Red Monster
Well-Known Member
Hey, we got a sticky on the top of the general forum: awesome! [8D]
ATTENTION: JOIN THE WAR ON FISHFARMING!
- Thread starter Little Hawk
- Start date
Little Hawk
Active Member
Howdy,
Agreed RM, a 'sticky' on the OPEN forum is better than a hamburger with no-meat, but yet it is debateable as to how much it will help the 'cause'.
Clearly, the major-traffic on this and other fishing-forums is not on the - General/Political-debate/Evironmental Issues - type of forums but on the 'Salt-water' or actual 'Fishing' indexes. One only need take a look at the number of threads & hits on each for a comparison.
Still, I should thank the SFBC Administration/Moderators team for their support and endorsement of our cause.
Thank you!
Today the 'Alliance' stands at: 69
Cheers,
Terry
Agreed RM, a 'sticky' on the OPEN forum is better than a hamburger with no-meat, but yet it is debateable as to how much it will help the 'cause'.
Clearly, the major-traffic on this and other fishing-forums is not on the - General/Political-debate/Evironmental Issues - type of forums but on the 'Salt-water' or actual 'Fishing' indexes. One only need take a look at the number of threads & hits on each for a comparison.
Still, I should thank the SFBC Administration/Moderators team for their support and endorsement of our cause.
Thank you!
Today the 'Alliance' stands at: 69
Cheers,
Terry
Red Monster
Well-Known Member
Look, it's on the salty forum as well. Double awesome! Thanks Kevin and the rest of the folks at SFBC.[8D]
Little Hawk
Active Member
Howdy,
Awesome SFBC-dudes!
You've done a good thing here.
Your support for this cause warms my heart.
Now, Ladies & Gentlemen, my fellow Sportfishermen, it's time to change gears and set the machine in motion.
I need help and feedback - I am not Superman - to carry this movement to the next level.
We need to have a meeting here in Victoria, soon.
I expect many from Vancouver and elsewhere would be pressed to make it over here. But at least we could put a management team in place and have a face-to-face.
Question is, should it be beer... or coffee?
Probably get more done with coffee.
What are your thoughts on this? Please, dive-in...
Cheers,
Terry
Awesome SFBC-dudes!
You've done a good thing here.
Your support for this cause warms my heart.
Now, Ladies & Gentlemen, my fellow Sportfishermen, it's time to change gears and set the machine in motion.
I need help and feedback - I am not Superman - to carry this movement to the next level.
We need to have a meeting here in Victoria, soon.
I expect many from Vancouver and elsewhere would be pressed to make it over here. But at least we could put a management team in place and have a face-to-face.
Question is, should it be beer... or coffee?
Probably get more done with coffee.
What are your thoughts on this? Please, dive-in...
Cheers,
Terry
eaglemaniac
Well-Known Member
Beer and Coffee.
eman
eman
Little Hawk
Active Member
Howdy,
No, Tim Horton's won't cut it.
We need a place where we can laugh and shout or scream and dance if we want without offending anyone.
This will be the birthplace of the 'Alliance'; somehow a doughnut & coffee joint just don't seem to cut it.
I'm thinking maybe a Legion? Or perhaps we should take Jerry Oetting's offer to have the meeting at Camosun?.
Incidentally, Jerry's also advised me that he has it on good authority that there are 65,000 </u>or so CUPE Workers standing ready to join this scrape.
Two more bits of good news for you all.
1) Poppa Swiss is going to dive in and help the 'Alliance' set up a website. Cheers for Kevin Canning!
2) The 'Alliance' broke 70 today!
Spread the word!
Cheers,
Terry
No, Tim Horton's won't cut it.
We need a place where we can laugh and shout or scream and dance if we want without offending anyone.
This will be the birthplace of the 'Alliance'; somehow a doughnut & coffee joint just don't seem to cut it.
I'm thinking maybe a Legion? Or perhaps we should take Jerry Oetting's offer to have the meeting at Camosun?.
Incidentally, Jerry's also advised me that he has it on good authority that there are 65,000 </u>or so CUPE Workers standing ready to join this scrape.
Two more bits of good news for you all.
1) Poppa Swiss is going to dive in and help the 'Alliance' set up a website. Cheers for Kevin Canning!
2) The 'Alliance' broke 70 today!
Spread the word!
