Green Around the Gills

Dear Cermaq, Come Clean on Disease Risks!

"In advance of Tuesday’s AGM, could you please provide details of Cermaq’s current disease risks?" asks a letter sent today (19 May) to Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar. "Why have you not notified shareholders including the Norwegian Government and Marine Harvest, financial investors, the news media and the Oslo Stock Exchange of the disease risks in British Columbia in particular? Surely the disclosure of disease risks and notification of information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act?"

Read the letter to Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar in full online here

"Why is Cermaq still ignoring disease risks associated with Infectious Salmon Anaemia and Piscine Reovirus/HSMI in particular?" continues the letter. "Whether the hostile takeover is successful or not, how does Cermaq view the financial risks of the recently filed lawsuit in British Columbia against Marine Harvest by Alexandra Morton?"

"Is Cermaq currently affected by Piscine Reovirus/HSMI in Norway, Chile or Canada?" asks the letter. "How many of Cermaq’s sites are currently affected? In British Columbia, Piscine Reovirus and Infectious Salmon Anaemia were reported dangerously close to Cermaq’s operations at Creative Salmon in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve by Dr. Kristi Miller at the Cohen Commission’s inquiry in December 2011. Friends of Clayoquot subsequently called for the testing of Cermaq’s farmed salmon. What results has Cermaq found in your farmed salmon in Canada? Have you informed your shareholders and investors of the disease risks?"

For more background on Piscine Reovirus/HSMI please read a backgrounder and watch “A chicken virus in farmed salmon?

"In view of the financial risks – especially in relation to the financial fallout and exposure to the lawsuit in British Columbia – why has Cermaq not notified the Oslo Stock Exchange in line with the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act?"

The letter concludes:

"Shareholders deserve to hear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about Cermaq’s salmon farming operations. It may make for uncomfortable reading for investors but as Cermaq’s CEO surely it is incumbent of you to be wholly transparent. Please therefore adopt a policy of full disclosure in relation to Cermaq’s disease risks and financial exposure to ongoing lawsuits. If nothing else, Marine Harvest ought to be aware of the significant risks before their hostile takeover gets even nastier for the environment and for everyone concerned."

Read the letter to Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar in full online here

Previous letters raising disease risks were sent to Cermaq's CEO in May 2012 and May 2011

Read more on Cermaq's legal troubles in Canada via "Censorship Like A Cancer Grows"

Cermaq's Annual General Meeting takes place in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday (21 May). The AGM is set to be a crucial battleground in deciding Marine Harvest's hostile takeover of Cermaq.

Read more on the mega-merger via:

Posted at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Censorship Like A Cancer Grows

Mark your calendars for 28 May - the day the Norwegian-owned company Cermaq (as represented in Canada by their subsidaries Mainstream & EWOS) attempts to abuse the Canadian courts to muzzle global criticism of the salmon farming industry. The sound of silence emanating from the 'Salmon Farming Kills' lawsuit could be deafening.

The BC Court of Appeal will hear Cermaq's appeal starting at 10am - more details online here.

The appeal hearing in the 'Salmon Farming Kills' lawsuit will be a defining moment for free speech and will define what statements are acceptable in Harper's Canada. Will Canada allow a Norwegian Government-owned corporation to dictate the terms of free speech?

Cermaq's lawyers are seeking a permanent injunction which is so wide and broad that it would rule out over fifty statements:

Documents filed by Cermaq's lawyers in January 2013 detailed:

Read the appeal documents - detailing Cermaq's legal case - in full online here

The permanent injunction would not only apply to Don Staniford and the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture but also to ANY person or company aware of the injunction i.e. the general public and the media. On the last day of the 20-day trial in 2012, Cermaq's lawyers detailed the Draconian terms of the injunction - referred to as the 'No Future Defamation Term':

If Cermaq's lawyers are successful at securing a permanent injunction it will severely curtail freedom of speech not just in Canada but globally via the internet.

Cermaq's heavy-handed lawyers at Fasken Martineau spell out in black and white what they consider to be the 'Defamatory Words' in their Amended Notice of Civil Claim (52 statements in total):

Cermaq's clumsy attempts to muzzle global criticism are a classic example of how corporations do business. Corporations, required by law to promote and pursue their own interests above all others, “prey upon and exploit others without regard for legal rules or moral limits,” writes Canadian law professor Joel Bakan in his book "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Power".

Here's an idiot's guide to how the case could define the words which campaigners, the general public and the news media are permitted to use and more importantly not permitted to use.

For example, the following comment from Otto Langer in the documentary film "Farmed Salmon Exposed: The Global Reach of the Norwegian Salmon Farming Industry" would have to be taken down from the internet:

"If the fish farmers want to play the same game as the cigarette manufacturers did for many years and live in denial they’re welcome to it but it’s not going to give rise to any solutions"

The North Atlantic Salmon Fund would have to remove this statement from their web-site. And Friends of Clayoquot Sound would certainly have to burn all copies of this smoking hot sticker:

Dr. David Suzuki would be hounded by Cermaq's lawyers for his statement in 2004 that farmed salmon is "poison".

The Toronto Star newspaper who published the original article and the industry trade publication Growfish who reported on Suzuki's comments could also be in deep water with Cermaq's lawyers. Such brutal censorship is perversely ironic given Norway's global reputation as a bastion of free speech and award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 to a Chinese dissident.

In practical terms, the media's reporting of salmon farming news would be drastically changed.

CBC News and The Canadian Press would be banned from reporting on the fact that Norwegian-owned salmon farms kill sea lions.

CBC News would be barred from reporting on peer-reviewed scientific research detailing how sea lice from salmon farms kill wild salmon.

The following advert taken out by the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) would be judged defamatory:

Cartoonist Adrian Raeside would be asked to remove a number of his cartoons including his cartoon depicting a farmed salmon checking into the Betty Ford rehab clinic.

And another dead unfunny cartoon joking about salmon farmers killing sea lions (a sense of humour would be a serious offence according to Cermaq's lawyers).

Norway's state broadcaster NRK would be banned from using the offending mock cigarette packets in their reporting on the lawsuit - and previous news reports would have to be removed from the internet:

Norway's other TV station, TV2, would also have to remove offending images and news reports on the lawsuit:

Watch a video report from TV2 before it is removed from the internet by Cermaq's lawyers online via "Don kjemper mot norsk lakseoppdrett"

The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet could be in hot water for their 2009 article on the deaths of divers at salmon farms in Chile operated by the Norwegian-owned companies Marine Harvest and Cermaq.

Anyone posting the Dagbladet news article on Facebook or the offending cigarette packet featuring the same photo stating the fact that salmon farming kills workers would be liable to follow up action from Cermaq's lawyers.

Dagbladet - and other newspapers - would have to refrain from citing any of the 52 statements itemised by Cermaq's lawyers in the 'Defamatory Words'. Dagbladet's 2011 article - "Norsk oppdrettsgigant saksøker miljøvernaktivist" - would be removed from the internet as it repeats the 'Defamatory Words':

In the United Kingdom, the Guardian newspaper would be breaching Cermaq's permanent injunction if they repeated this month's reporting on Norwegian-owned Marine Harvest:

The Sunday Times would be in the cross-hairs of Cermaq's lawyers if they repeated last weekend's report of how Norwegian-owned salmon farms kill seals in Scotland.

And Brian May of the rock band 'Queen' would be asked by Cermaq's lawyers to refrain from Tweeting any reference to salmon farms killing seals!

Fishermen in British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California who display the popular bumper sticker "Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Farmed Salmon" would be asked to remove it by Cermaq's lawyers.

Ecotrust would be asked to stop selling their "Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Farmed Salmon" stickers at their 'Salmon Nation' store.

Over 7,000 people who like Facebook's "Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Farmed Fish" will be asked by Cermaq's lawyers to dislike the offending page.

The Facebook page also cites an article - "Salmon farms killing wild stocks: study" - published in The Globe & Mail which will fall foul of Cermaq's censorship.

The peer-reviewed scientific paper cited by The Globe & Mail would also be deemed defamatory and Cermaq's lawyers would write to the Public Library of Science asking them to remove all reference of the truth.

National Geographic would also have to delete reference to the above scientific paper and the suggestion it their 2008 news article that salmon farming "spreads disease":

Under Stephen Harper the Canadian Government has already clamped down on intellectual freedom in Canada's libraries.

What next, will the Harper Government start burning books like Hitler's Germany?

One book under threat of being burned is the award-winning "A Stain Upon the Sea" - co-authored by Don Staniford along with Alexandra Morton, Otto Langer and Stephen Hume of the Vancouver Sun.

Cermaq's lawyers are so Nazi-like in their quest to suppress free speech that they are seeking for the publisher's blurb above to be exorcised!

Read the offending chapter - "Silent Spring of the Sea" - online here before all copies are burned or buried in a deep Norwegian fjord!

If Cermaq's lawyers have their wicked way then Harper's Canada will become a much scarier place after 28 May 2013.

Cermaq's censorship police will certainly be asking You Tube to remove the offending "Hitler Loves Fish Farms, Not Activists" spoof video.

And anyone in cyberspace caught displaying any of the offending mock cigarette packets will face the wrath of Cermaq's gestapo-like censors.

Save Bantry Bay would be in flagrant violation of Cermaq's permanent injunction!

Facebook friend Gary Robar in Nova Scotia could be faced with legal action following a negative ruling in the Court of Appeal in British Columbia in a case involving a Norwegian multinational!

Howard Breen would also be in breach of Cermaq's permanent injunction with his Facebook profile photo:

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs, who represent the traditional owners of British Columbia, could also be told by lawyers representing a Norwegian-owned company with a head office in Oslo operating on unceded Coast Salish territory to amend their offending web-site:

Cafe Press would have to stop selling "Wild Salmon Don't Do Drugs" bumper sticks from the Georgia Strait Alliance.

The Tyee would have to remove their 2005 article featuring Chief Darren Blaney's lawsuit against Norwegian-owned giant Marine Harvest - including a photo of Chief Blaney outside the BC courts along with Chief Bill Cranmer:

Or alternatively, people could do what I did to Cermaq's lawyers when I replied in March 2011 to their original request to remove all 'Defamatory Words'.

Read in full via Cermaq's Amended Notice of Civil Claim

Just in case Cermaq's owners in the Norwegian Government didn't get the memo here it is again:

Whether Cermaq's lawyers will be able to muzzle the general public remains to be seen. Cermaq's lawsuit certainly makes you want to scream!

Come to the BC Court of Appeal on 28 May to see how the case concludes - for one day only (although the implications for free speech could last a lifetime)!

And don't forget your cigarette packets!

Read more on the 'Salmon Farming Kills' lawsuit via:

"Norway Tightens Noose on Free Speech!"

"Cermaq - see you in court (again)!"

"Cermaq Like A Cancer Grows - The Sound of Cermaq's SLAPP"

"Norway’s Injunction Kills Free Speech!"

"Gagging the Truth Becomes Mainstream"

"Closing Norway's Noose on Freedom of Speech"

"Cermaq's Clusterfuck"

Read all the documents and case files online here

Posted at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Round 7: Marine Harvest Piles on the Pressure!

