First Nations Leadership Council Says DFO Manipulated and Cherrypicked Data in Sea Lice Report, Calls for Overhaul of Review Process

Members of the First Nations Leadership Council are calling for an overhaul of the DFO’s scientific review and decision making process.

Those calls come amid renewed anger over the DFO’s failure to acknowledge the connection between salmon farms and parasitic sea lice.

A scientific report released by the DFO in 2022 determined that sea lice found on wild juvenile salmon was not associated with nearby farms.

Last month, a group of 16 scientists penned a letter panning those unsupported findings, and pointing to flaws in the independent review process.

Now, the FNLC is alleging that internal documents indicate that data used in the report was manipulated and cherrypicked to support a pre-determined conclusion.

They say that those conclusions also happen to place the interests of industry over sustainability, marine life, and First Nations’ rights.

In a new letter, the FNLC is calling for an independent external investigation and an overhaul to the review process to restore the DFO’s credibility.