The Conservation Fund in the News

Castanet, 26 August 2017 – Critics of open-net fish farms say the escape of Atlantic salmon from a Washington state pen that held 305,000 fish should spur Canada to support a transition to land-based aquaculture because it's already leading the world with the most facilities using that method.

The First Nation, which received part of its funding from Tides Canada on the basis that it provide open access to its knowledge, has enabled Kuterra to become an industry leader, says Steve Summerfelt of the Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute in Shepherdstown, W. Va.

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Camille Bains, The Canadian Press, 26 August 2017 – Critics of open-net fish farms say the escape of Atlantic salmon from a Washington state pen that held 305,000 fish should spur Canada to support a transition to land-based aquaculture because it's already leading the world with the most facilities using that method.

Steve Summerfelt of the Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute in Shepherdstown, W. Va., said three of the world's 13 land-based salmon facilities are in Canada, while China has the largest production capacity with its two operations, followed by Denmark.
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Financial Post, 25 August 2017 – Critics of open-net fish farms say the escape of 305,000 Atlantic salmon in Washington state should spur Canada to support a transition to land-based aquaculture.

Steve Summerfelt of the Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute in Shepherdstown, W. Va., says compared with the United States, Europe and China, Canada has the most companies using closed-containment pens to harvest salmon.

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Jeff Lusk, West Virginia Executive, 18 August 2017 – According to the West Virginia Division of Tourism’s annual report, the Mountain State generated $14 in taxes for every $1 spent on advertising in Fiscal Year 2016. As the state continually searches for ways to increase revenue and diversify its struggling economy, organizations such as Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad (DGVR), the Hatfield McCoy Trail System and Racer Productions are providing massive opportunities for statewide economic development and diversification.

The success of the trails has not gone unnoticed at the national level. In 2016, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) granted funding to help businesses develop along the trails. This grant, coupled with an ARC grant to the Natural Capital Investment Fund, will provide business coaching, small business training and risk capital to entrepreneurs developing businesses to support the trail system. The growth of the trail system and the entrepreneurial opportunities it provides are enormous. It continues to exceed all expectations and is serving as an engine for tourism growth and entrepreneurship.
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Neil Ramsden, Undercurrent News, 16 August 2017 – Norwegian research body Nofima is running various research projects into the various finer points of recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) technology, in the belief that land-based systems will play a part in the industry in future.

Steven Summerfelt – of the Freshwater Institute in the US, and CtrlAqua – added that the US was likely to see a rise in RAS fish production, with great interest in raising fish near population centers.

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Kie Relyea, The Bellingham Herald, 13 Juy 2017 – The Whatcom Land Trust and some partners have bought 11-1/2 acres off Drayton Harbor Road to help restore the habitat that is part of an estuary there and to improve public access to the shoreline.

The purchase price was $405,000 for what’s being called the California Creek Estuary property in Blaine.

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Jena Thompson Meredith, Huffington Post, 15 June 2017 – The private sector—and corporate America in particular—has led the charge on an array of sustainability issues, climate change most prominently, for years. Many are now stepping up to address one of the most urgent challenges today: the loss of America’s invaluable working forests.

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Suzanna Caldwell, Alaska Dispatch News, 9 June 2017 – A long-orphaned dam on the Eklutna River is getting demolished after sitting unused for over 60 years.

But there will be no explosives bringing the dam down, nor will there be any wrecking ball smashing the 70-foot-tall concrete structure apart, despite the on-site presence of the state's largest crane.

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