Expose Farmed Salmon and Demand Better Farming Practices

Dear Mr. Geir Isaksen and Ms. Ase Michelet:

Salmon can be farmed safely and with minimal ecological damage, if the industry adopts standards that protect the environment, consumers and local communities. I will think twice before I buy or eat farmed salmon until the salmon aquaculture industry not merely adopts marginally better "best practices," but adopts farming methods that in the short and long-term:

1. Eliminate the environmental consequences associated with disease transfer, proliferation of salmonid parasites and salmon escapes;
2. Eliminate the environmental and public health consequences associated with the use of antibiotics, biocides and harmful chemicals in salmon farming;
3. Eliminate the environmental consequences associated with salmon farm waste being discharged directly into the environment;
4. Ensure that farmed salmon feed does not deplete wild fish stocks or result in a net loss of marine protein;
5. Ensure that salmon farming practices in aggregate do not harm the environment or wildlife;
6. Prohibit the use of genetically engineered fish and the use of genetically modified organisms in feed;
7. Respect the views of coastal communities and other stakeholders in locating farms; and
8. Adopt and implement ethical business practices, including safe, healthy work environments and fair compensation.

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