As of this week, B.C. consumers can buy wine, produce, meat, nuts and, soon, Christmas trees marked Salmon-Safe.
The Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council, in partnership with Salmon-Safe Inc., a non-profit based in Portland, Ore., launched a new, independent eco-certification program at the Main Street Station Farmers Market, Oct. 5.
Adopting a certification program developed in Oregon in 1996, Salmon-Safe B.C. is working with farmers and ranchers to make sure their practices dont hurt salmon habitat. B.C.s major river systems where wild Pacific salmon travel and spawn coincide with the provinces most productive agricultural lands, and more than 130 plant and animal species, from algae to insects to birds and mammals, depend on the abundance of wild Pacific salmon for survival.
Thats not even looking at the economic and cultural side of it, said Mike Meneer, vice president of development, marketing and communications for the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
He said salmon-related industries, including seafood processing and the recreational fishing industry, account for $2 billion a year in B.C.
Pacific salmon have been a central part of First Nations life in terms of their spiritual practices, their diet, and, of course, more and more, salmon are considered a critical part of anyones diet for good reason, Meneer added.
Salmon need clean, cool rivers in which to thrive and spawn. Erosion and runoff from farms can cover gravel in rivers where salmon spawn and their eggs hatch. Chemical runoff can damage young fish. Excessive irrigation can deplete water supplies that salmon need to migrate upstream. A lack of vegetation along waterways causes an increase in stream temperature and an absence of habitat structures.
Farms dont necessarily need to be certified organic to meet Salmon-Safe standards, and in some cases, Salmon-Safes requirements are more stringent.
Twenty-two B.C. farms and ranches have been certified Salmon-Safe.
We have a hops grower and were working with them to get the rest of their other suppliers on board so they can have their brewery brewing Salmon-Safe certified [beer], said Michelle Tung, manager of Salmon-Safe B.C.
Ann-Marie Copping, program manager of Ocean Wise at the Vancouver Aquarium, said the sustainable seafood public education and conservation program is excited to partner with Salmon-Safe.
Local chefs including Dale MacKay, winner of Top Chef Canada, and Robert Belcham of Refuel and Campagnolo have already lent their support.
Salmon-Safe certification is valid for three years before being reassessed. Salmon-Safe evaluations were completed at no cost to farmers during the pilot phase last year. Farmers may have to pay a subsidized cost in the future, depending on demand for the independent, third-party assessments.
The RBC Blue Water Project, a 10-year, $50-million global commitment to help protect fresh water, provided major funding for Safe-Salmon B.C.s work.
In Oregon, Washington and California, more than 65,000 acres of farmland have been certified Salmon-Safe.
Its difficult to determine how Salmon-Safe has affected salmon populations.
Inaction is not an option, said Meneer. We cant let habitat get degraded. We cant let people just do what they want to do, itll harm salmon, and then you would be facing a situation where you could be seeing serious declines in salmon. We know it works, but fish are really hard to count.
Products from Salmon-Safe farms are available at farmers markets, Whole Foods, Capers and Choices along with a range of specialty shops.
crossi@vancourier.com
Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