The final round is approaching in the brutal battle that is Marine Harvest's hostile takeover of Cermaq. Before the vote on 21st May at Cermaq's Annual General Meeting in Oslo, Norway, Marine Harvest is piling on the pressure.

Reuters reported (16 May):

It's painfully clear to Cermaq that Marine Harvest's billonnaire owner - 'Viking Raider' John Fredriksen - is not going to give up without a fight.

And Cermaq is under no illusion that Marine Harvest's advances signal an acquisition not a merger.

Intrafish reported (15 May):

Fisheries Information Service reported (15 May):

Whether Cermaq can emulate under-dog Rocky and fight back to win remains in the balance - with Cermaq certainly on the ropes under a sustained assault from the world's largest salmon farming company. Forbes famously described Marine Harvest's owner John Fredriksen as "a murky character notorious for rowdy drinking binges and playing rough with takeover targets".

Good news for Cermaq came on Tuesday (14 May) when the Norwegian Government came out in support. Intrafish reported:

Expect more below the belt punches from Marine Harvest before this contest is over!

Marine Harvest is flexing their muscles on the feed front too. Intrafish reported (16 May):

The certain winners in the mega-merger are the financial analysts and money sharks who are making a killing in the "feeding frenzy".

Intrafish reported (16 May):

The biggest fish in the pond himself - Marine Harvest's owner John Fredriksen who is the 87th richest person in the world worth $11.5 billion according to the Forbes Rich List- must be laughing all the way to the bank too!

Read more on the mega-merger via:

Posted at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Limp Dix Flops, Greens Stand Tall

The NDP leader Adrian Dix paid the price for running a "wishy-washy" campaign in BC's election as the Liberals won a crushing victory.

Christy Clark, sponsored by more polluting corporations than a NASCAR racing driver, is now back in the driving seat.

NDP leader Adrian Dix is fighting a losing battle to hold onto a party hemorrhaging votes to the Greens on the left and the Liberals on the right.

Whilst the NDP flopped badly, the Green Party scored a historic victory with their first seat in the BC Legislature. The 'Green Wave' swept Andrew Weaver to a win in Oak Bay-Gordon Head.

Whilst the NDP ran scared on the salmon issue, the Greens led from the front will a hard-line stance pledging to remove feedlots. In a press release issued last month (20 April), Green Party leader Jane Sterk said:

"The dramatic decline of BC’s wild salmon began when fish farms were introduced. Wild salmon cannot be saved until open net fish farms are removed from migration routes, because of their deadly role in spreading disease and parasites"

Salmon champion Vicki Huntington once again stood tall - and alone - as the sole Independent MLA with her victory in Delta South.

Vicki was one of the few candidates to come out publicly against salmon feedlots.

The NDP's 'positive' campaign and refusal to go negative against the Liberals proved once again the maxims that "nice guys never win" and "nice guys finish last".

Dix will come to regret putting wild salmon last not first. The NDP's election platform, for example, ignored wild salmon and pledged to "work with DFO".

The NDP may also come to regret accepting dirty money from the disease-ridden salmon farming industry. A look at all the donors to the NDP reveals over $10,000 in donations from the BC Salmon Farmers Association and the salmon farming giant Grieg Seafood - with five donations from the BCSFA since 2006 including $6,700 in 2012 alone.

Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood donated a further $1,125 during 2012.

Round 6: Marine Harvest Vs Cermaq - The Gloves Are Off!

The gloves are off in Marine Harvest's hostile takeover of salmon farming rival Cermaq. The two grizzled heavyweights of the salmon farming world are eyeing each other up like a pair of old-fashioned bare-knuckled prize fighters.

In one corner is Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar who is facing an uphill battle to retain control of Norway's state-owned salmon giant.

In the other corner is Norway's richest man John Fredriksen who goes by the nickname 'Storeulv' (Big Wolf) - the name of Fredriksen's unauthorized biography. Fredriksen is seeking to snatch Cermaq away from the clutches of the Norwegian Government's Ministry of Trade & Industry - the largest shareholders in Cermaq. With Fredriksen's powerful team flexing their muscles, Cermaq could end up on the canvass even before the crucial vote for shareholders on 21 May.

Forbes famously described Fredriksen as "a murky character notorious for rowdy drinking binges and playing rough with takeover targets".

Fredriksen is the 87th richest man in the world world worth $11.5 billion according to the Forbes Rich List - he's used to winning takeover fights.

Cermaq's CEO suffered a bloody nose when their second largest shareholder said it would vote against the company's proposed acquisition of Peruvian feed giant Copeinca. Intrafish reported (13 May):

Who will be the last man standing?

The final round is expected to play out at Cermaq's AGM in Oslo, Norway, on 21 May - details online here

Undercurrent News reported yesterday (13 May):

Reuters reported (13 May):

Follow the mega-merger via Undercurrent News online here

Intrafish reported earlier today on Cermaq's "PR offensive" (14 May):

The Norwegian Government is now changing the rules to accommodate the new salmon farming giant. Fisheries Information Service reported (14 May):

Read more on the mega-merger via:

Posted at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Green Wave Turns the Tangerine Tide!

Photo: Colombia’s surging ‘Green Wave’ - Green Party candidate takes the lead in Colombian Presidential Elections in 2010

Tsunami Warning: a Green Wave is set to sweep across British Columbia!

When the right-wing rag the National Post runs a puff-piece supporting the Greens (as they did yesterday) you know the Green Wave is reaching tsunami proportions!

The Green Wave is being spearheaded by BC Green Party leader Jane Sterk and federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

During the federal election in 2011 it was a 'Tangerine Tide' which swept across Canada as the NDP made history as the official oppostion in what was dubbed the 'Orange Crush'.

Now it is the NDP's turn to be swept away by the rising Green Wave!

Despite the NDP's desperate attempts to invoke the spirit of Jack Layton, the BC NDP leader Adrian Dix has come under fire for his watered-down policy on salmon. Dix is a desperately disappointing damb squib compared to Layton the leader who stood tall on salmon.

In fact, the BC NDP's election platform is embarrassingly weak when it comes to specifics on salmon (click online here - and then search for "salmon" and there's only two mentions in 70 pages of NDP policy promises!).

The only thing green about the NDP is the color of money - and their shameful acceptance of thousands of dollars from the disease-ridden salmon farming industry. A look at all the donors to the NDP reveals over $10,000 in donations from the BC Salmon Farmers Association and the salmon farming giant Grieg Seafood - with five donations from the BCSFA since 2006 including $6,700 in 2012 alone.

Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood donated a further $1,125 during 2012.

No wonder the NDP is leaking votes to the Greens. Salmon champion Alexandra Morton posted on Facebook's 'Salmon Are Sacred' page yesterday:

Film-maker Twyla Roscovich, producer of 'Salmon Confidential', also vented her frustration at the NDP:

Facebook was buzzing over the weekend with many people switching from the NDP to the Greens:

When polled on the most trustworthy leader, the Green Party's leader Jane Sterk beats other leaders hands down.

Salmon hero Eddie Gardner is so disillushioned at the weak stance of the NDP on salmon farms that he is voting Green tomorrow!

As Dix evades the issue, the Greens continue to gain ground on the NDP. Dix can run but he cannot hide his party's piss-poor policy on salmon farming.

In a press release issued last month (20 April), Green Party leader Jane Sterk made the Green position crystal clear:

"The dramatic decline of BC’s wild salmon began when fish farms were introduced," said Sterk. "Wild salmon cannot be saved until open net fish farms are removed from migration routes, because of their deadly role in spreading disease and parasites"

Read online via "Green Party steps forward with urgently needed fish farm policy"

A sure sign that the Greens are making headway in British Columbia is the backlash from the NDP and the Liberal Party. CTV News reported (11 May):

The Liberals took out a full-page ad in a Victoria newspaper Friday urging left-leaning voters to vote Green instead of for the NDP – potentially splitting the vote, allowing the Liberals to breeze up the middle.

The issue of vote-splitting also dominated social media as Facebook's 'Salmon Are Sacred' page debated the subject:

A green breakthrough in British Columbia would open the floodgates to more MLAs. In Scotland, the green wave started with one Member of the Scottish Parliament but then spawned seven MSPs in the next election. In 1999, Scottish Green Robin Harper became the first Green elected, after the British government had approved the use of proportional representation for parliamentary election there. In 2003, six more Greens were elected, giving the party seven MSPs (Members of Scottish Parliament) in the 129 member body.

In Canada, Elizabeth May made political history by becoming the first Green MP when she won a seat in the 2011 federal election.

Make political history in BC tomorrow by voting for wild salmon - go Green and join the green wave sweeping British Columbia!

Silent But Deadly Dix - Dexter in Disguise?

Is Adrian Dix really Dexter in disguise?

No, not Dexter the serial killer but Darrell Dexter the NDP premier in Nova Scotia who has the blood of wild salmon on his hands for promoting salmon farming expansion on the East coast of Canada. When in opposition, the NDP leader spoke out against salmon farms.

However, once elected the NDP leader became a rabid advocate for the lice-infested and disease-ridden salmon farming in Nova Scotia - prompting a backlash against the NDP.

In 2012, for example, in Nova Scotia, the NDP government offered Cooke Aquaculture $25 million to expand its business (this is the same company fined $500,000 just last month for killing hundreds of lobsters with toxic chemicals). Here's the NDP's Darrell Dexter looking on at a press conference with serial lobster-killer Glen Cooke, CEO of Cooke Aquaculture.

In Nova Scotia, the NDP is the party of salmon farming promotion not wild salmon protection:

“Diseases like ISA also threaten other commercially viable fish species, like herring,” added Dr. Elisabeth Bigras, M.D., in a press release issued in January. “It’s time for Premier Dexter to listen to the citizens of Nova Scotia and call a halt to open pen salmon feedlots in this province. We don’t want them or their risky products. The province needs to stop imposing them on us.”

All the evidence from Adrian Dix's body language and demeanour suggests that he could be Dexter in disguise.

NDP leader Adrian Dix's silence on the salmon farming issue could be the kiss of death for wild salmon.

Read Dix's lips and weep at his lack of support for wild salmon.

Live on CBC's 'Almanac' show on Friday (10 May), Dix refused to answer a question on removing salmon feedlots.

"I handed you a copy of the May issue of Common Ground at your rally last weekend," said Adam Siddartha phoning in from Vancouver. "Speaking of protecting our coast and change for the better, my question is: after twenty years of salmon farms that have been placed on the migration routes of our wild salmon and now a situation where we have an outbreak of three different European viruses, the latest one being the Piscine Reovirus which attacks the heart of the salmon and turns it to mush so they die before they spawn....my question is: will your Government commit to removing or revoking the licences which the province has the ability to do of these salmon farms and get them off the migration routes because as you know the province retained the right to revoke licences with 60 days notice and no compensation to be paid if it's in the public interest?"

"So, Adrian Dix, on the question of whether you will remove and revoke the licences?" summarized CBC radio's Mark Forsythe.

