VANCOUVER—The federal government needs to address the conflict of interest within the department responsible for both protecting wild salmon and promoting the salmon farming industry, a B.C. First Nations councillor said following the release of an independent report that criticized Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“When they’ve been faced with having a dual mandate, they’ve chosen one at the expense of the other,” said Kelly Speck, a ’Namgis First Nation councillor. “They’ve just really lost sight of what their responsibility is.”
Federal Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand concluded in one of her three spring audits released Tuesday that Fisheries and Oceans Canada has failed to adequately manage the risks salmon farms pose to wild fish.
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