Submission 0529-HEPLER

Submitter: Bill Hepler

Community: Vancouver

Date Submitted: May 1, 2011

Summary:
The restrictions placed on Alexandra Morton with respect to sharing disease information with the public plays in to the suspicion that DFO and the BC Ministry of Agriculture are tools of the salmon farming industry. Farmed salmon diseases constitute a significant risk to wild stocks, and it is important that information about outbreaks be made public.

Submission:
What is with the restrictions being put on Alexandra Morton with respect to sharing information with the public. As a former salmon farmer myself (I worked as microbiologist - i.e. a disease specialist), I understand that disease is a common occurence on farms (of all kinds, not just salmon farms) - I also know that diseases of farmed salmon can constitute a significant risk to wild stocks. It is important to get information about outbreaks into the public domain so we can fairly assess the risk to wild stocks. It is very easy to get the impression that the DFO & BC Agriculture are working as "tools" of salmon farming industry. This secrecy plays into this suspician.