John Volpe

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Science Friction The incredible story of
Atlantic salmon in British Columbia
John Volpe Biological Sciences University of
Alberta jvolpe_at_ualberta.ca http//www.biology.ual
berta.ca
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1999 Production
46,738 tonnes dressed (capture fishery all spp.
30,200 t) 347M farm gate (capture fishery53M)
81 Atlantic salmon Largest agricultural export
product (77) in BC - 4th largest salmon
producer in the world
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Atlantic salmon in BC. Why?

• Faster growth and feed conversion
• Docility
• Larger market
• Better price
• Knowledge base

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Import of AS eggs for aquaculture
1984
1987
First capture of AS in B.C. waters
1991
First reported escape of AS
1995 SAR initiated
1997
First Atlantic salmon research on Pacific coast
initiated
SAR released
2002
?????
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According to DFOs ASWP 396,552 Atlantic salmon
have been reported as escaped 1991-2001
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Escapes

• 0.5 1 of cage population lost via leakage
  (not reported)
• Therefore in 1999
• 55,400 110,800 Atlantic salmon (443,200)
• 12,650 25,300 Chinook (101,200)
• 2,900 5,900 Coho (23,600)
• sub-adults escaped in addition to the 35,730
  reported
• Atlantic salmon escapes.

• Only rough estimates of fish on
• on hand
• Holes in nets a constant
• problem
• Reporting of escapes is
• voluntary

? Actual number of escapees per year UNKNOWN
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Recoveries
7833 Atlantic salmon reported captured in BC
marine waters and 145 Atlantic salmon reported in
BC fresh waters in 2000
Like escapes, recovery reports are voluntary. No
work has ever been conducted to evaluate the
precision or accuracy of these data however it
is widely accepted these numbers do not represent
reality.
Continued use of these estimates sets a
dangerous precedent for reliance on fictitious
data.
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Two major farm escapes in summer 2000 DFOs
passive ASWP 7833 AS All BC marine waters,
whole year
How many captures if there were no openings?
15 day active survey in only Area 12 10,826 AS
(41)
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• 58 m channel
• Variable habitat
• 30 females 20 males
• transplanted without
• acclimatization

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Spawning Chronology
Little Qualicum Atlantic Salmon
Chum
Sockeye
Steelhead
Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Mar Apr May
Pink
Coho
Chinook
Wild Atlantic salmon in native range
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Tsitika River August 18 1998
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0
1

• Natural reproduction
• Two year classes present (0 1)
• 50 juveniles identified to date
• Sympatric with strong steelhead population
• 0 AS gt ST (50) 1 AS gtgt ST (125)

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Feral Atlantic Salmon populations in Vancouver
Island Rivers
Port Hardy
Amor de Cosmos Cr.
Tsitika R.
Eve R.
Campbell R.
ltlt 0.01 suitable habitat surveyed
Port Alberni
Nanaimo
Tofino
Victoria
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Atlantic salmon have been reported in 79 BC
streams and rivers
Atlantic salmon are now part of the terrestrial
food web via predation
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What we know so far...

• 10s - 100s K escaping annually
• Significant marine survival
• - commercial fisheries, Alaska fresh water
  captures
• Adults ascending all major drainages on
  Vancouver Island
• Production fish will spawn to produce viable
• offspring and may do so during low native
  spawner density
• Feral progeny are capable of persisting with
  steelhead

But,
Why did historical AS introductions fail?
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Wetted area 2.2m x 0.6m x 0.9 m Coarse river
cobble (19.4 ? 5.6cm) 10 replacement
per hour Flow 0.85 ms-s (4542.5 L min-1) 10
hp centrifugal pump Water temp maintained by a
240V, 60amp chiller Clear Lexan viewing
windows Natural prey provided by a unique
upweller feeding system
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High Forage
4 AS
4 AS
4 AS
4 ST
4 ST
4 ST
4 AS
4 ST
4 ST
4 AS
Low Forage
4 AS
4 AS
4 AS
4 ST
4 ST
4 ST
a comp. coefficient (? g) A Atlantic salmon S
Native Steelhead
4 AS
4 ST
4 ST
4 AS
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ST engage in agonism 51 over AS ST show
intraspecific bias 2 1 AS show interspecific
bias 2.2 1 Residents with 3 days prior
residency performed better than challengers
under all conditions A significant residency
effect was observed in both species
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Amor de Cosmos Cr. Study Site
From Bear Lake (2km)
ST
Control Site (ST Only)
ST
50 m
Small Falls
AS
ST
Experimental Site (AS ST)
To Straight of Georgia / Inside Passage (3km)
86.5 hrs behaviour data
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• ST - ST aggression 11.8 x gt ST - AS

• ST-ST aggression was significantly higher with AS

• ST horizontal range on average 9 x gt AS

• ST - ST aggression gt 3x AS - AS
• but AS - ST aggression gt2x ST - AS

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Vertical Partitioning
1.0
0.8
0.6
Proportion gt 10cm
0.4
0.2
0.0
Steelhead
Atlantic Salmon
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Foraging
10
5

