When: Thursday, August 19 at 1:00 p.m. PDT

What: A webinar hosted by the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform.  CAAR has analyzed the draft regulations and is preparing formal comment. CAAR members Catherine Stewart and David Lane, along with lawyer Karen Wristen, will walk through the draft, highlighting CAAR’s concerns and recommendations. To be followed by a Q and A and discussion period where we can learn from each other and share insights, analysis and ideas.

To register for this webinar, please reply to david@salmonsupporters.org and login details will be sent to you.

The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform issued the media release Draft global salmon farming standards out for comment announcing a 60-day public comment period for the first draft of global standards intended to measure and identify environmentally and socially responsible salmon farming.  See the media release for more information on how you can get involved and provide comment on the draft standards.

The Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River is planning a series of public forums in communities along the Fraser River and the sockeye’s migratory route, where members of the public can make brief presentations to the Commissioner. The commission will begin evidentiary hearings on October 25, 2010, and has requested and been granted an extension from the Governor General in Council to submit its interim report, now due by October 29, 2010.

Public Forums

The commission will hold a series of public forums to provide an opportunity for community members to share information with the commission they believe to be relevant to the mandate of the commission. Members of the public wishing to present at a public forum must apply through the commission’s website at www.cohencommission.ca.

Forums are scheduled for:

• Lillooet (August 18)
• Campbell River (August 25)
• Steveston/Richmond (September 13)
• Victoria (September 16)
• New Westminster (September 20)
• Prince George (September 23)
• Chilliwack (September 29)
• Kamloops (October 21)

Evidentiary Hearings

Evidentiary hearings will begin Monday, October 25 through mid- December. Hearings may continue in the new year if required. These hearings are open to the public and will be held at the Federal Court at 701 West Georgia Street, 8th floor.

For more information see the Cohen Commission's website www.cohencommission.ca.

Watershed Watch Salmon Society, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust and the David Suzuki Foundation have voiced their concern over the recent certification of Fraser River sockeye by the Marine Stewardship Council.  See the following media releases and associated backgrounders for more information:

• Conservation groups warn consumers to avoid eco-certified Fraser River sockeye salmon, Watershed Watch and SkeenaWild, July 30, 2010
• Contentious BC salmon fishery set to receive eco-certification, Watershed Watch, David Suzuki Foundation and SkeenaWild, July 13, 2010
• Canadian Salmon Fisheries Granted Eco-Certification: Conservation Groups Wary, Watershed Watch and SkeenaWild, July 6, 2010

Now that the Federal Government has announced a sixty-day public input period for Pacific Aquaculture Regulations, Alexandra Morton is calling on the public to make their voices heard and ensure that regulations are sufficient to protect wild salmon and the habitat they arrive on.

For more information, to send a letter or add your name to a petition see Alexandra Morton's Blog.

The deadline for comments on the aquaculture regulations is September 12, 2010.