Salmon Farming: A Case Study

The subjects presented in chapters1-3 in the Policy Analysis book are The Canadian Salmon Fishery, What is policy Analysis and Toward Professional Ethics. The Canadian Salmon Fishery preview is in chapter one. The chapter talks about how the product of policy analysis is advice. How the advice for policy comes in many forms. “The purpose is to show a comprehensive analysis that has a description and analysis of the problem, specific policy alternatives, an assessment of the alternatives, and policy recommendation” (Weimer, Vining pg.1). One of the stories in this chapter discuss, the Salmon fishery of British Columbia and the challenges it had. The study that was conducted showed the fishery as of now represents net drain on the wealth of Canadians. This was the case for several years in spite of the reforms that was done in 1995 and 2001.

One of the most commonly shared beliefs about aquaculture is that it has potential to amplify and transfer disease/parasites to wild fish populations, but strict management practices and guidelines have been utilized and supplemented to ensure that US farming operations mitigate current and potential environmental risks associated with aquaculture (NOAA, 2015). Among these practices are regular diver-led inspections to investigate the integrity of nets and net infrastructure, surveillance cameras and even public webcam feeds that monitor the fish farms and in particular monitor efficient use of feed, regular health inspections in efforts to have a head start on disease prevention and detection, and “comprehensive sanitary and biosecurity programs to prevent the introduction and/or spread of pests or diseases from one farm site/cage to another or into the environment.” (NOAA, 2015). Additionally, movements are being made to stop the spreading of disease and to limit oceanic pollution by containing salmon in solid tanks rather than in netting. “In Washington State, Domsea Farms has launched a land-based, freshwater system to produce coho salmon.” (David Suzuki Foundation, n.d.) This method is not only environmentally sound, but it opens up aquacultural boundaries. By containing fish in these large tanks, there is potential for salmon aquaculture to

Lou Gonzales, of Sonora, recently returned from a salmon fishing trip to the Kenai River in Alaska, near Soldotna. Due to low return numbers, the Kenai River had been closed to the taking of king (chinook) salmon for the past few years. Gonzales was amazed at how good the fishing was since the closure. Gonzalez and friends released over 30 kings during the trip, keeping the biggest of the allowable one per day limit, which weighed 48 and 50-pounds. Numerous silver (coho) salmon were also caught. While on the Kenai, the friend with whom he was fishing had a rule - to release kings under 30-pounds. Gonzales has been there on trips in the past, but never saw it quite this good. A few years back, he caught a huge king in the 70-pound class. The

August 3rd, 1974, local neighborhood father found beaten in local school. Witnesses say that Mr. Salmon attacked neighborhood girl, Clarissa. Luckily, a young hero was there to save her. “I heard Clarissa screaming and found Mr. Salmon attacking her… I saw a bat on the ground and pursued him,” said Brian; Clarissa’s boyfriend and was luckily by the school when it had happened. People believe that this happened because of the death of his young daughter, Susie. “I believe that Mr. Salmon had become depressed over the death of his daughter that he had become somewhat deranged,” Len explained. Len Fenerman is a detective who has been leading Susie’s case. In Susie’s case, Len, as well as the rest of the police have found an elbow and a love note from Ray Singh. “I know my son didn’t do it… He is a brilliant and loving son,” said Ruana Singh, Ray’s mother.

In the California Central Valley, fall‐run juvenile Chinook salmon rear typically from January to June. However, in some years, the rearing period may be reduced due to high water temperatures in April. Growth and survival rates of juvenile Chinook salmon are affected by water temperature and cover (e.g., substrate pore spaces, gravel interstices, boulders, snags, over‐hanging vegetation, root wads, under‐cut banks, and macrophytes). Cover is important for protection from predation, flow displacement, water temperature stress, and the fish caloric intake optimization. Human-induced sources of stress to the riverine ecosystems include: “(1) overfishing (i.e., extracting larger quantities of fish than the system can sustain naturally); (2) nutrient

The replacement level, described as the ratio of returning progeny per adult spawner, was not reached and the industry was forced to close for a third consecutive year. This shut out was attributed to a wide range of factors including: environmental changes along the river and in the marine environment, as well as fisheries management practices. Incredibly, 2010 saw a profound rebound with an estimated 34 million returns, indicating resilience of this species but also giving rise to many unanswered questions in explanation (Cohen, 2010).