Cheers,
Terry
island idiots
Active Member
Hi,
My offer to look into using a classroom at Camosun still stands, although it may be more appropriate for presentations and information exchanges. I wonder if any alliance members are members of the langford legion. At least there we can get food and beverages. CUPE BC, representing 65,000 plus members in the province, and CUPE National, representing more than 500,000 CUPE members across Canada, are opposed to ocean based fish farms and add their voice and considerable clout to the fight. In 2003, CUPE BC put forth the following resolution:
That CUPE BC demand that the BC provincial government and, through CUPE National, the federal government fulfill their environmental responsibilities by protecting BC’s wild salmon; and
That CUPE BC lobby the BC provincial government to impose a moratorium on sea based fish farms immediately; and
That CUPE BC lobby the BC provincial government to assist in the establishment of a land based, environmentally sensitive fish farm industry.
(Pr. George – 2003)
In Solidarity, Jerry Oetting, President, CUPE 2081 AKA Island Idiots
My offer to look into using a classroom at Camosun still stands, although it may be more appropriate for presentations and information exchanges. I wonder if any alliance members are members of the langford legion. At least there we can get food and beverages. CUPE BC, representing 65,000 plus members in the province, and CUPE National, representing more than 500,000 CUPE members across Canada, are opposed to ocean based fish farms and add their voice and considerable clout to the fight. In 2003, CUPE BC put forth the following resolution:
That CUPE BC demand that the BC provincial government and, through CUPE National, the federal government fulfill their environmental responsibilities by protecting BC’s wild salmon; and
That CUPE BC lobby the BC provincial government to impose a moratorium on sea based fish farms immediately; and
That CUPE BC lobby the BC provincial government to assist in the establishment of a land based, environmentally sensitive fish farm industry.
(Pr. George – 2003)
In Solidarity, Jerry Oetting, President, CUPE 2081 AKA Island Idiots
Red Monster
Well-Known Member
The sea lice are spreading. Is the government noticing?
Stephen Hume
Vancouver Sun
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sea lice infestations affecting wild salmon smolts that migrate past fish farms have been found in yet another region of British Columbia's remote coast.
The problem poses potential headaches for the provincial government, since it suggests implications for commercial and recreational fisheries worth close to $1 billion a year, scientific research indicates.
"Sea lice infestations of wild juvenile fish in Pacific Canada extends beyond juvenile pink and chum salmon in the Broughton Archipelago to juvenile pink, chum and sockeye salmon, as well as larval herring in the Discovery Islands," scientists say in a paper to be published in April by the North American Journal of Fisheries Management.
The islands are about 200 kilometres from Vancouver at the northwest end of the Strait of Georgia.
Authors are Martin Krkosek of the Centre for Mathematical Biology at the University of Alberta, Rich Routledge from the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Simon Fraser University and biologist Alexandra Morton, who operates a research station at Simoom Sound off northern Vancouver Island.
Meanwhile, a fisheries biologist conducting research in the area for the Xwemalkhwu First Nation reports similar findings, although he stresses results are preliminary and not yet peer-reviewed.
"At least a third of the juvenile sockeye we sampled are infected," says Mike Price of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. He'd like the province to do genetic analysis to determine the origin of the infected sockeye samples. "Are they from the Fraser River? If this is not a Broughton specific problem, how prevalent is it? We don't know what's happening in Clayoquot Sound, in Kyuquot Sound, in any of these places we are not monitoring," Price says.
The effects of sea lice infestations upon wild fish have been a source of controversy since pink salmon runs passing salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago collapsed in 2002. A study published in the journal Science in December 2007 predicted that if sea lice infestations were not curbed, those runs would be extinct by 2012. Krkosek, Morton and four other scientists from the U of A and Dalhousie University wrote that paper.
Industry and both federal and provincial governments, which have vigorously promoted the development of salmon farms, have played down the effects of sea lice upon wild salmon stocks. Pink declines in the Broughton are part of a natural cycle and are rebounding naturally, it's been argued.
However, the discovery that sockeye smolts and immature herring so young they have yet to develop scales are also being preyed upon by sea lice in a crucial migratory choke point is a scientific surprise that seems certain to get a lot of attention. Herring provide both a valuable commercial harvest and a crucial food source for other species, including mature coho and Chinook which are the mainstay of the province's recreational salmon fishery.
