The Editor,

The low turnout and the number of presentations at last week's Cohen Steveston Forum on Fraser River sockeye was disappointing.

However, when you have a once in a lifetime fishery on the adjacent river, one can guess that many fishermen will have other priorities than sit at yet another federal hearing into missing salmon.

Vivian Krause, who tries to represent the salmon farmers along the B.C. coast, made an emotional presentation that tried to lead Commissioner Cohen to believe that there was no proof that sea lice produced on salmon farms can impact wild sockeye salmon.

Her presentation was really an attack on Alexandra Morton and anyone else who has found sea lice to be harmful to wild salmon.

The attack attempted to undermine the credibility of Morton and then cast aspersions on SFU scientists who worked with Morton, scientists who reviewed her work and the internationally recognized science journals and editors who published her work.

Despite the low numbers of speakers, one simply does not use the Cohen Commission to blindly defend the salmon farmers from any association with sea lice and then attack someone like Alex Morton who has proven her credentials in studying relationships between salmon farms, sea lice and sea live infestation of wild salmon.

One can only wonder if the salmon farmers and their lobby friends have a code of ethical conduct.

The fish farmers have refused to release any information of lice levels on neither specific farms nor the number of farmed salmon in their pens when juvenile sockeye would have migrated past their operations.

When you look at how the fish farmers have repeatedly violated the Fisheries Act -- such as shooting sea lions, otters, capturing wild fish illegally, causing major disease problems and causing pollution and harmfully altering habitat over the past 20 years -- I simply cannot see how they can be so critical of a largely volunteer worker who has opened up her data for all to see.

What makes it more shameful is the less than diligent actions of the B.C. government and DFO.

They allowed and thereby encouraged the fish farmers to adopt this arrogant and highly questionable behaviour whereby you attack those who show that fish farms are having a negative impact and blindly live in denial of any impact fish farms can have on the natural environment.

Otto Langer,

Richmond