This is an interesting topic in itself. I'm sure Canadian net pens consider the wild stocks as "the competition", but I don't see what they can do about it. As far as the use of bait fish and such for pen rearing and other aquaculture operations, I'd consider the source of information--commercial gillnetters and aquaculture interests are dead on competitors and you have to look for the spin. For example, what bait fish and where? The heaviest level of aquaculture in the world is in Snaglys neck of the woods, Southeast Asia, where there are no salmon. And I thought net pens used pellets, just like hatcheries to feed their fish. In this case, they could use fish protein from a variety of sources--e.g., hake, pollock, or any fish that doesn't meet quality standards for the the human market. Local aquaculture industries may deplete local populations of baitfish, but salmon stocks do the loop around the Pacific Rim, feeding in deep water. Think of the expense of harvesting these baitfish just for aquaculture feed.

Ultimately, what I think is the more fish we buy and consume from farms, the more wild fish we leave alone. Just like the lack of demand for commercial hunting has brought back populations of game, a lack of demand for wild fish could be as beneficial. Commercial hunting met its demise in the first half of the century; you can bet that commercial fishing interests don't want to meet the same fate and are working hard to prevent it!

Any other thoughts out there?

[This message has been edited by obsessed (edited 04-14-2000).]