Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea downplayed the effects fish farms have on British Columbia wild salmon stocks when fielding questions and concerns at a roundtable discussion with local experts at the Adventure Centre on Tuesday (Dec. 15).

"The jury is still out on that," Shea responded after Squamish Streamkeeper co-ordinator Jack Cooley pointed to a study that reports 50 per cent of the millions of sockeye salmon that failed to return this year were likely killed by sea lice from fish farms.

"I don't think we can say unequivocally that sea lice kills salmon. We can say, sure, it's a factor but it's safe to say we have to do more research."

Cooley responded with a loud sigh.

Shea's visit came shortly after Prime Minister Stephen Harper called for an 18-month judicial inquiry into the collapse of Fraser River sockeye. Only about a million of the anticipated 10 million fish returned to the Fraser River and its tributaries this past summer.

Traveling with West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky MP John Weston, the Prince Edward Island minister toured the Tenderfoot Hatchery and North Vancouver Outdoor School before spending about 40 minutes with more than a dozen concerned people from around the Lower Mainland.

Those present expressed appreciation for Shea's visit, which was arranged by Squamish Lillooet Sportfish Advisory Committee vice-chair Dave Brown, but many were not satisfied by the feedback.

Whistler resident and longtime commercial fisherman Jim Horner said he doesn't feel Shea is taking the dangers like fish farms and potential outbreaks of Infectious Salmon Anemia seriously enough.

"You try to keep it a very comfortable atmosphere because they've gone so far out of their way to make that meeting possible, but when the minister ignores data […] that's a hard one," he said after the meeting.

Watershed Watch Salmon Society biologist Stan Proboszcz raised concerns over federal plans to increase aquaculture in Canada despite the loud alarm bells. He said he is encouraged by the inquiry but urged Shea to enhance efforts to transition to closed containment fish farming.

"There still is some ongoing work around that," said Shea. "We're certainly not going to have closed containment tomorrow but I do understand that there is progress being made."

Past chair of Nature Trust BC and Freshwater Fisheries vice chair Don Krogseth suggested the federal government could offer tax credits to make closed containment more affordable.