"So, ermm, so Adam," replied a jittery Dix. "We've just had a report - the Cohen report - and I think most of the people agree with the conclusions of that report. Most of the jurisdiction, I'll disagree with you slightly, is in the federal domain now. There was a court case brought by Alexandra Morton, the result of which is that most of the jurisdiction is in the federal realm. We had done a report in 2006 and a lot of what we wanted to do was taken away. So, you know, like I think most people who read the Cohen report I'm supportive of it and will work with the federal government to see if the Cohen report is implemented."

Listen to the interview with Adrian Dix (the question on salmon starts at 11 minutes 30 seconds) online here

Adam Siddartha posted on his Facebook page this morning:

Yesterday (11 May), Adam presented Adrian Dix with a petition signed by almost 70,000 people demanding that salmon feedlots be removed.

Watch a video clip of the petition being delivered to Dix - online here

Dix missed yet another open goal to come out strongly in support of wild salmon and speak out against salmon feedlots. Eddie Gardner, who drummed at the petition delivery and has campaigned tirelessly to remove salmon feedlots, did not hide his disappointment at Dix's silence.

"He's been sent so many messages about this that I was expecting him to at least respond in some way about the deep concern and the huge issue that this represents," said Eddie Gardner in an interview after the petition delivery. "There was no immediate response and it was just a thank you. If he gains power how will he and his caucus deal with the petition?"

"Hopefully the NDP will move from the platform they have now which is essentially 'business-as-usual' to getting the job done so that we can have our wild salmon for future generations," concluded a clearly deflated Eddie Gardner. No wonder Eddie is voting Green on 14 May!

As Dix evades the issue, the Greens continue to gain ground on the NDP. Dix can run but he cannot hide his party's watered down policy on salmon farming.

In a press release issued last month (20 April), Green Party leader Jane Sterk said:

"The dramatic decline of BC’s wild salmon began when fish farms were introduced. Wild salmon cannot be saved until open net fish farms are removed from migration routes, because of their deadly role in spreading disease and parasites"

Dix's sickly silence on salmon is now deafening.

Round 5: Final Battle of the Salmon Giants?

Salmon giants Marine Harvest and Cermaq are "mobilizing for the final battle" reports Intrafish (10 May).

Follow all the latest seafood wews with Intrafish online here!

Intrafish reported "doubts" from financial analyst Pareto that Marine Harvest would secure enough support at Cermaq's Annual General Meeting on 21 May.

Earlier this week (8 May), Intrafish also reported:

How Marine Harvest's billionnaire owner John Fredriksen - Norway's richest man - reacted to being called 'Un-Norwegian' is unknown. However, the so-called 'Viking Raider' will probably be laughing all the way to the bank.

With all the smart money riding on this mega-merger, this fight is set to go the distance all the way until Cermaq's AGM on 21 May in Oslo, Norway.

Read more on the mega-merger via:

Posted at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Round 4: Cermaq Drops Guard on Marine Harvest Merger

The brutal battle between Marine Harvest and Cermaq cranked up a notch today (9 May) with the two sides in entrenched positions. "No comment," was the answer from Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar when questioned on whether he considered it a "hostile takeover" by Marine Harvest.

However, Cermaq's CEO dropped his guard in an exclusive interview - Intrafish reported (9 May):

Intrafish, the industry's trade bible, reported (9 May) how a raised offer from Cermaq's bitter rival was "out of the question":

Cermaq's CEO has clearly left the door open as the verbal sparring becomes more and more intense.

Follow all the news on the mega-merger via Intrafish - online here!

Intrafish also reported today (9 May) how Marine Harvest were fighting legal action in Canada.

Scottish Salmon's Seal Killers Named & Shamed!

BREAKING NEWS from Scotland's Killing Farms!

Read a press release and media backgrounder online via "Lethal Scottish Farmed Salmon: Serial Seal Killers Named & Shamed!"

Scotland’s seal killing salmon farms are finally named and shamed following a Freedom of Information disclosure forced on the Scottish Government by the Scottish Information Commissioner. The damning data reveals that over half of the salmon farms in Scotland killed seals as a ‘last resort’ even though only 13% of sites have predator nets installed!

The worst offenders are the Norwegian-owned companies Hjaltland (Grieg Seafood), Scottish Sea Farms (Leroy/Salmar), Marine Harvest (Meridian/Morpol) and the Scottish Salmon Company. GAAIA is now writing to retailers and the U.S. Government urging a boycott of ‘seal-unfriendly’ farmed salmon.

FOI data disclosed late yesterday (7 May) reveals that salmon farms in Orkney & the North Coast, Shetland, Western Isles and on the West Coast of Scotland killed a total of 346 seals (93 common seals and 253 grey seals). During 2011 and the first six months of 2012, 112 different salmon farms killed at least one seal – representing 52% of the 215 active salmon farms in Scotland. Fifteen salmon farms accounted for over a third (37%) of the killings – with the ‘Seven Deadliest Salmon Farms’ accounting for a quarter of all killings:

18 seals killed – Hjaltland: Lax Firth, Shetland (#333)

14 seals killed – Scottish Sea Farms: Veantrow Bay, Orkney (#860)

14 seals killed – Lakeland Marine (Meridian): Loch Melfort, West Scotland (#629)

13 seals killed – Scottish Salmon Company: Loch Roag, Western Isles (#752)

11 seals killed – Scottish Sea Farms: Bring Head, Scapa Flow, Orkney (#1023)

10 seals killed – Marine Harvest: Loch Sunart, West Scotland (#413)

8 seals killed – Northern Isles Salmon (Meridian): Rousay Sound, Orkney (#645)

Download the data online now for 2011 and 2012 and other documents via "Lethal Scottish Farmed Salmon: Serial Seal Killers Named & Shamed!"

The disclosure comes despite over 12 months of complaints, refusals and delays from both the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) and the Scottish Government. In December 2012, the SSPO wrote to the Scottish Government claiming that the release of the names of the seal-killing salmon farms would “have a direct impact on the market success of their products” (read the SSPO’s letter in full online here).

In January 2013, the Scottish Information Commissioner delayed disclosure to investigate a complaint of death threats.

Back in June 2012 (following the original FOI request in April 2012 filed by GAAIA) the Scottish Government named the salmon farming companies killing seals but refused to name the specific sites leading to an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner. Thanks to rulings in November 2012 and April 2013 upholding freedom of information the general public now know the identity of the salmon farms across Scotland slaughtering seals.

GAAIA also published damning data (obtained from Marine Scotland in March 2013 via another FOI request) naming all 169 salmon farm sites in Scotland WITHOUT predator nets (download data online here). The Scottish Government admitted in a FOI reply in September 2012 that 87% of Scottish salmon farms do not even have predator nets – explaining that installing predator nets “requires employing extra trained staff and regular net maintenance and cleaning which costs money and eats into profit margins”. Another FOI reply from the Scottish Government in March 2013 detailed the 47 salmon farms with predator nets – although only 37 sites were operational and only 25 sites used the predator nets continuously (12 sites kept the nets in storage).

Faced with a barrage of bad publicity in British Columbia, Marine Harvest Canada installed predator nets at a cost of $250,000 per farm but Marine Harvest and other companies have continued to cut corners in Scotland. If the 169 salmon farms without predator nets in Scotland installed predator nets it would cost the salmon farming industry £27 million ($42.5 million).

Following yesterday’s FOI reply the Scottish Government immediately posted new data on Scotland’s seal killers online (read 2012 seal killings online here; read 2011 seal killings online here).

Today, GAAIA wrote once again to all supermarkets asking them to stop sourcing farmed salmon from all seal-killing salmon farms in Scotland urging a boycott of ‘seal-unfriendly’ farmed salmon (read the letter online here). A letter was also sent today (8 May) to the US Department of Commerce repeating the call to ban seal-unfriendly Scottish farmed salmon under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (read the letter online here).

More details via “The Killing Farms” and “Killer Panda”

Read a press release and media backgrounder online via Lethal Scottish Farmed Salmon: Serial Seal Killers Named & Shamed!

More details via “The Killing Farms” and “Killer Panda”

Posted at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dix Finally Speaks - Too Little, Too Late?

With a week to go before the BC election, the NDP leader Adrian Dix has made a late plea to the wild salmon people to secure their vote.

"Protecting and enhancing wild salmon is a top priority for me," writes Dix echoeing the sentiment of late NDP leader Jack Layton before Canada's federal election in 2011. "I firmly support the moratorium on new fish farms on the north coast," he continued re-hashing a Government policy in place since 2008!

"I am also encouraged by the steps taken by the ‘Namgis First Nation near Port McNeill on developing closed containment salmon farms," said Dix who did not mention the fact that the closed containment facility has recently tested positive for a deadly virus.

Read Adrian Dix's statement in full below:

The statement from NDP leader Adrian Dix is almost a carbon copy of the statement provided by the NDP's MLA for North Island (Claire Trevena) in an interview with the Campbell River Mirror last month (30 April):

Shamefully, however, the NDP's current position is a reversal of previous NDP policy on salmon farming. Alexandra Morton wrote in her blog last month (27 April):

Meanwhile, yet another NDP candidate broke ranks from the NDP leadership's watered-down policy on salmon farming. Joe Trasolini, the NDP candidate for Port Moody-Coquitlam, spoke up for wild salmon following the screening of 'Salmon Confidential' on Sunday (5 May):

"Let me tell you that I will bring the message that it is the beginning of the fight," said Joe Trasolini. "If I take something on I take it to the end."

For many voters the end of salmon farming is the ultimate goal.

"Stop Salmon Farming" is the simple message to the Federal Government and to the Provincial Government.

Photo: Brigette DePape & Twyla Roscovich

It is time to stop talking about protecting wild salmon and start removing disease-ridden feedlots.

Photo: Alexandra Morton & Brigette DePape

However, the only party currently advocating the removal of salmon feedlots is the Green Party.

Whilst the NDP leadership dilly-dallies, the Green Party's position is crystal clear. In a press release issued last month (20 April), Green Party leader Jane Sterk said:

"The dramatic decline of BC’s wild salmon began when fish farms were introduced. Wild salmon cannot be saved until open net fish farms are removed from migration routes, because of their deadly role in spreading disease and parasites"

Go Green for wild salmon!

As well as the Greens, the Independent MLA Vicki Huntington (Delta South) is willing to stand up for wild salmon by advocating a removal of salmon feedlots.

Make sure you vote for wild salmon on 14 May!

Posted at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Round 3: Marine Harvest's Open Letter to Cermaq Shareholders

Marine Harvest today (7 May) upped the ante in their hostile takeover by writing an 'open letter to shareholders of Cermaq'.

The trade industry bible Intrafish reported (7 May):

The 'open letter to shareholders of Cermaq' included:

The open letter to Cermaq shareholders admits there are "challenges with regards to fish health" and "unresolved environmental and disease challenges":

The letter refers to "considerable concerns" in Chile with respect to "outbreaks of disease and high levels of sea lice":

Read the letter in full online here

Cermaq shareholders - you have been warned several times before!

