This all seems rather fishy.
CBC : Environmentalist defamed B.C. fish farm company: judge
"A judge has ordered a former B.C. environmental campaigner to pay $15,000 plus costs to a Vancouver Island aquaculture company for maliciously defaming it in 2005.
The B.C. Supreme Court judge said the language Don Staniford used in two press releases he prepared for the group Friends of Clayoquot Sound was inflammatory and his claims were untrue — and he knew it.
Staniford had falsely claimed that the Tofino-based Creative Salmon Company used antibiotics and another chemical, malachite green, on its farmed Chinook salmon."
Not too much background there, CBC. Let's go back to 2005.
Canadian Press, June 2005 : Organic fish farm halts salmon sales after tests find cancer-causing chemical
"The cancer-causing chemical malachite green has been found in a second Vancouver Island salmon farm, an industry spokesman said on Friday.
Creative Salmon, located near the west coast tourism village of Tofino, voluntarily suspended sales of its organically raised Chinook salmon after federal scientists found malachite green in tests it conducted last month, company manager Spencer Evans said.
Health Canada has a zero tolerance level when it comes to malachite green, a cancer-causing chemical once used to kill fungus in fish eggs. It was banned in Canada in 1992.
Evans said he's dumbfounded how malachite green appeared in his company's fish."
At which point, Staniford, working for "Friends of Clayoquot Sound", called Creative Salmon "a liar" and their claims to being organic "a scam".
Back to CP : "Staniford said he doesn't hold much sympathy for Evans when he says his company doesn't use malachite green and doesn't know how the chemical turned up in the fish.
"From a consumer safety point of view, the fact is that B.C. farmed salmon is once again contaminated with a carcinogenic chemical," he said."
And Creative Salmon took him to court for it.
In her decision, the BC Supreme Court judge explained that Staniford knew that the malachite green could have accidentally gotten into the fish farm naturally via polution in the water from smelters, and not necessarily due to being intentionally administered by Creative Salmon.
Lady, we don't really care how the carcinogens got into the goddamn fish.
Staniford shouldn't have called an "organic fish farm" selling carcinogenic fish "a liar".
But "a scam"? What the hell else would you call it?
And yes, a Fish 'n Flush is a real toilet you can buy with an aquarium for a tank.
Pretty "creative", huh?
UPDATE : From Westcoaster:
"Unfortunately, the Staniford court case isn't about the pouring of antibiotics into the pens and oceans of Clayoquot Sound by Creative Salmon, although it should be. The issue is how you talk about that fact.
No matter how you talk about it, however, the fact isn't going away: Creative Salmon is using more than 500 pounds of antibiotics on their farms in the pristine ocean of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve."
5 comments:
Fish 'n Flush Toilet: Easy transport from the point of death to the final resting place.
To start off with thank you for the clear perspective on this Creative salmon farm "scam"...it is what it is. Thank God we have responsible people like Don Staniford, an environmental scientist,authority and author on the subject of salmon farming looking out for the future of the ocean. The concentration of salmon farms in the BC area, mostly growing Atlantic Salmon (a non indiginous species) is out of control and is having a serious negative impact on the five native wild species of salmon that still thrives in the Pacific Nort West. The First Nations (Native Indians) from BC, who rely on the health of the ocean for their existance, have seen generations of changes taking place in the land and surrounding ocean for hundreds of years. The effluent (sludgy byproduct caused by the high concentration of farmed salmon kept in open water pens) is suffacating the natural oyster and clam beds with several feet of feces in a large footprint of the ocean floor. I have visited the BC area and have seen this for myself yet the Canadian Government apparently has their own agenda...$$$
Granted, Creative salmon is farming King salmon, which is at least native to the area...it dosen't make it right. Organic is such a vague term used to falsely project an image of purity when it is applied to the ocean...this is a joke covered up by huge companies with a lot of money. It should be called Creative Liberties Salmon because that is exactly what they are doing. The fact that they are gloating over a lawsuit against Don is appaling and the scam goes on...
Marcel Duchamp would be pleased.
But he wouldn't be happy with the farmed salmon fiasco.
Dave : LOL - exactly what I thought when I first saw the pic.
"Are you tired of having little funerals and messy crosses dotting your back yard? Well, worry no more. With easy new Fish 'n Flush..."
Having SpongeBob in there as well was an added bonus.
Anon : I should have made clearer that fish farms were not what was on trial here and it was not the judge's responsibility to deal with the larger issue.
That was clearly CBC's job however and they blew it off.
Q : The chance intersection of a fish, a toilet, and a blog.
Main > Regional News > Industry, Environmentalists Square Off Again
Industry, Environmentalists Square Off Again
Published Date: 2007/1/24 0:40:00Article ID : 1552
Version 1.00
By Wescoaster.ca Staff
B.C.’s salmon-farming industry called on environmentalists to apologize for “malicious and defamatory statements” this week.
But environmentalists say they’ll continue to make “fair and open comments” on the industry.
The latest exchange between industry and environmentalists has arisen just one week after a B.C. Supreme Court justice fined Don Staniford, a former Friends of Clayoquot Sound employee, $15,000 for defaming the Creative Salmon Company Ltd.
Monday, the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association challenged environmentalists to stop scaring people away from eating farmed salmon.
“The court has ruled that it is unlawful to deliberately mislead the public in the guise of public education,” said Mary Ellen Walling, executive director of the BCSFA.
“If activist groups are to retain any semblance of public trust they should, at a minimum, meet the same standards of scrutiny applied to others.”
Environmentalists responded quickly to Walling’s statements.
“We do not feel the court case has any impact on our ability to make fair and open comments on the risks associated with open net-cage salmon farming to public health and the environment,” said Dom Repta, a spokesman for the Friends of Clayoquot Sound.
“We will continue to inform the public about the scientific evidence that indicates that open net-cage salmon farming is harming wild salmon and the marine environment.”
“It is our job to protect Clayoquot Sound and the marine environment, and we see all people as potential allies in this effort.”
In a recent interview with CBC radio, Repta said he doubts the FOCS will have a relationship with Creative Salmon.
However, Tuesday Repta said the FOCS will work with Creative Salmon if the company is interested in addressing issues.
“If any company operating in Clayoquot Sound wants to work with FOCS on solutions and find ways to implement closed-containment technology we’re willing to work with them.
“This is not about having or holding enemies but about finding solutions to the critical issues that jeopardize the integrity of Clayoquot Sound.”
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