On Friday the 13th it will be BAD LUCK to shop for farmed salmon.
Several British Columbia supermarkets selling farmed salmon, considered harmful to both the environment and to consumers’ health, will be targeted Friday the 13th by green flashmobs.
Occupy Wild Salmon kicked off its Fish Farm Fridays campaign when shoppers filled shopping carts and abandoned them on cue, in front of seafood counters. Every Friday, from now until retailers meet our demands, farmed salmon protesters will disrupt supermarket and restaurant activity.
The negative effects of open-net fish farming on Mother Nature have been well documented, including: the proliferation of sea lice and a breeding ground for disease, disposal of untreated waste, killing of sea lions, theft of food from wild stocks and destruction of indigenous culture.
Wherever this industry has gone, it has demonstrated that its corporate bottom line is significantly more important than any victims in the places it operates. Governments have enabled this behaviour through relaxed environmental standards, lack of enforcement, promotion of salmon farming internationally and discrediting both independent and Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientists.
Corporate salmon are killing BC’s wild salmon. It’s about time that people stood up and spoke for salmon. Corporate farming treats these fish worse than most livestock. In transgenics research, GMO salmon have become experimental projects run by mad scientists. The corporate salmon farmers know what the solution is, but they choose not to take decisive steps to correct it. Salmon farms must come out of the sea and onto land, even if it means the demise of many operators. New feed not dependent on Peru and Chile’s anchovetta must be found. If they are no longer economical, then that is because they were relying on free externalities as pure profit.
A curse has now descended on the industry. In Norway, home of the fish farming companies, it costs more in 2012 to produce a kilo of salmon than it can be sold for. Net-pen salmon farming is a sunset industry, beyond all doubt.
Beginning on Fri., Jan. 13 Wild Salmon Warriors around the globe will begin a variety of consumer actions against retailers of farmed salmon. We are sending a message to all restaurants, grocery stores and other retail establishments that sell farmed salmon products – they too will eventually be the target of non-violent direct actions.
Although it may be disruptive and uncomfortable for store staff, we feel these protests are necessary in order to increase the pressure on an unsustainable, filthy industry poisoning our coast.
For upcoming ‘Fish Farm Friday’ Consumer Boycotts in Greater Vancouver see details on event schedule on occupyvancouver.com or your begin one in your local community.
