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There is nothing corrupt about the concept of farming fish for food (or any other intensive livestock operation), the corruption comes when it is done at the expense of the public interest or (in the case of terrestrial based intensive livestock) unless the animals are being raised in a less than humane manner or fed an improper diet. If poultry producers (just a for instance, nothing against them and I’m not suggesting this is how they actually operate) were indiscriminately spraying waste, feathers, entrails, parasites, viruses and chemicals in the surrounding environment how long would they be allowed to practise those farming methods before they were forced to change? Especially if those methods impacted wildlife on a large scale? As far as the inability of commercial fishing of wild salmon (including hatchery augmented runs) to meet consumer demand, I have to say so what? Where does it say we (Canadians) have to sacrifice a public resource in the name of private interests, especially for an industry that is 90% foreign owned? There is also no biological requirement that we as a species eat salmon in order to survive. In fact, the two most populated countries in the world (China and India) got there without salmon ever being a significant part of their diets. I would agree that there are other stressors like climate change, open ocean survival, etc that come in to play but the decline of the Fraser River Sockeye, as an example, lines up pretty well with the increase in the size and number of net pen Atlantic salmon farms off the west coast of BC. I know there are steps being taken to develop land based closed system salmon farms and if/when they do, if those practices are ultimately sustainable, then I will have no problem with farmed salmon. As I understand it, the technology to make it work is available now, it is just too costly to economically viable at this point. If the salmon farming industry were forced to practice more sustainable farming methods that were more in line with other types of intensive livestock production, then the consumer would be forced to pay for the true cost of the product. At that point letting consumer demand for the product regulate production would probably work. As stated previously, right now it’s just a cheap source of protein and, based on conversations I’ve had with friends and colleagues, I believe the general public only has a passing interest and/or knowledge of the risks involved. On the one hand, I applaud trying to take a balanced and holistic view of the needs of society and how fisheries and recreational fishing fits in to the bigger picture. That is a mature and reasonable thing to do. On the other hand, that is not the world we live in. The political will that controls these kinds decisions is steered by which special interest groups contribute the most to their election war chests and/or by which groups hold the most sway over public opinion. Mining, forestry, agriculture, etc all have their own lobbies and they don’t need our (anglers) help. As I have said previously, I am not against special licensing, increased fees, angling restrictions etc if they are necessary as part of the larger picture. However, I do not believe they are effective on their own their own. If you need an example how this plays out look at the Thompson River Steelhead. When I last fished it in 2005 the run was down from the historical 10,000 + fish to an estimated 1500. At that time angling restrictions in the form of zero retention, a bait ban, single barbless hooks, reduced angling seasons (in some years, no recreational angling at all), classified waters designation and a special conservation surcharge were all in place. In the nearly 15 years since I last fished it the returns have fallen further from 1500 to 86 fish in 2019. Why? The same factors as the Fraser River sockeye plus the bycatch in the lower Fraser gillnet fishery for chum salmon, which still goes on. To tie it all together, the issue in BC is the same as the issue in Alberta – conservation. And, unfortunately, conservation without addressing the root causes of the problems (what ever they are) will have little appreciable impact over the long term.

It is kind of sad isn't LastBoyScout. Years ago I got started on learning the finer points of lake fishing just to get away from all people. It is a fun game and the rewards can be significant