A mega-merger between Marine Harvest and Cermaq would create mega-problems. Before last year's Marine Harvest AGM, Alexandra Morton wrote to Marine Harvest's current CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog:

Cermaq was also informed prior to their AGM in 2012 of the disease risks in British Columbia in particular.

Cermaq were warned back in May 2011 when GAAIA wrote to the Board of Directors, the Oslo Stock Exchange, shareholders and financial analysts concerning the non-disclosure of disease data. Read the letter online here

Cermaq's new CEO Jon Hindar was warned again in May 2012 of the disease risks associated with Cermaq's operations in British Columbia. Read the letter online here

For more news on the mega-merger read:

Intrafish reported (7 May):

The article concluded:

Read article in full and keep up to date on all the latest news from Intrafish online here

Cermaq fought back and went on the "PR offensive" - according to Intrafish (7 May) - "to combat misinformation from Marine Harvest bid":

Marine Harvest's charm offensive also included the release of a glossy brochure:

The case for a mega-merger was laid out - including:

Read brochure in full online here

For more news on the mega-merger read:

Posted at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Time for Dix to Nix Salmon Feedlots

NDP leader Adrian Dix is coming under increasing pressure from within his own party to nix disease-ridden salmon farms. North Shore News reported (5 May) how the NDP's candidate (Ana Santos) in the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding is committed to removing harmful salmon farms:

"Santos said the NDP has committed to removing salmon farms on harmful routes, and has seen first-hand the negative effects of fish farms. "Their impact is incredible; I don't need to be convinced," she said.

Santos made her views clear on Facebook late last week:

The NDP's Nicholas Simons - the incumbent MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast - broke ranks at the all-candidates meeting last week. The Coast Reporter reported (3 May):

"Simons drew the first applause of the evening in responding to a question about protecting wild salmon. “With the salmon farm circumstances, we know that there is enough science to tell us that the migratory routes should be free of fish farms because of the danger they pose,” he said.

Dix has a ready-made solution to the salmon problem - remove lice-infested feedlots NOW!

Use your head Adrian and nix salmon feedlots now before infectious diseases and sea lice infestation kill off all BC's wild salmon!

Back in 2011, during the NDP leadership race, Nicholas Simons made his opposition to the Norwegian-owned salmon farming industry clear. When asked "If you were a salmon, what species would you be?" he told The Globe & Mail: "I wouldn't be farmed salmon."

Santos & Simons were joined by the NDP candidate for Parksville-Qualicum (Barry Avis) who posted on Facebook last week:

The message to the NDP leadership is crystal clear - nix disease-ridden salmon feedlots!

In March, the NDP MLA Rob Fleming also spoke out against salmon farming saying the NDP would look into banning feedlots. Alexandra Morton reported in her blog last month (27 April):

The Vancouver Sun reported (22 March):

The Tyee explained last week (3 May):

Morton said the fish-farm issue is increasing in importance in the provincial election. "The NDP has put out conflicting statements," she said. "First they said they might ban the farms, but then they issued a much softer statement." (The NDP website has little to say about the issue except to criticize the Liberals for failing to protect wild salmon and not taking unspecified "action" on fish farms.)

"Controversy is developing regarding the NDP’s rather vague election promise on salmon," wrote Andrew Gage from West Coast Environment Law (2 May):

The Straight also reported (3 May):

Watch Alexandra Morton's video message online here

What does NDP leader Adrian Dix really stand for on salmon?

Is he pro-wild salmon or pro-salmon farming?

Dix's silence on salmon leaves people scratching their heads.

The NDP leadership are fully aware of opinion polls indicating support for removing salmon feedlots - with 68% of NDP voters wanting to remove salmon feedlots!

So if the majority of NDP supporters want salmon feedlots removed then why does Adrian Dix not pledge to nix the Norwegian corporations (who now control over 90% of BC's salmon farms) from the coast? What is the NDP leadership waiting for when the solution is staring Dix straight in the face?

NDP candidates across the province are being applauded for sticking their necks out. NDP MLA Nicholas Simons drew more praise for his strong position via public comments posted on the Coast Reporter web-site:

However, the NDP's election platform is strangely silent on salmon with just two mentions in 70 pages.

Sadly, the NDP leader's policy on salmon farming appears more in line with Liberal Party leader Christy Clark.

Adrian's love-in with the Liberal leader is driving voters to the Greens.

The NDP is waving goodbye to the Green vote by ignoring the salmon farming issue.

Join the Facebook discussion via "Will Dix Nix Salmon Feedlots?"

Whilst the BC NDP is keen to invoke comparisons with the NDP's inspirational leader Jack Layton, Adrian Dix is unwilling to speak out on the salmon issue.

The NDP's Jack Layton is surely turning in his grave at the Adrian Dix's continued support for such a filthy fish farming industry.

"I think the long-term decline that we’ve seen, the growth of fish farming that we’ve seen, is something that’s of very, very grave concern," said Layton in 2010. "So this is a high priority for us."

How long can Adrian Dix continue his policy of saying absolutely nothing on salmon?

As Dix dilly-dallies, the Greens continue to pick up votes from the NDP. In a press release issued last month (20 April), Green Party leader Jane Sterk said:

"The dramatic decline of BC’s wild salmon began when fish farms were introduced. Wild salmon cannot be saved until open net fish farms are removed from migration routes, because of their deadly role in spreading disease and parasites"

Voters like Eddie Gardner who are frustrated at the NDP's lack of leadership on wild salmon are going green!

As well as the Greens, the Independent MLA Vicki Huntington (Delta South) is willing to stand up for wild salmon by advocating a removal of salmon feedlots.

Until NDP leader Adrian Dix comes out against salmon feedlots his claims of protecting the coast are complete and utter bullshit.

Make sure you vote for wild salmon on 14 May!

Read more via the latest issue of Common Ground online here

Posted at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The "Uncomfortable Truth": Alexandra Morton in The New York Times on ISA in BC!

The New York Times (3 May) cranked up the volume in the debate whether the deadly virus Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) has been let loose in the Pacific by Norwegian-owned companies farming disease-ridden Atlantic salmon.

Read a background report - "ISA: Diary of Disease Disaster" - detailing the global spread of ISA since first being reported in Norway in 1984: online here

Read more about infectious diseases afflicting salmon farms worldwide via "Fish Farmageddon: The Infectious Salmon Aquacalypse" (August 2011) - online here

Following up the New York Times story, CBC News broadcast an interview yesterday afternoon (3 May) with Alexandra Morton and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) - listen online here!

"If we have any suspicion we would go and do testing," claimed the CFIA's Dr. Penny Greenwood. "Do we require them to regularly give us samples to test? Not at the moment"

"Our wild salmon are at risk from this," said Alexandra Morton. "The salmon farming industry is at risk from this and the CFIA should be re-testing these fish."

Despite positive tests for ISA in BC farmed and wild salmon the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and their fishy friends in the Norwegian-owned salmon farming industry continue to deny the presence of ISA in the Pacific North-West.

Read the New York Times article in full online here

For more details watch the documentary 'Salmon Confidential' - online here!

Read more on the Canadian cover-up of ISA in BC online via "FishyLeaks"

In 2008, The New York Times featured a video on "Alexandra Morton's Salmon Fight" - watch online here

Read the New York Times news story "Scientist at Work: Alexandra Morton"

The New York Times reported in 2011:

Another article published by The New York Times in 2011 reported:

Another blog in The New York Times published in 2011 asked:

The article concluded:

The multi-billion dollar question here is the impact on the farmed salmon market when - not if - ISA is officially reported by Canada to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The ISA crisis in Chile cost over $20 billion and resulted in a backlash from supermarkets in the United States. The New York Times reported in 2008:

Earlier this week (29 April) it was revealed that a virus was affecting the operations of a closed containment salmon farm near Port McNeill - the land-based facility sourced smolts from Norwegian giant Marine Harvest. In 2011, the New York Times also reported how the ISA virus had been imported into Chile by the Norwegian egg company Aquagen - then part-owned by Marine Harvest and Cermaq.

In January 2013, Marine Harvest sold all their shares in Aquagen but not before spreading ISA in their Norwegian operations at Høgholmen in Bjugn.

Marine Harvest is known to be infected around the world with various viruses including Infectious Salmon Anaemia, Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation/Piscine Reovirus, Pancreas Disease/Salmonid Alphavirus and Amoebic Gill Disease.

In fact, Marine Harvest's 2012 Annual Report published just last week (26 April) named the biggest killers affecting their operations:

Last month, Alexandra Morton wrote to Marine Harvest Canada warning them of the spread of Piscine reovirus:

"Your fish in the Dalrymple Hatchery represent a significant threat to the wild salmon of British Columbia if they are placed in ocean net pens," wrote Alexandra Morton. Even in closed containment facilities the threat of a deadly virus spreading is very real.

Last year, Alexandra Morton also asked Marine Harvest:

The message to the disease-ridden Norwegian corporations operating in British Columbia is crystal clear:

Posted at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Round 2: Marine Harvest's Counter-Punch for Cermaq?

Round 2 in the Clash of the Titans between salmon giants Marine Harvest and Cermaq kicked off late this week in Norway with rumours of a counter-offer from the world's largest farming corporation. BusinessWeek/Bloomberg reported (3 May):

Intrafish reported (3 May) pushback on the mega-merger from the Socialist Left Party (SV) - a partner in Norway's coalition Government:

Norway's Labour Party - the dominant coalition partner who include the former chairman of Cermaq as their Minister of Finance and salmon farm owner Lisbeth-Berg Hansen as the Minister of Fisheries - are staying silent. Intrafish reported (3 May):

Keep up-dated on all the latest news via Intrafish - online here

But Marine Harvest will certainly not take no for an answer. Marine Harvest is owned by 'Viking Raider' John Fredriksen who is used to getting what he wants - Fredriksen is the 87th richest person in the world worth an eye-popping $11.5 billion according to the Forbes Rich List.

Forbes famously described John Fredriksen as "a murky character notorious for rowdy drinking binges and playing rough with takeover targets".

Norway's richest man piled on the pressure by raising his stake in Cermaq buying another 700,000 shares. CNBC/Reuters reported (3 May):

Earlier in the week, the 'Big Wolf' (John Fredriksen's nickname and the title of his unauthorized biography 'Storeulv') blew a further $154 million on Marine Harvest shares - a drop into the bucket of his $11.5 billion fortune.

Norway's state broadcaster NRK reported (6 May) on "The Battle To Be King of the Seas" - featuring a photo of Marine Harvest owner John Fredriksen from the film 'Salmonopoly':

Cermaq's AGM on 21 May in Oslo, Norway, is expected to be D-Day with Marine Harvest's hostile takeover offer considered by the Board of Directors which include Marine Harvest's former CEO Åse Aulie Michelet. However, Cermaq's CEO will go down fighting. Intrafish reported (6 May):

The brutal battle is expected to continue until then as the hostile takeover goes the distance.

A mega-merger between Marine Harvest and Cermaq would create mega-problems. Before last year's Marine Harvest AGM, Alexandra Morton wrote to Marine Harvest's current CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog:

Cermaq was also informed prior to their AGM in 2012 of the disease risks in British Columbia in particular.

