Forever wild?

The bitter debate over fish farms and their proposed expansion along British Columbia's coast rages on. Recently, Greenpeace, fishermen, and First Nations' groups launched a flotilla of boats as a peaceful protest against fish farms. The nearby Broughton Archipelago is one of the most concentrated areas of fish farms in the world. While government officials claim fish farms pose no risk to the wild salmon population, biologists and local residents know otherwise. Fish farms are breeding grounds for parasites, including sea lice. Out of 350 wild smolts sampled in April 2002 by one local biologist, only one was free of sea lice. In 2003, three and a half million salmon were expected to return to spawning grounds; only 147,000 made it back. Refuse to eat farmed fish and add your voice to the growing dissent against fish farms.