Salmon farming is becoming more and more popular as salmon population increases. Currently, over half the salmon sold globally is farm-raised in Northern Europe, Chile, Canada, and the United States, and the annual global production of farmed salmon has risen from 24,000 to over 1 million metric tons during the past two decades (Hites, pg. 226). Because salmon farms are so widespread, salmon from farms in northern Europe, North America, and Chile are now available widely year-round at relatively low prices (Hites, pg. 226). The problems that occur from salmon farming, mostly come from how they are contained. Most salmon farm use open net-cages in the ocean which helps the salmon move around freely. Complications arise with these types of containments

Getting paid to go hunting and fishing sounds like a dream job, right, Well, it's a lot harder than you think. After comparing Texas A&M, The University of California - Los Angeles and Louisiana State University based on rural area, strength of program, and job opportunities, the University of Southern California - Los Angeles would be the best choice in helping me pursue my career in the outdoor industry. But as much fun as this sounds, there is allot of stress that accompanies it.

How to catch salmon really boils down to two methods, trolling and mooching. Assuming you have done the research, you know the runs are in progress, the newspapers indicate that fishing is good, weather is OK (that is, not dangerous), you have questioned as many local fishermen as you can find, have a boat ready to go, and all the necessary gear, then and only then it is time to “wet the line.”

Humans have done many things that effect the salmon population whether they know it or not and also whether it positively or negatively affects the salmon. When European Americans arrived in the North West, this was in the same time period when innovations in canning came about, they began to catch salmon which they thought was an unlimited amount of and canned them. The sellers and the salmon both ended up needing help. The sellers produced so many cans of salmon that it caused an overproduction and no one was in the market to buy that much canned salmon. Hatcheries also started to become popular. Hatcheries was a way for humans to mass produce salmon and humans thought this was a good way to increase the number of salmon in a controlled environment.

It comes as no surprise that salmon are one of the most sought after species of fish in the world for human consumption. Because of this, heavy industry and markets have had a critical influence on the salmon populations. Seventeen strains of Pacific salmon are currently listed as threatened or endangered. Due to their extreme demand, many problems have resulted for the species as a whole, from hindrances in their reproduction patterns by modifications in their environment (dams and river modifications) to detrimental conservation efforts (where hatchery salmon were reintroduced causing “genetic and behavioral dilution”), there are a plethora

Many steps are being taken to help the salmon population. A couple of things humans are doing to help them is restoring streams and removing dams. Dams disrupt the spawn areas for salmon. When dams are destroyed it allows the rivers to run free and for the salmon to travel to the sea without having to worry about surviving through the dams. Humans are also restoring streams by adding trees and rock to them. They trying to restore the streams to their original natural state before the streams where straightened in the 1940s and 1950s. This type of original curving stream is the type of ecosystem that salmon would go to spawn in. Humans could be less disruptive to the salmon population. We could find better ways to power electricity, to water

Sockeye Salmon numbers going down by the thousands due to warm rivers. The snake and Columbia river's temperatures killed all but a few dozen of the 4,000 adult endangered sockeye.

As sushi becomes more of a popular trend the need for fishing rises. One of the fishes that are affected by this is salmon. In the beginning they were only fished in nature but as globalization continues we developed a new strategy to produce more, farmed fishing. By raising your own salmon you can produce enough for consumer needs and keep the same consistency by feeding them the exact same proportions. The problem with this concept is that we are using cheap foods and chemicals to grow these salmons. Wild salmon tend to be oilier with plenty of omegas 3 and hardly any fat (white stripes) in their meat. They also eat algae and plankton while most farmed salmon are fed corn. Farmed salmon are also injected with artificial omega 3 as these fishes aren't producing as much oil compared to the wild salmon due to their environment.

Fish farms and aquaculture in the US have come under scrutiny in the past decade because people are unsure of what they are eating. Fish farms fall under the large umbrella term of aquaculture. Dictionary.com defines aquaculture as “the cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, especially fish, shellfish, and seaweed, in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments.” This practice has evolved over centuries and exploded in the 1970’s, becoming the number one producer of fish worldwide over wild caught fish. In truth, aquaculture in the US provides fish that contains the same or less contaminants than wild caught fish. Aquaculture also provides many advantages over conventional commercial fishing, such as superior sustainability and consistency. These advantages cause aquaculture to continue expanding everywhere and provide many jobs for the American people. With the growth of the aquaculture industry, the US will be able to produce more seafood and reduce the amount of imported fish. While the aquaculture industry in the United States suffers from some drawbacks, it also provides many benefits, such as an increased supply of healthy fish, increased productivity, and economic benefits. These benefits outweigh the drawbacks of aquaculture and the industry should continue to grow in the future with the support of the American population.