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Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture Salmon Remains

October 9, 2019

Fish harvesters on our province’s south coast continue to raise concerns about the impact of more than a million dead aquaculture grown salmon. Harvesters have submitted photos of salmon fat and debris washing up on shores where they harvest lobster. DFO and our provincial government must step up to protect the important marine ecosystem and prevent environmental contamination.

Dr. Erin Carruthers

Dr. Erin Carruthers is the Science Director and Senior Fisheries Scientist with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), which is the labour union that represents the owner-operator fleet in Newfoundland and Labrador. The FFAW is committed to research and management that supports healthy oceans, fisheries, and coastal communities. Dr. Carruthers received her Ph. D. in Biology from Memorial University in 2011 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. Before coming to Newfoundland, Erin worked as a Research Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the St. Andrews Biological Station. Her current research program is co-constructed with fish harvesters and includes research on coastal fishing communities, collaborative longline and trap surveys, and best practices for the avoidance, handling and release of unwanted catch.