Cermaq were warned back in May 2011 when GAAIA wrote to the Board of Directors, the Oslo Stock Exchange, shareholders and financial analysts concerning the non-disclosure of disease data. Read the letter online here

Cermaq's new CEO Jon Hindar was warned again in May 2012 of the disease risks associated with Cermaq's operations in British Columbia. Read the letter online here

Posted at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Clash of the Titans: Cermaq Vs Marine Harvest

The brutal battle between salmon farming giants Marine Harvest and Cermaq is set to go the distance. Intrafish reported today (2 May):

The article in Intrafish - the industry's trade bible - concluded:

Keep up-dated on all salmon farming news via Intrafish - subscribe online here

Reuters reported earlier today (2 May):

The hostile takeover made a big splash in the trade press with Intrafish devoting their front page to the battle between the #1 salmon farming company in the world (Marine Harvest) and the world's #2 (Cermaq).

The mega-merger was front-page news in Norway making a splash in E24, Dagens Naringsliv, Aftenposten and Dagbladet.

The takeover pits two of Norway's biggest heavyweights in the same ring: in one corner is the 'Viking Raider' - Norway's richest man John Fredriksen (owner of Marine Harvest).

In the other corner is Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar and the Norwegian Government (as the largest shareholder of the state-owned multinational).

The fight could be a dirty one indeed - Forbes famously described John Fredriksen as "a murky character notorious for rowdy drinking binges and playing rough with takeover targets". Marine Harvest's owner John Fredrisken is the biggest fish in the murky waters of the global salmon farming pond. Fredriksen is the 87th richest man in the world world worth $11.5 billion according to the Forbes Rich List and goes by the nickname 'Storeulv' (Big Wolf) - the name of Fredriksen's unauthorized biography.

Yesterday, the 'Big Wolf' himself put more of his money where his mouth is when dropping a further $154 million into Marine Harvest (a drop into the bucket of his $11.5 billion fortune).

BusinessWeek/Bloomberg reported (2 May):

Fisheries Information reported (2 May):

Canada's Globe & Mail newspaper reported (2 May):

Posted at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mmm Mega-Marine Harvest: Super-Liced Salmon!

Make no mistake - the proposed mega-merger between the world's #1 salmon farming corporation Marine Harvest and #2 in the shape of Norwegian giant Cermaq is a super-sized problem and the biggest news in the fishy world since Godzilla took on the Loch Ness Monster! Earlier today, the 'Big Wolf' himself (Marine Harvest's owner John Fredriksen) put more of his money where his mouth is when dropping a further $154 million into Marine Harvest (a drop into the bucket of his $11.5 billion fortune).

Industry consolidation over the last few decades has resulted in fewer and fewer corporations producing more and more farmed salmon.

Meet the man who will decide on the merger - Norway's Minister of Trade & Industry Trond Giske (who controls state-owned company Cermaq via the Norwegian Government's Department of Ownership):

Read article and more news on the merger online via Intrafish

Keeping it in the family, Norway's Minister of Fisheries (Lisbeth Berg-Hansen, nicknamed 'Lusebeth' on account of Norway's sea lice problem) is herself a salmon owner and her former Undersecretary of State for Fisheries left in February 2013 to join........you guessed it - Marine Harvest!

Marine Harvest is also lobbying the Norwegian Government to increase the 25% limit on ownership.

If the mega-merger is approved the new Marine Harvest/Cermaq would easily exceed 25% of Norwegian salmon farm production. Intrafish reported today on the 'Clash of the Titans' and detailed how a merged Marine Harvest/Cermaq would control 37% of Norway's salmon farms:

Marine Harvest & Cermaq certainly have friends in high places so should not be troubled by any salmon ceiling. Norway's Minister of Finance (Sigbjorn Johnsen) is also the former Chairman of.....you guessed it - Cermaq!

Read more on the incestous relationship between the salmon farming industry and Norwegian Government via 'Something Is Rotten In The State of Norway'

Big is not better, however, as sea lice infestation and infectious diseases ravage the global salmon farming industry. Being a big fish in a small pond also leads to increasing problems with waste pollution and chemical contamination.

Read more on Marine Harvest's takeover offer for Cermaq via "Salmon Giant Eats Salmon Giant - Marine Harvest takeover of Cermaq!"

In Scotland, the number of companies producing farmed salmon declined from 87 in 2001 to 27 in 2011 - with just 9 companies now accounting for 97% of Scottish salmon farming production (Marine Harvest alone represents some 40% of Scottish salmon farming).

In British Columbia, the number of companies farming salmon fell from 50 in 1989 to 12 in 2004. Today, three Norwegian-owned companies control 92% of the salmon farms.

If the Marine Harvest/Cermaq mega merger goes ahead then just one company will control 79% of BC salmon farms. Back in 2004 when the Raincoast Conservation Society published "Diminishing Returns: An Investigation into the Five Multinational Corporations that Control British Columbia’s Salmon Farming Industry" there were five companies controlling 80% of BC salmon farms:

In the last decade, the 'Big Five' have been subsumed via mergers and takeovers into just two companies: Marine Harvest (formerly Stolt, Pan Fish & Nutreco) and Cermaq (Heritage). And now there could be one big behemoth left standing in British Columbia.

Big is NOT beautiful when it comes to Marine Harvest - the McDonald's of the salmon farming world.

Photo: John Fredriksen, owner of Marine Harvest, and 87th richest person in the world worth $11.5 billion according to the Forbes Rich List!

Marine Harvest owner John Fredriksen, who looks as if he's eaten more than his fair share of farmed salmon and Big Macs, was nicknamed 'McFreddy' by the Norwegian media in 2007 following Marine Harvest's link up with McDonald's.

The Norway-only trial of the 'Laksewrap' (Salmon Wrap) was meant to "catch on internationally". "It is very exciting to cooperate with McDonalds and launch such a healty and delicious product at the fast food chain", said Arne Hjeltnes, Communication Director in Marine Harvest.

However, even the rabidly pro-salmon farming Norwegians found the 'Laksewrap' left a bad taste in the mouth.

In 1997, McDonald's were sued when "four people, including two McDonald's employees, were hospitalized after eating tainted McLaks salmon burgers at a restaurant in Lorenskog, located in the outskirts of Oslo". McDonald's Norway confirmed that the food poisoning materialized from a "corrupted" consignment of salmon fillets delivered by the Norwegian fish firm West Fish, based in Alesund. Separate legal actions against McDonald's were filed by the four people who claimed they became sick after consuming McLaks burgers. "At first the McLaks tasted very good, but after some minutes my mouth and throat became numb, and I experienced internal spasms," said Geir Sundberg, one of the four filing suit against McDonald's.

Advertising Age reported under "1997 Ad Follies":

"In Norway, McDonald's pulled the McLaks salmon burger off the market after four customers were treated for food poisoning. McLaks had been a hit with health-conscious Norwegians, and McDonald's had been considering expanding the product to Sweden and Denmark"

For more details read "McDonald's sued over McSalmon burger sickness" and "Eco-Washing McFarmed Fish"

Super-sized salmon farming is one sick business that even Morgan Spurlock would find stomach-churning. Marine Harvest's 2012 Annual Report published just last week (26 April) revealed the scale of the sea lice crisis - with rising sea lice infestation rates in Ireland, Scotland and Chile:

Marine Harvest's Q1 2013 report published yesterday (30 April) also revealed infectious disease problems:

Sea lice infestation and antibiotic use are also increasing:

In Chile, "seawater costs have increased due to higher sea lice mitigation costs" and "the sealice load at the end of the quarter was higher than at the corresponding time in 2012".

A Marine Harvest/Cermaq merger would be a marriage made in hell - with Cermaq's Chilean subsidiary Mainstream Chile also experiencing high sea lice infestation rates (as presented in Cermaq's 'Sustainability Report 2012':

In Ireland, Marine Harvest now controls around 70% of Irish salmon farming production and has a super-sized sea lice problem. Undercurrent News reported in December 2012:

Salmon Giant Eats Salmon Giant - Marine Harvest takeover of Cermaq!

In the biggest news in the fish world since Godzilla took on the Loch Ness Monster, Marine Harvest announced today (30 April) a takeover offer for their big rival in the shape of Norwegian salmon farming giant Cermaq.

Reuters reported earlier today on the deal worth $1.69 billion:

Read also via The Wall Street Journal: "Marine Harvest to Place Bid for Cermaq"

The takeover was all the talk of the trade press with the news dominating the headlines in Intrafish:

The takeover pits two of Norway's biggest heavyweights in the same ring: in one corner is the 'Viking Raider' - Norway's richest man John Fredriksen (owner of Marine Harvest).

In the other corner is Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar and the Norwegian Government (as the largest shareholder of the state-owned multinational).

The fight could be a dirty one indeed - Forbes famously described John Fredriksen as "a murky character notorious for rowdy drinking binges and playing rough with takeover targets". Cermaq, meanwhile, are currently embroiled in the 'Salmon Farming Kills' legal battle and are taking a hard-line approach in censoring critcism of the salmon farming industry. As the two behemoths go head to head and start slinging mud it will be an interesting spectator sport for sure!

Cermaq's CEO is keeping mum on the merger for the time being with a "no comment" reply to trade bible Intrafish:

Marine Harvest's chairman told Intrafish that "this is just the beginning of our development":

Marine Harvest's owner John Fredrisken is a very big fish in the salmon farming pond. Fredriksen is the 87th richest man in the world world worth $11.5 billion according to the Forbes Rich List and goes by the nickname 'Storeulv' (Big Wolf) - the name of Fredriksen's unauthorized biography.

Watch Fredriksen in the film 'Salmonopoly'

Norway is one of the richest countries in the world and already controls the majority of salmon farming in the world with Marine Harvest and Cermaq together accounting for over a quarter of salmon farming globally.

Intrafish reported (30 April) that the merged company would be "one of the largest seafood companies on the planet":

If the merger went ahead, the new Marine Harvest would account for 79% of the salmon farms in British Columbia - according to the following data from Farmed & Dangerous:

Undercurrent News reported (30 April):

“A combination of Marine Harvest and Cermaq will create a global seafood leader
based upon a complete footprint along the Norwegian coast,” said Marine Harvest.

A press release issued this morning by Marine Harvest (not posted on their web-site yet - but should be online here) included:

Watch out for more news from Marine Harvest online here

The Norwegian media featured the big news majoring on 'Big Wolf' John Fredriksen and his ownership of Marine Harvest:

Bloomberg/BusinessWeek reported:

Read more about Marine Harvest via "Marine Harvest's Salmonopoly Loss - Q3 $$$$$s drop 86%!" and "Marine Harmfest"

Read more about Cermaq via "Cermaq's Crisis in Canada!" and "Cermaq's Clusterfuck"

Posted at 05:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Virus Alert at 'Cracked' Closed Containment Farm!

BREAKING NEWS!

An unidentified virus has been detected at the recently "cracked" Namgis closed containment salmon farm on the banks of the Nimpkish River near Port McNeill on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Save Our Salmon refuses to name the virus affecting the $9 million facility but the smolts were sourced from disease-ridden Norwegian giant Marine Harvest.

