The film ‘Salmon Confidential’ has its Norwegian premiere this week as
delegates gather for the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen. In keeping with the theme of the film,
conference organizers have banned the film from being screened and banned the
media from reporting. ‘Salmon
Confidential’ follows biologist Alexandra Morton and Professor Are Nylund from
the University of Bergen as they track salmon viruses in British Columbia back
to Norway.
“I
thought I was in Norway not China,” said Don Staniford of the Global Alliance
Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) who will be protesting peacefully outside
the conference venue. “Censorship is
alive and kicking both the public and the media in the teeth at the North
Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen. It is
shameful that Norway awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in
2010 yet in 2013 are clamping down on freedom of speech. Norway claims to be a bastion of human rights
and free speech yet the Norwegian salmon farming industry is being shielded
from legitimate public criticism.
‘Salmon Confidential’ lifts the lid on the can of worms that is
Norwegian salmon farming.”
Listen to Don
Staniford speaking about salmon censorship on NRK radio – online here
Conference
delegates and the media are all cordially invited to watch ‘Salmon
Confidential’ – private screenings will be arranged in the conference hotel
(Radisson Blu Bryggen) on 6 & 7 March.
A public event officially launching ‘Salmon Confidential’ will take
place on Friday (8 March) hosted by the Green Warriors of Norway. For more details on ‘Salmon Confidential’
visit Salmon Are Sacred
The media blackout at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen is attracting growing criticism. Undercurrent
News reported (26 February):
“Journalists outside the employment of Intrafish Media
will not be permitted to report in English from the upcoming North Atlantic
Seafood Forum, seemingly because of a behind-the-scenes deal on media coverage
of the event…… Sponsors of the event, who include Marine Harvest, Morpol, Leroy
Seafood Group, Paine and Partners, Findus Group and Nergard, seemed unaware of
the situation, when asked about it on Feb. 21.”
Undercurrent News reported (27 February): “The shutdown of English
language coverage of the North Atlantic Seafood Forum to only Intrafish
journalists is both bad for the seafood sector and bad for the event, comments
Tom Seaman. In my view, the shutdown of editorial coverage to one
organization represents a suppression of basic press freedom……the shutdown been
handled in a staggeringly unprofessional manner that makes a mockery of an
event aiming to have global importance.”
Read the press release as a PDF online here
Listen to NRK radio reporting (6 March) online here