For Immediate Release:

A Free Public Forum: "Industrial Aquaculture: Food or Folly?"

Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 6-9:30 pm
Leif Erikson Hall, 2245 NW 57th, Seattle 98107

6-7 pm Refreshments, celebrating wild fish and the fleet that harvests them. Demonstration dancing by the Leif Erikson Hall Leikarringen Norwegian dancers.

7-9:30 pm Forum: Four presenters will show images and describe the impacts of industrial aquaculture on wild fish, coastal communities and economies locally and throughout the world. Our region is targeted for expanded aquaculture, and legislation has been introduced into Congress that would allow thousands of open cages as close as three miles to our coastline.

Few safeguards are in place to prevent pollution, diseases and parasites from flushing into our public waters from cages of fish reared in crowded confinement. Washington is one of the two states in the nation that has allowed salmon to be produced in netpens. Between 1996 and 1999, more than 613,000 non-native Atlantic salmon escaped into Puget Sound. Last winter, the pathogen viral hemorrhagic septicemia was found in the Atlantic salmon in Washington's pens.

Washington and US coastal waters are targeted for expanded aquaculture by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and conversion of decommissioned oil platforms into aquaculture facilities is also being promoted by the Minerals Management Service.

The Department of Natural Resources oversees shellfish production on state tidelands, and expanding geoduck clam production utilizing tens of thousands of pvc tubes stomped into tidelands is causing degradation of the natural functioning of our shorelines and loss of forage fish/wild salmon habitat.

Citizens can turn the tide by educating elected officials about the need to protect our local waters and tidelands, as well as keeping open cage fish farms from the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), three to 200 miles from our coastline.

Three of the speakers just returned from a historic meeting in British Columbia of scientists, environmentalists, fishing and wild fish advocates from Norway, Chile, Canada and the US. Kurt Oddekalv previously hosted the group in Norway, home of most of the salmon farming companies that are producing Atlantic salmon around the world, with lower standards than in Norway.

SPEAKERS:

• Anne Mosness, Go Wild Campaign: Dept. of Commerce/NOAA promotion of salmon, geoduck and blackcod farming in our state and the “National Offshore Aquaculture Act” allowing thousands of cages in the EEZ.
• Laura Hendricks, Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat: Degradation of tidelands and loss of forage fish/salmon habitat from industrial geoduck production.
• Alfredo Quarto, Mangrove Action Project: Impacts of large scale shrimp farming and MAP’s “Shrimp Less, Think More” consumer campaign to decrease consumption of farmed shrimp.
• and special guest from Norway
• Kurt Willy Oddekalv, Leader of Norges Miljovernforbund (Green Warriors of Norway): Advocating major changes in the global fish farming industry and in Norway.

Many organizations will be displaying information, including risks to Bristol Bay’s abundant wild sockeye populations from the proposed Pebble Mine and offshore oil and gas drilling; Puget Sound clean-up activities; wild fish restoration projects; fishing, sustainable foods and conservation activities in our region.

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