Salmon farmer filed injunction in earlier this month.
Saanich News reports that stakeholders were in court on Wednesday arguing about Mowi Canada West’s request to be allowed to transfer fish into the Discovery Island fish farms’ open-net pens between now and when their permits expire in June 2022.
On March 9th, Mowi filed an application in Federal Court of Canada for an injunction against federal government actions, arguing that 12 million fish have no place to grow out to market size. With no other pens, they will have to be destroyed.
“An independent fish farm registered as 622335 B.C. Ltd., owned by Saltstream Engineering is a joint applicant with Mowi. It operates the Doctor Bay Farm and adjacent hatchery,” wrote the publication.
The DFO will present on Thursday. SalmonBusiness reported on Wednesday that Politico had seen a memo that revealed fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan’s phase-out of B.C. salmon farms went against her own department’s advice, which would have given the industry more time.
An intervener status made up of activists from the David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia Strait Alliance, Living Oceans Society, Watershed Watch and Alexandra Morton, are being represented by Ecojustice lawyers, also presented their argument.
“Five nations — Homalco, Tla’amin, We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and Kwiakah First Nations — whose traditional territory include the Discovery Islands were included in consultations with Jordan in the fall, but were denied permission by the court to be interveners on this injunction application,” added Saanich News.
