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Atlantic salmon escape net pen but are confined to outer barrier

As reported in the Victoria Times Colonist
Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, September 08, 2007

All 17,000 Atlantic salmon that escaped from a net pen in Clayoquot Sound this week were confined by the outer barrier around the pen, says the deputy managing director of the fish farming company where the incident occurred.

Alistair Haughton of Mainstream Canada said it appears that none of the fish are swimming free off the west coast of Vancouver Island -- something that was feared by environmentalists.

"We are taking out about 1,000 a day and our divers can still see them in the containment system, the predator net," Haughton said.

"We believe we have all of them. The Ahousaht are out gillnetting and the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands people are out there and they have caught one coho. There's no sign of any Atlantics."

The inside net pen tore when it was being lifted because of a loose pin inside the shackle and it is a relief the outside containment net, with five-centimetre mesh, worked so well, Haughton said.

Before the accident, the company had ordered new predator nets with an even smaller gauge and this problem shows the importance of a strong outer containment system, he said.

Mainstream is also exploring brass nets made by a Japanese company, Haughton said.

"The Japanese have been using brass and galvanized nets for 20 years. That means nothing gets in or out," he said.

Although the brass nets are more expensive, there are cost savings as they last longer and need less dive inspections, he said.

Earlier this year a special legislative committee called for open net pens to be phased out in favour of closed containment pens and Haughton said

his company is ready to consider closed pens if the technology can be improved and made financially viable.

"But the costs of what is being proposed now would be astronomical," he said.

The salmon that escaped are all about five kilograms and are ready to be marketed, so there are financial reasons for ensuring they're all caught, Haughton said.

"They're all swimming around down there and having a great time," he said.

The escape reignited the often bitter arguments about open net pens in areas where wild salmon swim.

"The B.C. industry has a history of negative ecological impacts such as escapes, sea lice epidemics, mass sea lion kills and chemical use," said Dom Repta of the Friends of Clayoquot Sound.

"We desperately need to transition salmon farms into closed containment facilities so the industry can operate more responsibly."

jlavoie@tc.canwest.com