February 20, 2010
The politics of farmed salmon
Globe and Mail

Letter to the Editor

Using the Canada versus Norway men’s hockey game as a hook to criticize Norwegian investment in B.C.’s salmon farming industry was a clever tactic by a well-oiled activist campaign (Fast To Protest Norwegian-Owned Salmon Farms Ends – Feb. 17).

But scaring off foreign investment in B.C. would hurt the provincial economy, remove a healthy protein choice for consumers, and increase pressure on wild salmon stocks.

Norway is Canada’s eighth-largest trading partner. We import more than $6-billion of Norwegian goods every year; our exports to Norway are worth nearly $3-billion.

Every year, B.C. grows 18 million salmon, an affordable source of heart-healthy protein available fresh year-round that – best of all – doesn’t deplete wild salmon stocks.

Ruth Salmon, executive director, Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance