Second Annual Global Week of Action Unmasks Scary Truth Behind Farmed Salmon

Second Annual Global Week of Action Unmasks Scary Truth Behind Farmed Salmon

Industry remains reluctant to improve current practices despite major setbacks

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today at the U.S. premiere screening of "Ovas de Oro," (Golden Eggs), a documentary that focuses on the environmental impacts of salmon farming in Chile and exposes the hardships suffered by salmon workers, local fishermen, coastal communities and Chilean society as a whole, the Pure Salmon Campaign honored 51 salmon farm workers who lost their lives in work-related accidents.

Lack of proper training, equipment and safety regulations at salmon farms resulted in these unnecessary deaths. At the documentary screening today, held at the Goethe-Institut, the Pure Salmon Campaign paid tribute to those workers by placing markers on 51 seats featuring the workers' names, companies, date of death and position, when available.

"The Chilean aquaculture industry's track record on worker deaths is deplorable," said Bill Dempsey, director, Capital Stewardship Program, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, CLC. "This fatality rate is 11 times that of the U.S. national workplace mortality level."

During the campaign's Global Week of Action, which started on October 29 and runs through November 2, partner groups and allies in Australia, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Scotland and the United States will hold events showing how current aquaculture practices threaten human health, destroy marine ecosystems and pose other major dangers.

"All of these coordinated events happening worldwide aim to expose the problems with the farmed salmon industry," said Andrea Kavanagh, director, Pure Salmon Campaign. "Our week of global action will unmask the major problems with farmed fish and urge consumers to demand higher industry standards."

Despite increased efforts by fishing, social, labor and environmental groups, the salmon farming industry has done little to address fundamental issues that plague it. During the last year alone, the industry suffered big setbacks caused by diseases, escapes and sea lice, including:

-- This past August, Chilean open-net cage salmon farms suffered a massive outbreak of Infectious Salmon Anemia, a highly contagious disease that resulted in the slaughter of one million fish.

-- In 2006, escapes at Norwegian salmon farms alone totaled more than one million.

-- During the summer of 2007, an epidemic plague of sea ice spread throughout Chile's southern waters affecting millions of farmed salmon.

-- In the spring of 2007, a Chilean media report suggested that "as many as 14 million fish" escaped following an April 2007 earthquake and resulting mini-tsunami. Three workers have still not been found since the earthquake, which was preceded by more than 1,000 tremors that were ignored by the farming industry.

-- In Canada last month, 18 leading scientists and researchers sent a letter to the prime minister and the British Columbian premier warning that "sea lice breeding on farmed salmon are threatening BC's wild Pacific salmon."

-- Thus far in 2007, a single British Columbian salmon farm has reported 110 sea lion deaths from entanglement and drowning in its nets.

"Salmon farming is associated with a whole host of horrors including: human and marine mammal deaths, escapes, diseases, and, contamination," continued Kavanagh. "Maybe this Halloween it's time to ask yourself, is your farmed salmon really a trick or a treat?"

Members of the Pure Salmon Campaign will hand-deliver a worker death and state of the industry report along with more than 500 comments from U.S. consumers to Chilean and Norwegian embassies headquartered in Washington, D.C. The report and comments draw attention to the social, labor and environmental injustices perpetuated throughout Chilean salmon farms.

To view a list of all the activities taking place during the Global Week of Action and to learn more about the project, go to www.farmedsalmonexposed.org.

The Pure Salmon Campaign is a global project of the National Environmental Trust. It has partners in the United States, Canada, Europe and Chile all working to improve the way salmon is produced.

CONTACT: Dave Bard, +1-202-486-4426, for Pure Salmon Campaign

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Source: Pure Salmon Campaign

CONTACT: Dave Bard, +1-202-486-4426, for Pure Salmon Campaign

Web Site:

http://www.farmedsalmonexposed.org/

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