Among the critics of an op-ed by IntraFish Editor-in-Chief Drew Cherry, Alexandra Morton, a vocal opponent of salmon farming in British Columbia, took to Facebook on Thursday to blast the column. And it didn't take long for a social-media beating to begin.
The message of Cherry's column was straightforward: "For those die-hard fighters that still think salmon farming can be stopped, the battle was lost years ago. The industry is here to stay, and is rapidly becoming one of the world's most important protein providers."
Morton's Facebook followers and other opponents of the sector were quick to push back on the commentary, and -- in social media parlance -- "throw shade" at the author.
"Do your research on that and stop your bullshit promotion of a toxic waste producing, natural world destroying industry," wrote one commentator who identified himself as Phil O'Dendron. "I bet you wouldn’t even eat farm fish. I never will."
Another comment, from Facebook user Laurie Watt, said the article "is complete hogwash -- the industry is depleting the world's oceans of wild fish to produce a product full of disease."
Facebook user Eddie Garner said the "Norwegian aquaculture industry is self-regulated, and those Atlantic salmon farms are killing off Pacific wild salmon."
"Hate the headline, like it is a totally done deal. Bring them down!" read a post from Jana Wiley.
Morton, for her part, started the conversation off by saying: "What this commentator doesn't see is that by co-opting governments to bend the laws to protect them from regulations this enabling behaviour has turned the industry into a sloppy, greedy, highly destructive industry that is entirely at odds with the 'sustainable' 'healthy' label they crave."
Several other commenters on Morton's post outlined their opposition to the sector, and called for action to curb or stop the growth of salmon farming worldwide.
