Northern Harvest announced that all salmon mortalities had been removed from all affected sites.
On Monday, the Mowi-Northern Harvest posted on Facebook that it had finished removing 5,000 tonnes of dead salmon.
“As of Friday, October 25, all salmon mortalities have been removed from all affected sites. Northern Harvest is committed to being as thorough and comprehensive in its response effort as possible, and we continue to keep our staff focused on any remaining site clean up activity”.
Footage acquired by CBC news – made by activists Sea Shepard – shows a thick film yellow fat on the surface of some sea cages and sticky white residue coating nearby beaches.
It is not known when the footage as taken.
It was reported last week that PM Ball said that he was going to meet with Fisheries Minister Byrne on Thursday for an update. SalmonBusiness contacted Newfoundland Authorities to request what was discussed at the meeting and for a response to his criticism of Northern Harvest’s communications throughout the process. “We’ve made that quite clear that the company needed to do a better job in communicating with the people in that area and with government,” said Ball
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries and Land Resource told SalmonBusiness:
“The purpose of the meeting was to provide an update to the Premier on the continuing response to the recent major salmon mortality and the steps being taken to ensure such a devastating event does not occur again. As the Premier indicated, in order to repair the damage it has inflicted to public trust, the company will be required to establish a regime that includes robust and regular communications activity. Minister Byrne will provide details on those protocols and others conditions of license in the near future”.
A spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (the federal lead for safeguarding Canada’s waters fisheries, oceans and freshwater resources) who are investigating the incident, told SalmonBusiness last Friday: “Observations from our most recent surveillance confirm that much of the material previously seen on beaches and in coves has dispersed”.
SalmonBusiness has contacted Mowi/Northern Harvest for comment. All of the affected Northern Harvest Seafarms’ licences are still suspended.
