Salmon farming on the hot seat at Cohen Commission

It's been a long time since I've written in this blog. I've been focused on building a new internet business related to my passion: core values, also known as Heart Virtues(tm). However, when environmental issues are roaring in my ear, I need a place to vent. So please forgive me

For many years non-experts have been sounding the alarm that the growing fish farming industry on the northern coasts of British Columbia was threatening the health of wild salmon. Finally a public hearing has been called, the Cohen Commission. It's happening as I write this, in a downtown Vancouver courtroom, and so far is three days into it.

Yesterday, questions started arising about why official experts have repeatedly dropped or omitted obvious lines of research directly involving fish farms. Repeatedly we see a pattern over the last twelve years of either incompetence or deliberate avoidance to allow the research directly into links with the fish farms.

The truth itself is becoming the evidence. It turns out that numerous scientists sent to look into the situation aborted their research in various ways to avoid finding any evidence linking the fish farms to the wild salmon's demise. Just as results began to suggest further research of the fish farms was appropriate, the research project would end. So of course, "no evidence was ever found" because nobody was allowed to research it!

Finally, the thing that triggered me to write this was hearing an insidious seven-second sound bite on CBC radio yesterday. Canada's largest and only national radio station announced that a scientist in the Cohen Commission stated he found little evidence to suggest the wild salmon were being impacted by disease at fish farms. Of all that was revealed at the Cohen Commission yesterday, this one quote was taken completely out of context to continue to uphold the fish farms' propaganda machine that they are innocent. Shame on you CBC.

Check out the details for yourself and tell me I'm exaggerating. I wish I was. Here's an excellent summary of the day's proceedings:

Salmon farming on the hot seat at Cohen Commission