Christine Hunt (the sister of Namgis First Nation Chief Bill Cranmer) posted on Facebook over the weekend:

"I spoke to Bill and yes there is a virus in their tank but being a half mile from the river and a filtration system watched around the clock, there is no danger of the virus spreading. I suggest you phone Mike Berry in Alert Bay...his number is in your telephone book."

Christine Hunt (an unsuccessful NDP candidate in the 2005 election and former senior adviser to NDP MLA Corky Evans - as well as a former Vice-president of the Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters) replied when questioned further on whether the virus had been reported:

Earlier this morning, however, DFO denied knowledge of any health problems at the Namgis closed facility:

The NDP's MLA for North Island, Claire Trevena, is watching the Namgis closed containment facility with interest. Here's Claire's post on Facebook last week:

Save Our Salmon admitted yesterday (28 April) that the land based facility suffered from engineering problems with a cracked growout tank: "With regard to the tanks, one of the growout tanks was cracked during construction and has been repaired and tested," explained Jackie Hildering. "The facility is a fully enclosed, biosecure building that is a considerable distance from the River. Therefore, there can be no escapes – another advantage of land-based closed containment."

However, a recent report revealed that 11% of escapes occur from land-based salmon farms.

Three out of four escapes are caused by equipment failure.

Last year, another closed-containment facility near Campbell River also reported cracked tanks leading to the escape of farmed salmon.

In fact, DFO reports that out of 2,754 escapes reported in 2012 some 2,745 (99 per cent) were from the closed containment salmon farm:

"There are no known diseased fish in the facility and precautions have been undertaken in case there are unknowns," continued Hildering of Save Our Salmon in her email yesterday (28 April). "Tables 1 and 2 of the Pathogen Control Backgrounder indicate when fish would or would not be accepted. Concerns about viruses and bacteria emphasize why it is so necessary to prove the economics of closed containment where fish stresses can be reduced and contact with the environment can be controlled. All the measures taken to ensure this is the case, as well as the protocol around bacteria and viruses."

Tables 1 and 2 of the 'Pathogen Control Backgrounder' are enclosed in full below:

Read report in full via "Prevention of Pathogens" online here

The Times Colonist reported last month that: "The 23,000 smolts, provided by Marine Harvest Canada, weigh about 100 grams each. They will spend the first four months of their lives in quarantine."

In fact, at least two of the staff at the Namgis closed containment system worked for Marine Harvest so know all about infectious diseases and deadly viruses!

The "Prevention of Pathogens" report dated February 2013 also includes:

Why the Namgis First Nation would decide to farm an alien species (Atlantic salmon) rather than native Pacific salmon and source smolts from a Norwegian-owned corporation with a history of infectious disease problems is naive at best and negligent at worst.

"The ‘Namgis, known as the People of the Salmon, have 4,000 years of tradition tying them to Pacific salmon and it is with the hope of saving wild salmon that they are getting into the business of farming Atlantic salmon," reported The Times Colonist (19 March) when the Marine Harvest smolts were deposited into the closed containment facility last month.

In 2011, the New York Times reported how the ISA virus had been imported into Chile by the Norwegian egg company Aquagen - then part-owned by Marine Harvest and Cermaq.

In January 2013, Marine Harvest sold all their shares in Aquagen but not before spreading ISA in their Norwegian operations at Høgholmen in Bjugn.

Marine Harvest is known to be infected around the world with various viruses including Infectious Salmon Anaemia, Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation/Piscine Reovirus, Pancreas Disease/Salmonid Alphavirus and Amoebic Gill Disease.

In fact, Marine Harvest's 2012 Annual Report published just last week (26 April) named the biggest killers affecting their operations:

Last month, Alexandra Morton wrote to Marine Harvest Canada warning them of the spread of Piscine reovirus:

"Your fish in the Dalrymple Hatchery represent a significant threat to the wild salmon of British Columbia if they are placed in ocean net pens," wrote Alexandra Morton. Even in closed containment facilities the threat of a deadly virus spreading is very real.

Last year, Alexandra Morton also asked Marine Harvest:

Watch more via "Message to Marine Harvest Shareholders"

As of 11am this morning, the virus alert at the closed containment facility prompts more questions than answers but it seems certain that the funders of the $9 million project will be asking if the Namgis First Nation and Save Our Salmon knew of the virus BEFORE placing them in the cracked tanks (i.e. proceeded with the project despite knowing the risks). The sourcing of salmon from Marine Harvest - a company known to be infected with viruses - is akin to risking a blood transfusion from a HIV-infected person.

The difference in this case is that the decision was deliberate not accidental - the difference between manslaughter and premeditated murder. Indeed, the Namgis First Nation and Save Our Salmon were forewarned repeatedly that BC farmed salmon was infected with viruses:

Read more on the global spread of infectious diseases via "Fish Farmageddon: The Infectious Salmon Aquacalypse"

The unforgiveable decision to source Atlantic farmed salmon will come back to haunt the Namgis First Nation and Save Our Salmon.

Moreover, did the funders - including Sustainable Development Technolog y C anada ($2.65m); DFO’s Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program ($800K); Aborig inal Affairs Canada ($257K); the Coast Sustainability Trust ($113K); the Ritchie Foundation ($154,745); BC Hydro Power Smart ($143K) and the Tides Canada’s Salmon Aquaculture Innovation Fund ($3.17m) - put wild salmon at risk to save their $9 million investment? If funders ploughed ahead with full knowledge of the risks there's a posse of people aong with Marine Harvest's owner, billionnaire John Fredriksen (#87 on the Forbes Rich List worth $11.5 billion), with blood on their hands.

Meanwhile, the NDP's continued support for Marine Harvest and the BC salmon farming industry rings yet more alarm bells. Here's the NDP's Claire Trevena promoting Marine Harvest's disease-ridden facilities on a shameless PR photo shoot:

For more background on Marine Harvest's disease-ridden operations read "Marine Harmfest"

Be warned - salmon farming spreads infectious diseases all over the world. Stop the spread of the malignant cancer on our coasts by boycotting farmed salmon!

Last year, The Globe & Mail revealed that the European-origin Piscine Reovirus (linked to HSMI) had been found in farmed salmon purchased in four Vancouver supermarkets.

Read details via 'Salmon Feedlot Boycott' and watch the documentary 'Salmon Confidential' online here!

Posted at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Victory for Freedom of Information - Seal Killers in Scotland Named & Shamed by 7 May!

Seals scored a significant victory this week in Scotland following a ruling by the Scottish Information Commissioner forcing the Scottish Government to name all salmon farms killing seals.

Read the ruling (193/2013) from the Scottish Information Commissioner in full online here

The Scottish Information Commissioner's decision was warmly welcomed by environmental and animal welfare groups, but attacked by the fish farming industry for endangering public safety. The Scottish government said it was “disappointed” but would have to comply. The Sunday Herald exclusive by award-winning journalist Rob Edwards continued:

In conclusion, reported Rob Edwards:

Thanks to the ruling the public will be able to know if they're buying farmed salmon from sites which kill seals.

The rabid reaction from the blood-thirsty Scottish Seal Slaughter Organisation err....I mean the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation was typical of an industry attempting to justify lethal (and cheaper) means of predator control rather than installing expensive predator nets.

In British Columbia, following damning media coverage of the deaths of sea lions at salmon farms, Marine Harvest Canada announced in 2011 that they would be installing predator nets at a cost of $250,000 per site.

Since one in five of Scotland's salmon farms do not even possess predator nets (only 13% have them installed on site) then it could cost over £25 million to install predator nets at the every one of Scotland's 215 active salmon farms. As For Argyll reports: "Roll on 7 May".

Until Scottish salmon farms ALL install predator nets and stop killing seals then the public should boycott cheap and nasty Scottish farmed salmon.

The NDP's Salmon Sell Out - Money Talks, Adrian Dix Doesn't!

Voters in the upcoming election in British Columbia are beginning to see through the NDP's embarrassingly thin policy on salmon (click online here - and then search for "salmon" and there's only two mentions in 70 pages of NDP policy promises!).

NDP leader Adrian Dix - the man in the skimpy orange underpants - is the Emperor with no clothes and no voice for wild salmon.

Watch Adrian Dix's lips as he criss-crosses BC on the campaign trail - but don't hold your breath for him to issue a public statement on salmon anytime soon. The BC salmon farming industry has bought the NDP's platform on salmon farming - hence Dix's deafening silence on salmon.

The NDP's current policy on salmon farming is the tail wagging the dog.

A look at all the donors to the NDP reveals over $10,000 in donations from the BC Salmon Farmers Association and the salmon farming giant Grieg Seafood - with five donations from the BCSFA since 2006 including $6,700 in 2012 alone.

Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood donated a further $1,125 during 2012.

Grieg Seafood, along with another Norwegian-owned salmon farming corporation Cermaq (Mainstream), spread the deadly disease Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis around BC last year precipitating "losses amounting to millions of dollars".

Read more via Alexandra Morton's blog "On to the next IHN positive site owned by Norwegian company Grieg"

BCSFA member Mainstream Canada (a subsidiary of Cermaq) certainly know how to play politics. Following the death of NDP leader Jack Layton they cried crocodile tears via this press release:

Whilst NDP federal leader Jack Layton came out strongly in support of wild salmon and referred to fish farms as a "grave concern" before the 2011 election, BC NDP leader Adrian Dix refuses to nix disease-ridden salmon feedlots.

"I think the long-term decline that we’ve seen, the growth of fish farming that we’ve seen, is something that’s of very, very grave concern," said Layton in an interview with The Straight. "So this is a high priority for us."

How low can the BC NDP now go when it comes to their policy on salmon? Whilst Jack led from the front and spoke his mind, Adrian barks orders from the backroom to NDP candidates to stay silent whilst out on the campaign trail.

A closer look at the NDP's backroom team bossing strategy rings the alarm bells. The brains behind the NDP's election campaign is Brad Lavigne - a Vice President of the PR company of choice for polluting corporations, Hill & Knowlton.

Hill & Knowlton acted as a shameless shill for the salmon farming industry when advising the BC Salmon Farmers Association in 2003. Raincoast Conservation Society wrote in a press release:

A decade later, that Hill & Knowlton's Vice President is pulling the strings on the NDP's salmon policy speaks volumes (even if NDP leader Adrian Dix doesn't).

Posted at 04:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is the NDP the Liberal Party in disguise? Go Green for Wild Salmon!

Beware the NDP's beastly policy on salmon farming!

Thanks to yesterday's blog, the NDP have finally been flushed out on the salmon farming issue - and what a load of crap it is! Here's the rotten statement posted last night (22 April) on Facebook by Claire Trevena, the NDP's incumbent MLA for North Island.

So absolutely zero commitment from Claire to removing disease-ridden salmon feedlots. Blah blah blah. Is Claire Trevena really Liberal leader Christy Clark in disguise?

Here's Claire Trevena posing for a Christy Clark-style photo shoot promoting Marine Harvest's salmon farm in Sayward.

