Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM

Can-Am multi-state licensed Dr. of Veterinary Medicine with BSc in marine biology, MS in aquatic ecology. Practitioner in fish (wild & farmed) diseases (35 yrs)

[Stronger America Through Seafood @Seafood4America]

"Here’s something Republicans and Democrats should agree on: Major decisions about America’s ocean future shouldn’t depend on politics. They should be guided by science, stakeholder input and clear standards established by Congress that prioritize environmental protection and consumer health."

In a new op-ed for @thehill, @EnvDefenseFund's Reggie Paros and @maddie_voorhees argue that Congress should establish a science-based framework for aquaculture research and development in federal waters through the bipartisan MARA Act. The bill would ensure decisions about open ocean #aquaculture expansion are guided by research, transparency, and environmental stewardship.

Read more: https://t.co/ttcEOf54xY

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

Always controversy and bad feelings when you are fighting over a public resource. #aquaculture #salmon

[TheLanceStewardson @LanceStewardson]

The guy on the left is supposed to be a #science advisor for a #grifter #activist group for #anti #aquaculture and he can't even identify #sealice correctly. Image from one of his posts make you really question his knowledge on any scientific topic. Know your source!

[BC Salmon Farmers @BCSalmonFarmers]

@wildfirstcanada Directly from the study: "During outmigration, these juvenile Chinook stocks transit through areas affected by heavy agricultural use and urban and industrial development in the Fraser River watershed." .... no mention of salmon farms btw... you're purposely misleading people.

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

So, what is different about farmed fish, is that they don't deplete local forage? Their feed ingredients can be sourced from more productive and sustainable fisheries around the globe and supplemented by ever-increasing non-fish substitutes. This is not possible with wild fish, which, when extracted, also effectively remove forage fish from the local environment which impacts the local ecosystem.
The Peruvian anchovy fishery is a perfect example of a source: very fecund closer-to-the-sun herbivores from normally a hugely productive area of nutrient upwelling along the Peruvian coast. This catch was used more for fertilizer, lubricants, and terrestrial animals prior to fish farming. The latter is a much better preserver of biological capital. As the figures show, it is an extremely tightly managed and sustainable fishery and gets shut down when conditions dictate. #salmon #aquaculture

[loveCDNsalmon @loveCDNsalmon]

Salmon farmers can be powerful partners in wild salmon recovery.

New research from the Fundy Salmon Recovery program found that marine-reared Atlantic salmon produced 4.1x more offspring than freshwater-reared fish while increasing wild juvenile abundance and maintaining genetic diversity.

Science-backed conservation in action.

👉https://t.co/k5wskOEQok

#AtlanticSalmon #Aquaculture #Conservation

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

Lack of a sense of urgency and indecisiveness does not make for an attractive business climate, Canada. If you are wondering why the economy is hurting, this is a classic example. Not good signals sent out to investors. Enjoy your expensive foreign grown seafood. #aquaculture #salmon
https://t.co/7jCA8RShKC

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

Once I accused a well-known pseudoscientific anti-aquaculture activist, who claimed to be for wild salmon but was not addressing all the real factors affecting their populations. Her retort was: "First things first." Well? Crickets. Fraud. https://t.co/0kmp7HsZnb

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

Wild juvenile salmonids in Muchalat Inlet, British Columbia, Canada: factors associated with sea lice prevalence https://t.co/AJrTbGHEBF via @academia

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

Be careful. Lots of peer reviewed studies do this! Prevalent tactic of those who are (for some reason) against the cultivation of fish. #salmon #aquaculture #salmon

https://t.co/CThMRtoFrK

[BC Salmon Farmers @BCSalmonFarmers]

Happy #WildSalmonDay! Wild Pacific salmon connect BC's forests, rivers, and coastlines. They have sustained coastal communities and ecosystems for generations.

As salmon farmers, we share these waters year-round. That comes with a responsibility to contribute to wild salmon conservation through environmental monitoring, support for community-led enhancement, and investment in the science that helps us understand and protect the marine environment.

Working alongside First Nations, researchers, and coastal communities, we're committed to ensuring that wild and farm-raised salmon continue to coexist along BC's coast.

