Federal Fisheries Minister Seeks Ways Around Poisoning Waters for Fish Farm Interests

Urgent: Act now to protect Canada’s wild fish

by WCEL

14 March, 2014

Since 2012, the Canadian government has systematically gutted its laws protecting fish. First, it amended the federal Fisheries Act, dramatically weakening protection of fish and fish habitat.

Then, it lifted the moratorium on fish farms in BC, opening the door to a massive expansion of aquaculture.

Now, it wants to pass regulations that would allow the Environment and Fisheries Ministers to permit fish farms and industry to pollute our waters, harming fish with impunity.

These regulations would let the Ministers:

• Give blanket authorization to fish farms to dump drugs, pesticides and other pollutants into wild fish habitat;

• Allow other industries to dump pesticides in fisheries waters; and

• Shirk their regulatory oversight of pollutants, offloading responsibility onto provincial governments or relying on.

You can read the full text of the regulations and the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement here.

Cabinet is considering public comments before it passes these regulations, but there’s not much time. We have submitted comments to the government, which you can read here.

What can you do? Add your voice to ours and tell the Canadian government to protect our wild fish and not pass these risky regulations. You can write your own letter, or use the comment template we’ve provided below and we’ll send it for you. The deadline for comments is March 17, 2014.


Click here to jump directly to the form and send a letter to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

If you would like to send your own letter, please address it to:

Peter Ferguson
Manager
Legislation and Regulatory Affairs
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Mail Station 14S020
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0E6
Fax: 613-993-5204
Email: ER-RH@dfo-mpo.gc.ca