So the NDP, far from being the champion of wild salmon, are effectively endorsing the status quo. The NDP talk the talk on salmon but leader Adrian Dix refuses to walk on the wild side.

The NDP leadership have clearly not heeded the warnings of deadly viruses in the film 'Salmon Confidential'. In fact, Claire Trevena MLA did not even bother to turn up to last night's screening in Campbell River - the 'Salmon Capital of the World'.

In Sidney on Saturday (20 April), however, the Green Party's federal leader Elizabeth May made a very public and very powerful pledge to remove salmon feedlots immediately. That same evening the local NDP candidate spouted the same old NDP nonsense about the need for more research and study to see if salmon farms are spreading infectious diseases.

The NDP's watered down statement is essentially no different from the Liberal Party's weak position on salmon farms. If Dix is crowned the Premier of BC on 14th May he will be the new Emperor with no clothes!

The only true vote for wild salmon is the Green Party who have come out strongly and unequivocally against disease-ridden salmon farms.

Read the Green Party's position on fisheries and salmon farming in full online here

On Facebook's 'Salmon Are Sacred' page the debate is turning from the NDP's orange to Green:

In the Chilliwack Progress yesterday (22 April), First Nation elder and wild salmon advocate Eddie Gardner endorsed the Green Party candidate. "Kim Reimer and the Green Party of B.C. are in harmony. They have a strong support in having the open-net salmon feedlots removed from their coastal waters. No other party has really come out and stated anything like that," said Gardner.

Sadly, the Green Party do not even have a candidate running in North Island - although Green Party leader Jane Sterk says there's still time for somebody to stand up for wild salmon:

In the absence of a Green Party candidate in North Island, voters are now left with a posse of pro-salmon farming candidates who refuse to stand up to filthy feedlots.

So whilst the Green Party and even the Liberal Party issue clear statements on salmon, the NDP's leader Adrian Dix stays silent.

Even the Liberal Party issued a statement last month supporting eight recommendations of the Cohen Commission's final report including a cap on the open-net farms.

So whilst the NDP procrastinate and the Liberals prevaricate on the salmon issue, the Green Party's position is crystal clear. In a press release issued on Saturday (20 April), Green Party leader Jane Sterk said:

"The dramatic decline of BC’s wild salmon began when fish farms were introduced. Wild salmon cannot be saved until open net fish farms are removed from migration routes, because of their deadly role in spreading disease and parasites"

In contrast, the NDP leadership staunchly refuses to issue a public statement against salmon farms. The best the NDP can come up with is a Facebook post (since deleted) on 9 April from the NDP's Lana Popham (who also mistakenly says the election is on 14 April - not 14 May!).

The silence on salmon from NDP leader Adrian Dix speaks volumes and begs questions of their commitment to removing salmon feedlots. The NDP's lip service to wild salmon is a slap in the face to voters who desperately want to believe that the NDP will change for the better.

However, no amount of wishful thinking will alter the fact that the NDP's policy on salmon has gone to the dogs.

Sadly, the only thing you can count on is for NDP leader Adrian Dix to stay silent on salmon.

Read my lips Adrian Dix - please nix disease-ridden salmon feedlots now!

Join the Facebook discussion via "Will Dix Nix Salmon Feedlots?"

Posted at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Message to the NDP - Cut the Crap on Salmon Farming!

The New Democratic Party (NDP) in British Columbia should stop talking shite on salmon farming! That's the message from voters in North Island who want the NDP's incumbent MLA Claire Trevena to come out strongly and publicly against disease-ridden salmon farms.

The NDP's silence on the salmon farming issue speaks volumes and serves only to endorse the Norwegian-owned filthy feedlots spreading infectious diseases and viruses throughout British Columbia.

During a visit to salmon farms in the Wild Salmon Narrows yesterday (21 April), the reluctance of the NDP to commit to a policy of removing salmon farms was a topic of heated conversation. "Why are the NDP so silent on the salmon farming issue?" asked Quadra Island resident Angela Koch. "Why would the NDP continue to support such a filthy industry?"

"Why doesn't the NDP come out against the disease-ridden feedlots operating here in the Wild Salmon Narrows," continued Koch as she scratched her head.

Claire Trevena MLA advocates in her election platform "change for the better, one practical step at a time" but refuses to stand up for wild salmon against the disease-ridden salmon farming industry.

In fact, the English-born NDP North Island MLA for the upcoming provincial election stands for Norwegian-owned farmed salmon not BC wild salmon. In the BC Salmon Farmers Association's 2009 annual report, Claire Trevena gives her glowing support for salmon farming:

Read Claire's letter of support to BC salmon farming online here!

In 2008, Claire Trevena MLA visited Marine Harvest's disease-ridden salmon farming operations.

A vote for the NDP in North Island is a vote for salmon farming - here's Claire happily posing with a disease-ridden farmed salmon at a Marine Harvest site in Sayward!

If the NDP were really serious about "change for the better" then one first practical step would be to remove salmon feedlots immediately.

Sadly, a vote for the NDP in North Island is a vote for disease-ridden salmon farming!

The NDP's pro-salmon position is all the more alarming given the contaminated wastes being discharged by Marine Harvest, Cermaq (Mainstream) and Grieg - the three Norwegian-owned corporations which control over 90% of BC salmon farming. During yesterday's visit, a 'pooper-scooper' was sent down under Marine Harvest's salmon farm at Cyrus Rocks off Quadra Island. What a load of salmon shit!

Why would the NDP stand up for this crap?

The NDP's Jack Layton will be turning in his grave at the NDP's continued support for such a filthy and morally bankrupt industry.

"I think the long-term decline that we’ve seen, the growth of fish farming that we’ve seen, is something that’s of very, very grave concern," said Layton in 2010. "So this is a high priority for us."

Sadly, Layton's legacy of healthy wild salmon has been discarded by Adrian Dix's NDP in British Columbia - along with the mountains of contaminated wastes under salmon farm. The NDP's silence on salmon farms has spawned a Facebook event page: "Will Dix Nix Salmon Feedlots?"

Watch video footage of the crap under salmon farms in British Columbia online here

Watch A News reporting on protestors returning salmon farm waste back to Marine Harvest in Campbell River - online here!

Posted at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who's Calling Who a Trespasser?

The Norwegian Government-owned multinational Cermaq has threatened to call the police regarding a site visit later today to salmon farms in the Wild Salmon Narrows in British Columbia!

Laurie Jensen, Cermaq's PR flak in Canada, repeated:

In reply, the following email was sent to various Government agencies, the police and Cermaq:

Another email stated:

Last year, Cermaq considered legal action against a film-maker collecting footage for CHEK TV!

Cermaq also railed against "irresponsible anti-salmon farming activists" for daring to film disease-ridden farmed salmon being disposed of via a public dock!

Here's a final message from Laurie Jensen, Cermaq's PR flak in Canada:

More to come later today after our site inspection visit!

Posted at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Norway Tightens Noose on Free Speech!

The Norwegian Government's shameless attempt to suppress freedom of speech continue as lawyers for the state-owned corporation Cermaq seek to enforce a permanent injunction against criticism of the Norwegian-owned salmon farming industry. Appeal documents filed in the BC Court of Appeal by lawyers working on behalf of Cermaq's subsidiaries EWOS Canada and Mainstream Canada seek to muzzle freedom of speech not only by The Defendant, Don Staniford, but also by the general public (the appeal hearing will be held in Vancouver on 28th May).

Cermaq is also seeking "substantial" damages in order to "send a strong message to Mr. Staniford and others of a like mind":

Read the appeal documents - detailing Cermaq's legal case - in full online here

The Amended Notice of Civil Claim sets out the permament injunction:

Read the Amended Notice of Civil Claim in full online here

During the 20-day trial in 2012, Cermaq's lawyers detailed the terms of the injunction - referred to as the 'No Future Defamation Term':

If Cermaq’s lawsuit and injunction are successful, over fifty statements will be deemed illegal and “any person”, “servants” or “agents” will be ordered to remove the ‘Defamatory Words’ from the internet. The permanent injunction would outlaw bumper stickers like ‘Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Farmed Salmon’ and 'Wild Salmon Don't Do Drugs' and truthful statements corroborated by peer-reviewed science such as ‘Salmon Farming Spreads Disease’ and ‘Salmon Farming Kills Wild Baby Salmon’.

The 'Defamatory Words' are spelled out in black and white via Cermaq's 'Amended Notice of Civil Claim':

Read more background via “Norway’s Injunction Kills Free Speech!” and “Gagging the Truth Becomes Mainstream”

"Norway now rivals China in its abuse of freedom of speech and the Draconian measures sought to suppress dissent," said Don Staniford of the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA). "The Norwegian Government, via their state ownership of Cermaq, is abusing the Canadian courts to muzzle global criticism of Norwegian-owned salmon farming. Norway’s reputation as a champion of free speech now lies in the gutter along with the Nobel Peace Prize it awarded in 2010 to the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Shame on Norway, shame on Cermaq!"

Donate to Don's legal battle Vs. the Norwegian Government-owned multinational Cermaq (owners of Mainstream Canada) online here!

"You cannot appeal the truth," said The Defendant, Don Staniford. "The fact is that salmon farming kills all around the world and, like cigarettes, should carry a global health warning. Cermaq should stop fighting a losing legal battle and start relocating disease-ridden salmon farms away from wild salmon. For the sake of our global ocean, our children's health and the health of our environment, we should stub out salmon farming from the face of the blue planet."

The appeal hearing will take place in Vancouver on 28th May at the BC Court of Appeal.

Read more via "Cermaq - see you in court (again)!"

Posted at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cermaq - see you in court (again)!

The appeal hearing for the ongoing 'Salmon Farming Kills' lawsuit is set for 28th May 2013 in the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Vancouver.

"You cannot appeal the truth," said The Defendant, Don Staniford. "The fact is that salmon farming kills all around the world and, like cigarettes, should carry a global health warning. Cermaq should stop fighting a losing legal battle and start relocating disease-ridden salmon farms away from wild salmon. For the sake of our global ocean, our children's health and the health of our environment, we should stub out salmon farming from the face of the blue planet."

"The Norwegian Government's shameless attempts to suppress freedom of speech must be fought at all costs," continued Staniford who has raised over $100,000 for the legal battle including over $50,000 via Go Fund Me. "Sadly, the defence of free speech is not cheap and the legal fees are racking up. Please help support the legal fight and send the message to Cermaq that bullies don't always win!"

Donate to the legal battle Vs. the Norwegian Government-owned multinational Cermaq (owners of Mainstream Canada) online here!

Read more details on the lawsuit online here

Posted at 05:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Camera Shy at The Scamons!

Considering all the bullshit on show this week at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen, Norway, it was surprising that salmon farming industry leaders were reluctant to accept their hard-earned 'Scamon' awards.

Security refused entry even though the conference organizers had accepted registration for the event - a case of "If you're name's down, you're still not coming in!"

Executives from Grieg Seafood, who double-bagged the "Scam of the Year" award for their Skuna Bay "craft-raised" salmon and the "Lord Voldemort" award for killing sea lions and seals in Canada and Scotland, hid like Lepers.