Learn more in Chapter 3: Caring for Wild Salmon - The Local Picture in our Modern Science Review: https://t.co/6YVgrivORs

#salmon #farmedsalmon #britishcolumbia #bcsalmonfarmers #cdnpoli #bcpoli

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

Want to see anti-aquaculturists in action (and how they behave - Hint: substantive debate with dissenting scientific and medical information will not be tolerated!)? Join the Zoom call from Maine tomorrow at 2 pm ET and see how the Ex Commissioner Washington State's Department of Natural Resources boasts of things she really didn't do. #aquaculture #salmon

Join Zoom Meeting
https://t.co/t9KBXpgmwL
Meeting ID: 847 5465 4351
Passcode: 120290

Zoom only / In-person at Lubec Public Library has been cancelled

https://t.co/ROfNjrhYFc 

Cobscook Bay Ecology Series: Public Policy in Public Waters Panel (virtual)

June 2 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern

Join us on Zoom for this panel.

The ocean is legally and practically speaking a commons, but this session helps us clarify a bit how that works. Each state’s waters are regulated by their department of marine resources. That department is run by a commissioner appointed by the governor, to oversee the public waters. All citizens of the state have the right to weigh in during legislative sessions and give feedback to the various committees engaged in rule-making, some organizations and lobbyists have greater voice than others. In Maine, local towns have also been standing up to request say-so in the regulation of developments in their local waters. This session will explore the policy-pathways open to us as citizens to help shape the marine economy and rules that define the destiny of lives as coastal people.

PANELISTS

Geran Tarr is a human rights activist, a former state legislator, an educator, and a food justice advocate with decades of experience in advocacy, policy, education, and strategic planning. As a legislator they served on both the House Resources and House Fisheries Committees, serving as the Co-Chair of the Resources Committee and the Chair of the Fisheries Committee, where they spearheaded multiple initiatives related to rural resilience and sustainable economies. Geran led efforts on food security and food system planning, including founding Food Security Awareness Week (now in its 13th year) and the bipartisan, bicameral Food and Farm Caucus, adventure tourism and sustainable land use planning, fisheries management, by-catch, habitat, climate change adaptation, and rural economic development. 

Hilary S. Franz is a  conservation attorney  formerly the commissioner of the Washington State Department of Marine resources, as well as Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands from 2017 to 2025. She led the state’s wildfire response, managed six million acres of aquatic, forest, agricultural, clean energy, commercial and residential lands, and oversaw Washington Geological Survey. In that role, Hilary led the transformation of Washington state’s wildfire response, so that in the last four years, 95% of fires have been kept to 10 acres or less. She now works as CEO of the non profit group American Forests. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://t.co/t9KBXpgmwL
Meeting ID: 847 5465 4351
Passcode: 120290

[TheLanceStewardson @LanceStewardson]

Remember when #activists posted endlessly about how much #harm to #wildsalmon #aquaculture caused. Now as #science has proved them wrong (it did decades ago) they have moved on to "we just don't like it". That's a good thing but their #lies still circulate with the believers.

[TheLanceStewardson @LanceStewardson]

Sockeye from Gold River missed the #activist memo that #aquaculture / #fishfarms, #sealice and #PRV were supposed to be killing them. Almost like maybe some people and some groups are #grifting and #lying? @1Bob_Chamberlin @wildfirstcanada @WatershedWatch_ @StanProbe

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

In a Seattle-area Safeway. $US15.99/lb! What does the farmer get? #aquaculture #salmon

[SeaWestNews @SeaWestNews]

Countries around the world are using science-based conservation and modern licensing to expand aquaculture and ease pressure on wild fish stocks, while Ottawa clings to a B.C. salmon farming ban...
#WildSalmonDay #SalmonFarming #Aquaculture
https://t.co/1RILjWFJNS

[Hugh Mitchell MSc, DVM @HughMMitchell]

Yes...saw this on CBC's "The National". Against everything, including salmon farming. Built nothing. No longer a scientist (and I studied his Genetics textbook in University). Purely an activist pseudoscientist duping the public for profit (reportedly 3 mansions/ high end dwellings in B.C.?!!?). Purely "David Suzuki, Inc.". Fraud. Sad that so many Canadians revere him. #aquaculture #salmon

[Ryan Gerritsen🇨🇦🇳🇱 @ryangerritsen]

Witness what will probably be David Suzuki’s last time on CBC.
I don’t this they appreciated his take on the Artemis mission.

[Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) @CDNaquaculture]

Informed consumers deserve affordable, transparent and responsibly produced food.

Sign this petition to support food security, Canadian jobs and a stronger future for Canada’s food system.