Figgjo foiled by government plans

ill photo skot

There is one thing is this world that you can count on. Governments not telling the truth! It had claimed that the new salmon protection act would protect rivers such as figgjo in southern Norway but it was wrong they have done the opposite. Now Figgjo is faced by an even greater threat.

Skot

June 21st the government proudly released it new plans to protect 37 salmon rivers and 21 fjords that are part of wild salmon catchments. This proposal was to reduce the number of farms placed with in important wild salmon reserves.
Well despite the promises of the minister this week it has been reported that a new farm is to open with in the river.
Figgjo
The leader of Norske Lakselver is horrified that a dission of such stupidity can be made the minister concerned. This proves that the environment minister Børge Brende may create an other problem, such as last year when a Swedish farm placed in the mouth of an East Coast river infected another catchment with the fatal parasite Gyrodactylus salaris.

This new farm came about due to the current owner applying for a permit to increase production with in their current lease. Instead of using this opportunity to move this farm and let it increase its production out of harms way the minister has increased the chances of yet another river being destroyed. Since opening production in 1966 there have been many documented cases of both farmed salmon and rainbow trout escaping.

Many groups have lodged formal complains but it is to deaf ears to fall. Despite the fact it will become a new farm the current owner is using the fact that his old permit is just to increase a “little”. This adds up to about 2.4 million
new smolt a year.

We here at fishbooking are sickened at the thought of many of these types of cases we will encounter over the next few years. The government has a responsibility to protect wild salmon and the cottage industries the benefit from the great river around our country. Yet despite all the noise and fan fair they are only intrested in one issue and that is keeping the powerful lobby groups in their pockets.
Figgjo river owner group has lunched an appeal