The GSFR | Global Salmon Farming Resistance

In January, Washington State became the latest to prohibit open-net salmon farming by law, making it the fourth US state on the West Coast to take this step. This is a significant victory for wild salmon and their survival. However, salmon’s migratory routes lead them through British Columbia, where open-net farming is still permitted, though the province plans to implement a ban by 2029. The article "Norwegian Salmon Farming Faces Hard Realities" by Johanna Frænkel features insights from experts such as Alaskan Linda Behnken, Dr. Thomas Quinn, marine biologist Alexandra Morton, and Dr. Kristi Miller-Saunders, who highlight the challenges facing the industry in North America. As Dr. Miller-Saunders points out in the article: “There is enough evidence that pathogens from the aquaculture industry are one of many things that have negative impact on wild salmon. Unlike many of the other threats, aquaculture is something we can do something about quickly.” British Columbia must uphold its commitment to phase out open-net salmon farming by 2029, ensuring a sustainable future for the species and safeguarding the health of our oceans. #WildSalmon #fishfarmsout #Sustainability #MarineConservation Read article and series here: https://lnkd.in/dmvpbKYJ

"Around the World with Norway’s New Gold" – An eye-opening series by Johanna Frænkel on Norwegian salmon farming. She takes us on a journey from Canada and the U.S. to West Africa, Chile, and Japan—regions deeply affected by the devastating impacts of this industry. From threats to wild fish stocks and food insecurity in West Africa to consumer deception and violations of Indigenous rights, the consequences are far-reaching. Even certification bodies play a role in legitimizing this industry. As Johanna highlights in her articles: “In connection with the article, we have contacted Norwegian fish farming companies, but have not received a response.” Unfortunately, this lack of accountability is nothing new. I highly encourage everyone to read this series—we’ll also be sharing each article separately to ensure the information reaches as many people as possible. A huge thank you to Johanna for not only shedding light on these issues but also giving me the opportunity to share some of our reflections at The GSFR | Global Salmon Farming Resistance PS: the series was published in Norwegian in @harvest magazine and you can read them both in norwegian or english in Johanna’s site:

It is not just about salmon. It is about bears, whales, trees, rivers. It is about healthy ecosystems, where life can thrive! 🌊 The GSFR | Global Salmon Farming Resistance

Big news out of Washington state! With the enactment of a ban on commercial net-pen farming on state aquatic lands, Washington follows the leads of California and Alaska, which have already banned commercial net-pen aquaculture, Oregon, which has no commercial net-pens, and British Columbia, which is phasing in a ban by 2029. While the fight is far from over (see: Maine), it is worth noting that more than 80% of the public comments supported the ban, indicating that this is an issue people care about. #fishfarmsout The Seattle Times Casey Willson Don't Cage Our Oceans North American Marine Alliance The GSFR | Global Salmon Farming Resistance

One of the biggest long-term challenges we face at The GSFR is raising awareness about the salmon that is consumed—and its impacts. We work to get #fishfarmsout of the ocean, but if consumption doesn’t drop, the industry will keep trying to return and relocate - so we’re fighting on this front too. But why would consumption drop when people believe they’re buying a healthy, sustainable product, responsibly farmed in pristine seas? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁—𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. This year we launched a series of 𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, with the goal of sparking questions and 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀. The one we ran at Halloween was one of our favourites: “𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿” was a glimpse beneath the surface of salmon farming. Not only did it run in 3 major cities, but it was also replicated by GSFR members worldwide. It’s not exactly in tune with the Merry Christmas spirit 🤡, but November was crazy, and this campaign deserved a place here: Let´s turn fear into hope and change, ✊ and carry this energy into the new year. #endsalmonfeedlots #protecttheocean 

📢CALLING FOR ACTION: 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝘁! ⛔In 2017, a net pen collapse released hundreds of thousands of non-native Atlantic salmon into the Pacific Ocean. This disaster, along with the ongoing environmental impacts of fish farms, led Washington State to ban the industry through a 2022 executive order by Commissioner Hilary Franz “𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘢𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘢.” says Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. 🚨𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿. 𝗢𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟳, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝘄. Puget Sound needs 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to make sure this protection stays in place. 📌 Here’s how you can help: US citizens: Fill out this quick form to urge the Board to protect Puget Sound: https://lnkd.in/dfp4MZvA Organisations and Citizens of the world: 📧 Email info@thegsfr.com with “Support the Ban on Net Pen Fish Farms in Washington State” in the subject line, and we’ll include your name or your organisation's logo in our letter to the members of the Board. ✊Take action now and make this win for nature and the Salish Sea a lasting one!   🌊 Share this post - #washingtonstate #pugetsound #fishfarmsout