"Sea lice on juvenile herring are unreported for the Pacific and extremely rare in the Atlantic," the peer-reviewed paper observes. "Together, Fraser sockeye and Strait of Georgia herring are British Columbia's most important commercial fish stocks." In testimony before the Senate fisheries committee on Oct. 24, 2005, the Sport Fishing Institute of B.C. estimated that recreational tidal fishing, most of it directed at salmon, created 7,240 jobs and generated $400 million a year in boat, equipment, tackle and accommodation rental alone.
It estimated total value of tidal recreational fishing at around $625 million. Provincial figures in 2006 show the wholesale value -- that's after processing -- of commercially caught wild salmon at $227.6 million, of which $113.6 million derived from sockeye. The commercial herring fishery generated $58.8 million in wholesale value.
Sport angling remains a mainstay of province's tourist economy from elite fly-in lodges to places like Campbell River, adjacent to the Discovery Islands. The community, which is also a major fish farming centre, still bills itself the salmon fishing capital of the world.
Since 1924, members of its internationally-renowned Tyee Club have trolled from small, hand-rowed boats for Chinooks weighing 30 kilograms or more. Provincewide statistics show that anglers bought 338,000 tidal waters licences in 2002 and spent a total of 2.1 million days in actual fishing in B.C.
That sounds like a lot of potentially disgruntled voters to me. Government might be wise to take note of this research.
shume@islandnet.com
Stephen Hume
Vancouver Sun
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sea lice infestations affecting wild salmon smolts that migrate past fish farms have been found in yet another region of British Columbia's remote coast.
The problem poses potential headaches for the provincial government, since it suggests implications for commercial and recreational fisheries worth close to $1 billion a year, scientific research indicates.
"Sea lice infestations of wild juvenile fish in Pacific Canada extends beyond juvenile pink and chum salmon in the Broughton Archipelago to juvenile pink, chum and sockeye salmon, as well as larval herring in the Discovery Islands," scientists say in a paper to be published in April by the North American Journal of Fisheries Management.
The islands are about 200 kilometres from Vancouver at the northwest end of the Strait of Georgia.
Authors are Martin Krkosek of the Centre for Mathematical Biology at the University of Alberta, Rich Routledge from the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Simon Fraser University and biologist Alexandra Morton, who operates a research station at Simoom Sound off northern Vancouver Island.
Meanwhile, a fisheries biologist conducting research in the area for the Xwemalkhwu First Nation reports similar findings, although he stresses results are preliminary and not yet peer-reviewed.
"At least a third of the juvenile sockeye we sampled are infected," says Mike Price of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. He'd like the province to do genetic analysis to determine the origin of the infected sockeye samples. "Are they from the Fraser River? If this is not a Broughton specific problem, how prevalent is it? We don't know what's happening in Clayoquot Sound, in Kyuquot Sound, in any of these places we are not monitoring," Price says.
The effects of sea lice infestations upon wild fish have been a source of controversy since pink salmon runs passing salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago collapsed in 2002. A study published in the journal Science in December 2007 predicted that if sea lice infestations were not curbed, those runs would be extinct by 2012. Krkosek, Morton and four other scientists from the U of A and Dalhousie University wrote that paper.
Industry and both federal and provincial governments, which have vigorously promoted the development of salmon farms, have played down the effects of sea lice upon wild salmon stocks. Pink declines in the Broughton are part of a natural cycle and are rebounding naturally, it's been argued.
However, the discovery that sockeye smolts and immature herring so young they have yet to develop scales are also being preyed upon by sea lice in a crucial migratory choke point is a scientific surprise that seems certain to get a lot of attention. Herring provide both a valuable commercial harvest and a crucial food source for other species, including mature coho and Chinook which are the mainstay of the province's recreational salmon fishery.
"Sea lice on juvenile herring are unreported for the Pacific and extremely rare in the Atlantic," the peer-reviewed paper observes. "Together, Fraser sockeye and Strait of Georgia herring are British Columbia's most important commercial fish stocks." In testimony before the Senate fisheries committee on Oct. 24, 2005, the Sport Fishing Institute of B.C. estimated that recreational tidal fishing, most of it directed at salmon, created 7,240 jobs and generated $400 million a year in boat, equipment, tackle and accommodation rental alone.