Former salmon farmer Donal Maguire, now head of the Irish Government agency BIM who is promoting a 15,000 tonne "organic" salmon farm in Galway Bay, hid under his coat and then put up his hand to block a photo being taken when presented with his "Best Supporting Government Agency" award on Thursday (7 March).

BIM sponsored the conference along with other salmon farming companies like Marine Harvest, Grieg and EWOS (Cermaq).

Cermaq CEO Jon Hindar, winner of the "When In a Hole Keep Digging" award, at least smiled for the camera and said "My kids would love this!".

However, Cermaq's CEO refused to accept the award (in recognition of Cermaq's PR blunders in Canada and the ongoing "Salmon Farming Kills" lawsuit).

Marine Harvest owner John Fredriksen failed to show up to collect his "Super-Size Salmon Scamon" award.

And Marine Harvest's CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog ducked out of a side door as soon as his financial presentation had finished leaving his "Marine Harmfest" award gathering sea lice and infectious diseases in the conference hall.

Cermaq's PR flak in Canada, Laurie Jensen, was another no-show to collect her "PR Clusterfuck" award in recognition of her tireless work blundering from one PR disaster to another.

Over at the 'Excellence in Aquaculture Awards' there were simply not enough excellent salmon farmers to fill the room (either that or they'd come down with a nasty bug picked up from working on a fish farm).

It was perversely ironic that the guest speaker (speaking in the photo above) was Professor Are Nylund from the University of Bergen - an expert on salmon farming diseases!

The subject of infectious diseases was obviously too hot for the award organizers to handle. "Speak to the hand"!

Intrafish, who sponsored the awards, reported yesterday (8 March):

The organizers of the 'Excellence in Aquaculture Awards' refused entry even though tickets had been registered for!

Welcome to the 'Excellence in Aquaculture Awards' where the public is not welcome!

Meanwhile, all the "Excrement in Aquaculture Award" winners lingered outside on the red carpet like sea lice sucking on farmed salmon!

Over and out from 'Salmon Farming in Norway' - a gift which just keeps on giving infectious diseases, sea lice infestations and hazardous farmed salmon to the rest of the world!

Read more via "Live from 'The Scamons' in Norway!"

Posted at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Live from 'The Scamons' in Norway!

Live from the red carpet in Norway!

The buzz in Bergen is building ahead of tonight's 'Excellence in Aquaculture Awards 2013' - with Marine Harvest Canada strongly tipped to scoop the "Excellence in Disease Transfer" and "Excellence in Losing Money" award.

Marine Harvest Norway is a nailed-on certainty to cry like Gwyneth Paltrow when accepting the "Best Bullshit" award although SalMar and Scottish Sea Farms will give them a run for their money.

Given the salmon farming industry's endemic problem with infectious diseases it is entirely appropriate - if not perversely ironic - that Professor Are Nylund from the University of Bergen (a world expert on infectious salmon anaemia and other diseases of farmed salmon) is presenting.

Professor Nylund is speaking about Amoebic Gill Disease - a "Hot Topic" in the salmon farming industry (read a report on Gill Diseases online here).

Read the programme in full online here

As an antidote to the PR bullshit on show in Bergen tonight (7 March), the 'Excrement in Aquaculture Awards 2013' are taking place outside the same venue. The nominees are already stacked up like diseased farmed salmon on the red carpet!

Marine Harvest's owner John Fredriksen - nicknamed 'Storeulv' (Big Wolf) in Norway - is the big favourite to go home back to his $11.5 billion tax haven in Cyprus stuffed to the sea-lice infested gills with awards.

His 'Super-Size Salmon' - a sequel to Morgan Spurlock's 'Super-Size Me' - is fancied in the "Excellence in the All You Can Eat Junk Food" category.

Another sequel - 'Salmon Farming in Norway' - will provide stiff competition as the film hopes to rival its Oscar-nominated predecessor 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'.

Marine Harvest will not have a salmonopoly on all the awards - Grieg and their fake 'Skuna Bay craft-raised salmon' will take all the beating in the "Excellence in Bad Taste & Shameful Marketing" award.

Another Norwegian-owned company, Cermaq, will be tough to beat in the "When In A Hole Keep Digging" award for piss-poor PR.

In the foreign awards, the Irish and Canadian Governments are strongly represented in the "Best Supporting Agency" and "Best Government-sponsored Bullshit" categories. The Irish Government agency BIM is a hotter favourite than Shergar was for the 1981 Epsom Derby.

Speaking of horsemeat and horseshit, the frozen food giant Findus is rumoured to be supplying the food for tonight's 'Excellence in Aquaculture Awards'. Findus is sponsoring the North Atlantic Seafood Forum also taking place in Bergen and could be looking to rollout their new line in chicken and pig fed farmed salmon.

Back to the 'Excrement in Aquaculture Awards' and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Cooke Aquaculture will surely be rewarded for their tireless work in promoting disease-ridden and chemically embalmed farmed salmon. If Glen Cooke, CEO of Cooke Aquaculture, is convicted of illegal chemical use and the killing of hundreds of lobsters he could be staring at his "Excellence in Excrement" award from his prison cell for many years to come.

And the sequel to the 2009 movie 'The Slammin' Salmon' is a shoe-in for "Best Picture". 'The Scammin' Salmon' features the King of Norway, John Fredriksen, Norway's Minister of Trade & Industry, Norway's Minister of Fisheries and the Norwegian Prime Minister.

All the winners will be announced tonight (7 March) in Bergen during the 'Excellence in Aquaculture Awards'. With all the disease-ridden farmed salmon on show, please make sure you bring your sick bag and sick bucket!

For more details read "The Scamons & Sockeyes - Aquaculture Academy Awards 2013" and "The Sockeyes - Oscar Loves Wild Salmon!"

Posted at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Norway’s Salmon Confidential - Media Blackout & Film Premiere in Bergen!

The film ‘Salmon Confidential’ has its Norwegian premiere this week as delegates gather for the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen. In keeping with the theme of the film, conference organizers have banned the film from being screened and banned the media from reporting. ‘Salmon Confidential’ follows biologist Alexandra Morton and Professor Are Nylund from the University of Bergen as they track salmon viruses in British Columbia back to Norway.

“I thought I was in Norway not China,” said Don Staniford of the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) who will be protesting peacefully outside the conference venue. “Censorship is alive and kicking both the public and the media in the teeth at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen. It is shameful that Norway awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010 yet in 2013 are clamping down on freedom of speech. Norway claims to be a bastion of human rights and free speech yet the Norwegian salmon farming industry is being shielded from legitimate public criticism. ‘Salmon Confidential’ lifts the lid on the can of worms that is Norwegian salmon farming.”

Listen to Don Staniford speaking about salmon censorship on NRK radio – online here

Conference delegates and the media are all cordially invited to watch ‘Salmon Confidential’ – private screenings will be arranged in the conference hotel (Radisson Blu Bryggen) on 6 & 7 March. A public event officially launching ‘Salmon Confidential’ will take place on Friday (8 March) hosted by the Green Warriors of Norway. For more details on ‘Salmon Confidential’ visit Salmon Are Sacred

The media blackout at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen is attracting growing criticism. Undercurrent News reported (26 February): “Journalists outside the employment of Intrafish Media will not be permitted to report in English from the upcoming North Atlantic Seafood Forum, seemingly because of a behind-the-scenes deal on media coverage of the event…… Sponsors of the event, who include Marine Harvest, Morpol, Leroy Seafood Group, Paine and Partners, Findus Group and Nergard, seemed unaware of the situation, when asked about it on Feb. 21.”

Undercurrent News reported (27 February): “The shutdown of English language coverage of the North Atlantic Seafood Forum to only Intrafish journalists is both bad for the seafood sector and bad for the event, comments Tom Seaman. In my view, the shutdown of editorial coverage to one organization represents a suppression of basic press freedom……the shutdown been handled in a staggeringly unprofessional manner that makes a mockery of an event aiming to have global importance.”

Read the press release as a PDF online here

Listen to NRK radio reporting (6 March) online here

Posted at 06:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

On the March for Wild Salmon!

The month-long 'March for Wild Salmon' is making waves all over the world. Wild Salmon First! led the way in Norway (1 March) delivering the 'United Declaration for Wild Salmon' and letters to the King of Norway, Norwegian Parliament, Cermaq and the Canadian Embassy in Norway.

At the Norwegian Parliament, the declaration was accepted by the Socialist Left party.

Norwegian MP Peter Gitmark from the Conservative (Hoyre) party also pledged to put wild salmon first in an interview with Norwegian TV!

Shamefully, the Norwegian Government's Ministry of Trade & Industry refused to accept the letter which was signed by First Nations leaders in British Columbia, Fin Donnelly MP in Canada as well as people in Scotland, Ireland and Norway.

The salmon sisters looked on defiantly.

Even Cermaq (the world's second largest salmon farming company - owned by the Norwegian Government's Ministry of Trade & Industry) accepted the declaration.

Norwegian TV was even on hand to record the moment Elena Edwards of Wild Salmon First! presented it to Cermaq's PR flak Lise Bergan.

TV2 also featured footage from the protest march in Vancouver - with Eddie Gardner and Chief Bob Chamberlin standing in solidarity for salmon:

Watch TV2's report online here!

Norway's state broadcaster NRK also reported via the headline "Letter of Concern Delivered to the Royal Palace".

In Ireland, RTE reported (2 March) on "strong opposition" from 2,000 people on a protest march in Galway against the proposed 15,000 tonne super-size salmon farm off the Aran Islands.

The Irish Times reported (2 March):

Another article in The Irish Times (4 March) reported:

If the Irish Government gives the green light to salmon farming expansion there will be mass protests across Ireland!

Protestors packed the streets of Galway tighter than a disease-ridden salmon farm!

People came from all over Ireland - with Save Bantry Bay marching in salmon solidarity.

The Irish Government would be deaf not to hear the resounding "NO!" from the army of wild salmon warriors.

The take home message to BIM - the Irish Government agency promoting the salmon farm in Galway Bay - and to the Irish Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney was very clear and simple enough even for politicians to understand: "No Salmon Farms At Sea"!

The toxic effects of lice-infested salmon farms are the same the world over - and the message of defiance against the expansion of salmon farming is the same in any language!

No means no!

In British Columbia, the Canadian Press reported (1 March) on the "colourful and noisy" protest march in Vancouver.

In the driving rain, over a hundred protestors took the streets for wild salmon.

Back in Norway, the message of solidarity for salmon was heard outside the Norwegian Parliament.

The resounding message from around the world is loud and clear - Norwegian fish farms GET OUT!

And the campaign goes on and on. The Connacht Tribune reported today (5 March):

The article continued:

"It ain't over til it's over!" said Elena Edwards of Wild Salmon First! "It’s only just begun! As the month to “March for Wild Salmon” continues the need for people to continue to unite and speak up for wild salmon remains as strong as ever."

For more details on other events during 'March for Wild Salmon' including a protest in Bergen, Norway, on Wednesday (6 March) please visit Wild Salmon First

Posted at 05:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Disease-ridden salmon farming is a sickness spreading all over the globe!

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