Come Learn About Current Salmon Virus Threat

Thursday, August 9, 6 – 8 p.m., Emmanuel Parish Hall

— from David Turnoy for Our Revolution San Juan County and the San Juan County Democrats —

This past March, Washington state successfully passed a law phasing out open-water Atlantic salmon aquaculture from Puget Sound. While this law represents an unprecedented environmental success, Our Sound, Our Salmon (OSOS) is launching a new campaign to educate the public about a debilitating and potentially lethal salmonid virus remaining in Puget Sound Atlantic salmon net pens that cannot be ignored until 2022.

On August 9 you’re invited to join Kurt Beardslee of Wild Fish Conservancy for a public discussion on PRV (Piscine Reovirus) in Puget Sound. Admission is FREE with snacks/ beverages provided by Orcas Food Co-op. The event is co-sponsored by Our Revolution San Juan County and the San Juan County Democrats. The location is the Parish Hall, and the event will run from 6 until 8 p.m.

Beardslee will explain what recent science reveals about the virus and how exposure to PRV-infected farmed fish places our native salmonids at risk. He’ll review the results of recent PRV-testing in Puget Sound farmed Atlantic salmon and what these results suggest about the potential scale of infection in the remaining net pens. Kurt will also discuss Our Sound, Our Salmon’s efforts to stand in solidarity with B.C. First Nations as they petition the Canadian government to remove PRV-infected fish farms from their ancestral waters.

Finally, learn all about Our Sound, Our Salmon’s new campaign to ensure PRV-infected farmed Atlantic salmon are removed from Puget Sound and how you can support these efforts. This presentation will be followed by a Q and A. See you there