Posted by Phin Upham
“Aquaculture’s Troubled Harvest” by Bruce Barcott is an article about the fish farms throughout Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia. These remote islands “scattered through hundreds of miles of fjords,” were at first interested in the idea of getting fish farms. According to the article, they believed it would benefit the community by providing jobs and attracting new residents. At the time the area’s wild salmon runs were dying, and farmers promised not to farm the natural runs.
However, the article describes the many serious problems that arose after the fish farms came to town. Some of the problems associated with fish farms — no matter where they are located – include the pollution caused by the farms, such as farm muck, decayed salmon carcasses, and antiparasitics. The farmers said that the fish wouldn’t escape the pens, but they did. As a result, the fish from the farms enter the wild and compete with wild fish
Overall, it’s a thorough article about the fish farm industry. It covers how it started and how it grew into such a booming industry. And finally, it describes the many problems with the industry
Read the entire article: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2001/11/aquacultures-troubled-harvest