It estimated total value of tidal recreational fishing at around $625 million. Provincial figures in 2006 show the wholesale value -- that's after processing -- of commercially caught wild salmon at $227.6 million, of which $113.6 million derived from sockeye. The commercial herring fishery generated $58.8 million in wholesale value.
Sport angling remains a mainstay of province's tourist economy from elite fly-in lodges to places like Campbell River, adjacent to the Discovery Islands. The community, which is also a major fish farming centre, still bills itself the salmon fishing capital of the world.
Since 1924, members of its internationally-renowned Tyee Club have trolled from small, hand-rowed boats for Chinooks weighing 30 kilograms or more. Provincewide statistics show that anglers bought 338,000 tidal waters licences in 2002 and spent a total of 2.1 million days in actual fishing in B.C.
That sounds like a lot of potentially disgruntled voters to me. Government might be wise to take note of this research.
shume@islandnet.com
Little Hawk
Active Member
Howdy,
Thanks R.M.
Stephen Hume is on our side, even if he is supposed to present an unbiased opinon.
So... now the fu@%ing lice are eating the herring.
Seems like our Wild Salmon are granted no quarter here.
Sink-the-fishfarms!
Cheers,
Terry
Thanks R.M.
Stephen Hume is on our side, even if he is supposed to present an unbiased opinon.
So... now the fu@%ing lice are eating the herring.
Seems like our Wild Salmon are granted no quarter here.
Sink-the-fishfarms!
Cheers,
Terry
Little Hawk make big noise in B.C. I like the stir you are causing and would like to offer some support. Although I am from Oregon, the adverse effects from the "Scum Farm" practices is felt far and wide. I am a tackle manufacturer 2nd and a Dad 1st. I wouldn't mind if there were some fish left for my girls to catch someday. I have a few ideas that might bring some added attention to your cause. Since I am a US Citizen that might count me out, but I would like to help anyway. Traction and advertising is crucial if this effort is going to stick. You have the ball rolling and the next place I would target is the Vancouver International Boat Show. I will be up there displaying with Nikka in February 2008 and would like to see some posters or other media explaining the whole deal. You may even get a bunch of people to join your cause. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks, Mike / KoneZone / 503-348-9442
Time
Well-Known Member
Red Monster's post of Stephen Hume's article reminds me of the old story about DFO expanding the boundary limits (as in do not catch or eat) for crab fishing around pulp mills.
One year DFO expanded the area for no-crabbing. When asked why, what happened, DFO replied that they had finally got money in the budget to test further from the effluent outlet and the crabs were contaminated (and probably had been for many years).
Moral, until it's checked out, you just don't know what the effects of an operation are.
As Hume points out the impact of sea lice is not just on the pinks.
DFO may or may not need funding to carry out such work on the impact on the rest of the biosphere, but first they need the direction, from the political level, to get their asses into gear.
One year DFO expanded the area for no-crabbing. When asked why, what happened, DFO replied that they had finally got money in the budget to test further from the effluent outlet and the crabs were contaminated (and probably had been for many years).
Moral, until it's checked out, you just don't know what the effects of an operation are.
As Hume points out the impact of sea lice is not just on the pinks.
DFO may or may not need funding to carry out such work on the impact on the rest of the biosphere, but first they need the direction, from the political level, to get their asses into gear.
Little Hawk
Active Member
Howdy,
Amen Time!
They (the DFO) seem to have lost touch with their mandate. They and we Sportfishermen are all just guardians of the Great Fish. They do not belong to us; we must do all we can to keep all species of Wild Salmon alive and well then pass them on to our children and grandchildren.
Kone Zone; I sent you an email. Didn't realize you were from south of the border.
Of course you are welcome here. Wild Salmon know no borders and your help is greatly appreciated.
(Did some shopping down in Medford in 06'. Got a great deal on a set of 10x50 Leupold cammo binos. No tax! Yeeha!)
Today the 'Alliance' stands at: 75
Cheers,
Terry
Amen Time!
They (the DFO) seem to have lost touch with their mandate. They and we Sportfishermen are all just guardians of the Great Fish. They do not belong to us; we must do all we can to keep all species of Wild Salmon alive and well then pass them on to our children and grandchildren.
Kone Zone; I sent you an email. Didn't realize you were from south of the border.
