VICTORIA - All salmon farms in B.C. will be monitored by the provincial government under the province's 2004 strategy for managing sea lice, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries John van Dongen announced today.

The strategy also includes a legal requirement to have approved plans for managing fish health, including mandatory monitoring for sea lice on farms. This is an extension of the approach taken in the Broughton Archipelago in 2003 as part of the province's precautionary approach to protect wild salmon with the federal government and industry.

In 2003, the province monitored and audited fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago for sea lice. A corridor of fallow sites was created, and co-ordinated area-wide fish health treatment was required.

The 2004 program also includes:
* Scientific research and development into sea lice, including sea lice research programs under the auspices of the B.C. Aquaculture Research and Development Committee
* Co-ordination and communication of sea lice information from wild and farmed salmon with the federal government and industry
* Education and training in sea lice identification.

The province will continue to use adaptive management in its approach to sea lice, meaning if science identifies that more work is required, it will be done. Sea lice monitoring information and audit results will be posted to the ministry Web site.

The 2003 plan was based on an adaptive management approach to address concerns that sea lice, in addition to other environmental conditions such as warm weather, earlier record high populations and low water in salmon streams, might have contributed to a reduced pink salmon return in 2002.

Further information on the province's 2004 sea lice management strategy is available online at www.gov.bc.ca/agf under Fisheries and Aquaculture and then Fish Health.  

Contact:

Barb Wright
Communications Manager
250 356-0269

Bud Graham
Assistant Deputy Minister
250 356-3076