WHEREAS the Village of Alert Bay receives significant economic benefits from both wild and farmed salmon and depends on the future security, viability and stability of both sectors; AND WHEREAS it has been scientifically proven that open net-cage fish farms can have serious negative environmental impacts, particularly on wild salmon runs; AND WHEREAS emerging closed containment aquaculture technologies offer the ability to separate commercially farmed fish from the natural environment limiting negative environmental impacts especially the transition of diseases and parasites between farmed and wild salmon: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government allocate funds toward the establishment of a closed system aquaculture innovation and development fund to assist with the implementation of a plan to transition commercial scale open net-cage fin-fish aquaculture to closed containment aquaculture.