Of course you are welcome here. Wild Salmon know no borders and your help is greatly appreciated.
(Did some shopping down in Medford in 06'. Got a great deal on a set of 10x50 Leupold cammo binos. No tax! Yeeha!)
Today the 'Alliance' stands at: 75
Cheers,
Terry
Little Hawk
Active Member
Howdy,
Due the great possibility that the name - BC Sportfisherman's Alliance - is already in use, I am changing the name of our 'Alliance'.
From this day forward we will be known as the: Wild Salmon Alliance. Thanks to Kevin Canning for the suggestion.
Sorry if this creates any confusion.
Cheers,
Terry Anderson
Due the great possibility that the name - BC Sportfisherman's Alliance - is already in use, I am changing the name of our 'Alliance'.
From this day forward we will be known as the: Wild Salmon Alliance. Thanks to Kevin Canning for the suggestion.
Sorry if this creates any confusion.
Cheers,
Terry Anderson
G
gimp
Guest
Hey KZ greetings from Washington state. Welcome to the fight.
I will be at the Vancouver International Boat Show http://www.vancouverboatshow.ca/Feb 6th through the 10th 2008 at the B.C. Place Stadium. I will be spending my time displaying at the Nikka Fishing http://www.nikka.ca/ booth again this year. I hope to see some of you there to possibly make some plans towards this noble goal. The show is huge and there is lots to see. Thanks, Mike / KoneZone
T
tenacious
Guest
Hi,
I fully support this initiative. Both Ireland and Denmark had their fisheries decimated by fish farming. We need to listen to other Countires advice and experience. Clearly, our government is not.
Andy
I fully support this initiative. Both Ireland and Denmark had their fisheries decimated by fish farming. We need to listen to other Countires advice and experience. Clearly, our government is not.
Andy
Red Monster
Well-Known Member
I plan to attend the boat show and will come by to say hi, Mike. [8D]
Little Hawk
Active Member
Howdy,
Thought I'd share my response to Professori, a fellow Sportfisherman, Conservationist, and active member of the BC Fishing Reports/Forum.
Howdy Prof,
Thanks for the response. Excellent suggestions and questions; I'll do my best to answer them.
I've done a brief bit of reading on registering a society - much complicated baffle-gab of course; best done by a lawyer I guess, or maybe a notary. This is an area I don't know much about; I guess the Wild Salmon Alliance should be a registered society, but this is an area where I would need help & guidance.
Kevin Canning from the SportfishingBC.com/Forum has been kind enough to step up to the plate and offer his services to design, build, and maitain a website for a period of one year. Thanks Kev!
With respect to other opposition-organizations - emphasis on the word respect </u>here, for all others have been doing for years trying to stop this 'filthy' business - and there are many out there, I've learned that many of these organizations are as much concerned about 'revenue-flow' into their organizations as they are about any particular cause they stand for. Many do great things for BC's Fish & Wildlife, many are about $$$$.
During or about the time I was working on a Fishfarming article for BC Outdoors Sportfishing Magazine (2001-2002) - around the same time as the Leggatt Inquiry into Salmon Farming - I was encouraged to attend a meeting in Vancouver (hosted by the Suzuki Foundation I think) with several other environmental groups to discuss an 'action-plan' in response to our Province's decision to lift the moratorium on expansion of the net-pen industry.
At my expense I travelled from Victoria to Vancouver and attended the meeting as an 'Independant-Sportfisherman'. I was the only such person at that meeting attended by rep's from Suzuki's outfit, Sierra Club, BC Steelhead Society, Georgia Straight Alliance and others.
Then as now, I was simply a sportfisherman (and Father of two) who'd learned enought about the industry to be concerned that there may not be any Wild fish around for my kid's as a result of it.
As the meeting came to order, introductions were called for and around the table it went: "...Bob Hope - Sierra Legal Defence..." "Maggie May - Georgia Straight Alliance..." etc. I introduced myself, as I stated above, as a meager 'Concerned Sportfisherman' with no significant previous 'tree-hugging' or 'fish-hugging' credentials. I noticed then that many at the table seemed to dismiss me.
I sat back and watched and listend as the meeting digressed into a shovin-match of the whose-who in the Environmental Elite Club. My opinion was never sought, and to this day I don't know what if anything arose from that meeting.
