Dr. Daniel Pauly of UBC's Fisheries Centre is revered as one of the world's top marine scientists. At the end of last year's disastrous season for Fraser River sockeye returns - which saw the collapse of these vital stocks from over 10 million predicted returns to just over a million - Dr. Pauly addressed a number of questions and theories surrounding the grave situation. Government officials and spokespeople for the salmon farming industry were quick to dismiss concerns about impacts from open net salmon farms on wild salmon migratory routes by shifting the blame to factors over which we have less control, like global warming. Here Dr. Pauly pokes holes in the climate change argument and urges a precautionary approach vis-à-vis all potential factors, especially those which we can easily control, like salmon farms, habitat destruction from logging, and over fishing. Dr. Pauly's words are important food for thought as the Cohen Commission Judicial Inquiry into the sockeye collapse gets underway. Four minutes.
