The group claims that both federal and provincial Government policy supports fish farms to the detriment of the natural environment and wild salmon stocks.

The timing of the advertisement coincides with the launch of a website - SaveBCsalmon.ca - and a web-based petition.

The group of wilderness tourism operators, sport and commercial fishermen, seafood processors and coastal residents pooled their resources to purchase the full page advert in the national edition of today's Globe and Mail.

These businesses and individuals want fish farms moved away from BC's major juvenile salmon migration routes. They claim that science shows that juvenile salmon die with even one or two sea lice. In nature, young and mature salmon (which host sea lice) rarely mingle. Fish farmers and Government must respect this natural law if wild salmon are to continue to exist, they say.

A statement issued today said: "For 20 years, business people and residents on the BC Coast have maintained an accommodating attitude toward fish farming. Armed with rapidly evolving scientific evidence that sea lice associated with salmon farms are decimating local salmon stocks, accommodation is turning to anger."

"Fish farming is worth $600 million to the BC economy," said Craig Murray, owner of Nimmo Bay Resort. "Wilderness tourism and fishing combined bring in over $1.6 billion to BC and is growing. Tourism is now a 10 billion dollar industry and Premier Campbell has been challenged to double its revenue in the province by 2015. But we can't survive without wild salmon, and government is making us the loser group! There are too many outside interests that compromise tourism and our wild salmon in BC. Both fresh and salt water anglers across BC and beyond should be aware of this injustice."

"Members of our organisation have supported research on sea lice and even wild salmon habitat restoration, from their own pockets. We know the problem is real, we are not crying 'wolf,'" stated Brian Gunn, president of the Wilderness Tourism Association. "We are businesspeople who feel the government is abandoning us, by allowing our lifeblood to drain away. We have had it."

According to the alliance, Pat Bell, the BC Minister of Agriculture and Lands, has yet to respond to a report by the the Special Legislative Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture that recommended moving BC's fish farming industry from open net pens into closed containment within five years to protect wild salmon. Despite this, the group says he has approved four more open net pen sites since the report was published in May.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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