1081), sponsored by Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), would dedicate $180 million<BR>
over four years to fight aquatic invasive species. The Harmful Algal<BR>
Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act (H.R. 1856), which<BR>
would reauthorize a 1998 law by providing about $30 million for<BR>
research into algal blooms and hypoxia. For copies see the Library of<BR>
Congress THOMAS service at: http://thomas.loc.gov. &n=
bsp; =
&nbs=
p; <BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; ********************<BR>
Paying Attention? Why is the Maine salmon aqu=
aculture ruling so<BR>
important?<BR>
<BR>
A) Because "as Maine goes, so goes the nation."<BR>
B) Because it goes along with Bush's plan to phase out the environment<BR>
by 2004.<BR>
C) Because it reads as an indictment against the salmon faming industry<BR>
and catalogues the environmental and health costs.<BR>
D) It doesn't. Studies have shown that Mainers are just a bunch of hard<BR>
drinking backwoods survivalists with little to no interest in the world<BR>
south of the New Hampshire border.<BR>
<BR>
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org. One winner is<BR>
drawn each week from a list of those submitting the correct answer. <BR>
<BR>
And the Winner is......JULIA SANDERS, who correctly answered "D)<BR>
Nichols is insistent that the flows on the Klamath River be raised to<BR>
avoid another catastrophic fish kill like last year" to the question, "Why<B=
R>
does California Resources Secretary Mary Nichols persist in her letter<BR>
writing campaign to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, even though<BR>
thus far her efforts haven't produced a response?" She will receive an<BR>
"Order of the Fringehead" certificate and a handsome gray shirt with the<BR>
cuddly Sarcastic Fringehead Sublegals logo.<BR>
<BR>
CORRECTION: Thanks to intrepid Sublegals reader Jill Zarnowitz, who<BR>
pointed out a typo in Sublegals 7:21/11. The buyout of the English<BR>
salmon fishing fleet cost 3.4 million British pounds, not 3.4 British<BR>
pounds. Thanks Jill!<BR>
<BR>
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,<BR>
comments or any corrections to Sara Randall, Editor at:<BR>
sublegals@ifrfish.org, or call the IFR/PCFFA office with the news and a<BR>
source at either: (415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000<BR>
(Northwest Office). <BR>
<BR>
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