🍽️ 📉 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆: Fishmeal and fish oil, used to feed farmed fish, come from wild-caught small pelagic fish—many of which are perfectly fit for human consumption. 📌 A study in Science Advances reveals that the global fish farming industry consumes up to 307% more wild fish than previously reported. The study highlights practices that distort the true impact of aquaculture. For example, the commonly used FIFO (Fish In/Fish Out) ratio averages inputs for carnivorous and herbivorous fish, hiding the immense feed demands of carnivorous species like salmon. This manipulation helps the salmon farming industry downplay its role in overfishing. 📃 If you want to read the full scientific report click here: https://lnkd.in/deKi8fM9 📰 Or access this article by perishable-news about it: https://lnkd.in/dGT2JixW

🌊 Every year through The GSFR Grants Programme we support organisations and activists from across the globe in their fight against salmon farming. 🚨 The salmon farming industry is the fastest-growing food production system in the world and it is wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems and local communities everywhere it operates. And everywhere it operates people are resisting: but they often face an uphill battle against an industry with immense power and resources. Despite these challenges, communities continue to stand firm and fight back, and we stand beside them. ✊ 🚀 That's why 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗦𝗙𝗥 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 giving grassroots organisations and activists a new opportunity to drive their campaigns forward. - Earlier this year we received 25 applications and selected 6 inspiring projects which are already making an impact.- We now look forward to supporting the next wave of projects fighting to protect the ocean. 📌 If you want to learn more about our grants process access www.thegsfr.com/grants/ Or contact us and find out how your organisation can help us help them in this ongoing fight. #grants #oceanconservation #environmentalgrants #fishfarmsout #protectsalmon #gsfrgrants

🎬 Last Wednesday, we hosted the premiere screening of Stop Salmon Farming, for Good, followed by an inspiring Q&A session. This 20-minute film, based on an event funded by The GSFRs Grants Programme and coordinated by WildFish and Corin Smith, takes us to Northwest Scotland, where a group of kids and families courageously stood up to global salmon farming giant MOWI. The film exposes the tactics used by the industry to deceive communities, and emphasises the urgent need for local people to have the final say over these destructive developments in the places they call home. The screening was an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and support each other in the fight against the expansion of salmon feedlots worldwide. The bravery of the Ullapool community to protect their seas from further harm inspires us and reminds us of the power of collective action and the importance of standing together. Thank you to everyone who joined us at the event, to Corin Smith, Steve Wakeford, Emma Crome, Janis, Ullapool Sea Savers and everyone who made this film possible. The film will be officially released on February 25th— but you can watch the trailer today. Don´t miss it! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dByHfURZ #StopSalmonFarming #EnvironmentalJustice #SalmonFarming #endthepens #fishfarmsout #gsfrgrants

✈️ On Wednesday evening, GSFR Director Catalina Cendoya joined the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s Annual Gala in New York City. ASF has dedicated the past 75 years to conserving wild Atlantic salmon. Their work includes conducting crucial research, implementing complex river restoration projects, and advocating for protective legislation. Each year, ASF’s Gala strengthens these efforts. But this year’s Gala was special. As part of the evening’s highlights, we bid farewell to Bill Taylor, ASF’s President and CEO for nearly three decades, and welcomed Louie Porta—a leading Canadian environmentalist —as he steps into the role. We wish Louie all the best. It was an honour to have been invited by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia and an early supporter of The GSFR, whose words and humour inspired us. 💙 Catalina was joined by Martina Sasso (Director) and Sofia Liotta (Strategy & Partnerships Manager) from Por el Mar, which champions marine conservation efforts in Argentine Patagonia. Thank you, ASF, for bringing us together at this incredible event. It was an inspiring evening to keep strengthening our shared commitment to protect and preserve #wildsalmon. ✊🌊