Dear Editor,
Geoff Swan makes several incorrect statements about the Cohen Commission, salmon farms and wild fish in his Dec. 6 letter “Cohen report no surprise.”
He claims wild salmon are “extinct in Ireland, Norway etc.”
This is not true. There are still wild Atlantic salmon in Ireland and Norway, and although their numbers have been greatly diminished by centuries of overfishing, they are not extinct.
As well, he claims Bill C-38 will “increase the tenure of the existing salmon farms.”
This is not true, either. Tenure decisions are up to the provincial government, not the federal, and have nothing to do with bill C-38.
Finally, he misrepresents the main conclusion of the Cohen Commission report, which stated that there is no “smoking gun” and no evidence that anything in particular, e.g. salmon farms, are causing harm to Fraser sockeye. Justice Cohen calls for more research and for science-based decision making, which as salmon farmers, we fully support.
Laurie Jensen?
Mainstream Canada
