'Stop the blood water'

Photo: Tavish Campbell

A screenshot from Blood Water: B.C.'s Dirty Salmon Farming Secret.

Almost 20,000 people have told the federal government they want the dumping of infectious waste from fish farms into the ocean to stop, after a film from B.C.'s coast showed what it looks like up close.

On Wednesday, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he's open to making changes.

The video, which has been viewed more than 77,000 times as of Thursday, showed clouds of red effluent coming out of pipes near salmon farm processing plants near Campbell River and Tofino.

Tavish Campbell, creator of the video, had the effluent tested and found piscine reovirus, a deadly disease for wild salmon.

After the video gained popularity this week, a petition was started on SumOfUs.org, calling for LeBlanc to ban the practice.

“Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc can stop this needless contamination immediately by changing the Fisheries Act to ban the dumping of infectious waste,” the petition reads. “He needs to hear from you now because the longer we wait, the more wild salmon are at risk of infection.”

As of Thursday, just one day since the petition was created, more than 19,300 had signed the petition.

On Wednesday, LeBlanc said his department and Environment Canada are looking into the situation.

"I would be open to all kinds of thoughtful suggestions to make sure that we've strengthened (the Fisheries act) in the right way,” LeBlanc said.

He said he's hopeful the updates to the Fisheries Act will be ready to be introduced in the first few months of 2018. 

– with files from The Canadian Press