Sea lions invade salmon farm

Dozens of sea lions in western Canada have spent the past few weeks gobbling up fish after breaking into a salmon farm despite all efforts by authorities to force them out. Cermaq, a seafood company in Norway, Chile and Canada, said sea lions were able to get through nets and electric fences in late March at Rant Point Farm near the fishing village of Tofino in British Columbia.

Local conservation groups opposed to the fish farm warn the sea lions could be in danger if they stay too long inside the farm. “We watched the sea lion climb over one of the fences and jump straight into the bird net above the fish cage. It struggled for a while to free itself. There were ropes and hoses all around. , so we are very concerned about sea lions getting caught in the net,” said Bonny Glambeck, an employee of the environmental organization Clayoquot Action.

Over the past decade, more than 100 sea lions have drowned after getting caught in nets at a fish farm. Efforts to scare away the sea lions, including making loud noises, have failed. The company arranged multiple exits so they could choose to leave, but they seemed to ignore it. The Canadian Oceans and Fisheries Authority asked Cermaq not to shoot any sea lions to death.

Sea lions, a common mammal off Vancouver Island, often hunt in groups and eat herring, trout, kingfish and even small sharks. But the sea lions were lucky to find their way into a cage filled with salmon. The farm can hold up to 500,000 Atlantic salmon, although the company began harvesting in March and hopes to finish by the third week of April.

Glambeck fears the sea lions will become accustomed to humans and once the farm has harvested all the salmon, they will migrate to 14 other farms in the area.

An Khang (According to Guardian)