Foraging attempts per 5 min
0
Atlantic Salmon
Steelhead Experimental
Steelhead Control
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Atlantic salmon in Competition
- residency
residency
Perform well relative to steelhead
Perform poorly relative to steelhead
1905-1934 Very low likelihood of establishing
prior residency in Vancouver Island
rivers Today Vancouver Island steelhead
populations are at 10 - 20 of historical
abundance ? Potential for successful colonization
is likely much higher today than during
historical intentional introductions
But,
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Inputs and outputs
What are the impacts of salmon farming on the
sea floor below fish pens? Salmon farms occupy
a very small percentage of BC coastal waters, so
the habitat affected is also very small. If
placed side by side, all the salmon farm sea
cages would occupy only about 70 hectares, less
space than the new runway at Vancouver
International Airport. BC Salmon Farmers Assoc.
web page
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TSS allocation for 4 Salmon Farms Bremerton, WA
Seattle (830k people)
Filtration Sterilization (US536M build US80M
/ yr.)
No Filtration Sterilization US0
?
5.2 M lbs. feces
4 M lbs. TSS
Effects of effluent generated at BCs 104 active
farms is unknown
Dr. Arthur Whitely U. of Washington
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Outputs
Antibiotics Pass through the net cage intact or
in feces are ingested in low chronic doses by
benthos 6.4 tonnes used in 1998 Effects -
generation of superbugs transfer
across individuals possible, including to
humans - significant alteration of sediment
species composition affecting nutrient
cycling
Pesticides Neurological disruptors used to
control sea lice Effects - Lethal to
crustaceans (zooplankton, shrimp, crab
etc.) and other fauna including
polychaetes and starfish Irish farm
company being sued Copper Toxic net treatments
to kill fouling organisms Effects -
Undetermined
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Inputs
Organic
Salmon, unlike all other cultured farm animals
(save shrimp) are carnivorous feed is 45
fishmeal and 25 fish oil.
2.8 kg wild fish to produce 1 kg farm
fish (equivalent by-catch)
? The marine area required to produce the feed
consumed in a salmon farm is 40,000 to 50,000
times the production area
The European industry (production leaders)
consume the equivalent of 90 of the North Seas
1o production
Naylor et al. 2000. Nature 405 1017-1024
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Herring Mackerel Anchoveta Anchovy
Sardinella.

• South American oceans being mined at tremendous
  rates to
• satisfy northern hemisphere demand for fish meal
  in the
• production of a luxury product.
• Many of these fisheries are in a state of
  collapse forcing
• commercial fishers to target species even lower
  in the food
• web, further aggravating the problem.
• Currently a salmon glut on world market.
  Commercial salmon
• fishers must now catch more wild salmon to
  maintain historical
• earnings

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Outputs
The Product
Feed contaminated with PCBs Polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAH) - genotoxin /
mutagen Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (BPDE) -
flame retardant Organochlorine pesticides
(OPs) of servings of BC farm salmon required
to exceed WHO guidelines 1.5 / week
Easton et al. 2002. Chemosphere 46 1053-1074
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Inputs
Energy
Industrial Energy Inputs per round tonne (litres of diesel equivalent) Greenhouse Gas Emissions (tonnes of CO2 equivalent per round tonne)1
Cultured Atlantic 2,612 6.5
Cultured Chinook 3,244 8.0
Captured Chinook 977 2.0
Captured Coho 1,144 2.9
Captured Sockeye 755 2.3
Captured Chum 665 2.0
Captured Pink 616 1.8
Tyedmers 2001. PhD Thesis, UBC
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Food Production System Edible Protein EROI
Seaweed culture (West Indies) 100
Cultured carp (Indonesia) 94
Wheat (USA) 41
Purse seine fishery for salmon (B.C.) 18
Groundfish trawl fishery (Washington State) 17
Commercially caught pink salmon (B.C.) 14
Commercially caught chum salmon (B.C.) 13
Commercially caught sockeye salmon (B.C.) 11
Turkey (USA) 7.7
Milk (USA) 7.1
Swine (USA) 5.6
Commercial cod fishery (USA) 5
Chicken (USA) 3.8
Intensively cultured Atlantic salmon (B.C.) 3.3
Intensively cultured chinook salmon (B.C.) 2.6
Intensively cultured shrimp (Thailand) 1.4
Beef (USA) 0.8



















Tyedmers 2001. PhD Thesis, UBC
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Sea Lice
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Sea lice are native however the density of farms
may act as bio-magnifiers of parasites and
disease such that the migratory habitat becomes
saturated ie. pink smolt run
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Pink salmon smolts June 2001
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Nothing in biology makes sense except in the
light of evolution Theodosius Dobzhansky
Proportion of Population
Character Trait (e.g. Aggression)
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Farm
Proportion of Population
High
Low
Aggression
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Second feral generation displays appropriate
levels of aggression - much greater
performance and survivorship.
Wild
Proportion of Population
High
Low
Aggression
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Escapees selected for wild type behaviours and
traits Treatments for parasites and diseases
select for resistant and more virulent strains
passed back to wild populations (Anti
bacterial soaps - 97 effective) Processes
are likely to change as fast, or faster, than we
are capable of describing them.......
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Is there a plan?
How many escaped Atlantic salmon are too
many? What infestation rate of sea lice on
native salmonids is too high? How much
industrial waste is too much? Etc....etc.....etc
..... Is salmon aquaculture so different from
other industrial activities that threshold
effects on the environment are unnecessary?
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1) all reasonable actions must be taken to
protect the environment 2) inherent to this
statement is the understanding of reverse
onus - the burden of proof lies with industry
to satisfactorily demonstrate their activity is
not detrimental to the environment. The
burden is not on the public to demonstrate
the opposite
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Research Assistants
Dr. Brad R. Anholt - UVic Biology Dr. Barry W.
Glickman - UVic CEH
Chris Borkent Rick Ferguson Jeff Hopkins Ian
Jacobs Megan Kaneen Tye Lougheed Steve Martin Dan
ONeil Emily Rubidge Malcolm Wyeth
Gerry Horne - UVic Aquatics Facility
Funded by B.C. Habitat Conservation Trust
Fund
B.C. Min. Fisheries
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