My point of view is this Prof: Many powerful opposition organizations have trod this road before me - and we
STILL HAVE FISHFARMING AND IGNORANT (IF NOT CROOKED) POLITICIAN'S SUPPORTING THIS MADNESS.
What's been tried so far has failed... miserably.
My approach is somewhat different, I think.
I thought long and hard about the opposition movement to date, and then I had an epiphany.
Most if not all groups before us - the Wild Salmon Alliance - have had serious financial/econonomic, or ego/political values at stake around this battle, regardless what side they were on.
It occured to me then that it would take much, much more to heel our crazed Politicians and 'Punt' this menace from our waters for good.
It will take PASSION AND SUPREME COMMITTMENT TO THE CAUSE!
The kind of energy you will only find in the hearts of BC's Sportfisherman.</u> We don't need money or political recognition, all we want is to ensure there are Wild Salmon left for our kids and grandkids.
This, in my humble opinion Prof, is HEAVY ARTILLERY that will be brought to bear on this issue. Politicians may fall, fishfarms will sink, and sadly, a couple of thousand British Columbian's will lose their jobs.
But those individuals can be retrained, helped out by the Province's Sportfisherman if neccessary.
How about putting them to high-paying fisheries-habitat-enhancement and restoration work jobs?
All said, yes my door and mind are wide-open to all help any individuals or organizations might lend to this cause.
The 'Alliances' first meeting will happen in Victoria within the next 2 to 4 weeks. The timing will depend on the outcome (registration numbers) of two pending media releases. If the numbers warrant it, a second meeting will occur shortly after on the mainland, probably Vancouver. Ferries' are expensive, so I will do the travelling. These initial meetings will be a great opportunity to pool new ideas and plot an effecive strategy. I'm looking for contributions from everyone; I will go this alone if neccessary but I'm not stupid - higher numbers and superior ideas will ensure success.
My plan as it stands is simple:
- Bring all Politicians and the DFO who've sided with the industry out of their fox-holes onto the public stage for all to see.</u> Each and every one of them - name by name</u> - will be held accountable and their political aspirations will bear the weight of their involvement with the fishfarmers.
- Recruit all the high/profile - celebrity Sportfishermen we can to join our cause.</u> ie. "Raif Mair! Where the hell are you?"
- Win public-opinion... and political favor will follow.</u> As the 'Good-ship Fishfarming' begins taking on more water - and it will - sit back and watch how many heavy-weight Politician's frantically strap on their lifejackets and jump to join our cause.
In closing, I am compelled to state once again that I have great respect for all those previously and currently involved in this battle and would encourage all to continue.
Make no mistake about it - THIS IS A WAR!
It will take a monumental and highly coordinated effort to bring down this multi-billion dollar conglomerate.
Remember, these Great Fish are not ours. </u> We are merely custodians who - although we use the resource - must ensure there are Wild Salmon left for future generations.
As I look back at my life, I see scattered upon the trail a thousand things left un-done. I've vowed to both my Childred that this scrape with the fishfarmers' and my government will not be added to that pile.
Today the 'Alliance' stands at: 76
Cheers,
Terry Anderson
Wild Salmon Alliance
Thought I'd share my response to Professori, a fellow Sportfisherman, Conservationist, and active member of the BC Fishing Reports/Forum.
Howdy Prof,
Thanks for the response. Excellent suggestions and questions; I'll do my best to answer them.
I've done a brief bit of reading on registering a society - much complicated baffle-gab of course; best done by a lawyer I guess, or maybe a notary. This is an area I don't know much about; I guess the Wild Salmon Alliance should be a registered society, but this is an area where I would need help & guidance.
Kevin Canning from the SportfishingBC.com/Forum has been kind enough to step up to the plate and offer his services to design, build, and maitain a website for a period of one year. Thanks Kev!
With respect to other opposition-organizations - emphasis on the word respect </u>here, for all others have been doing for years trying to stop this 'filthy' business - and there are many out there, I've learned that many of these organizations are as much concerned about 'revenue-flow' into their organizations as they are about any particular cause they stand for. Many do great things for BC's Fish & Wildlife, many are about $$$$.
During or about the time I was working on a Fishfarming article for BC Outdoors Sportfishing Magazine (2001-2002) - around the same time as the Leggatt Inquiry into Salmon Farming - I was encouraged to attend a meeting in Vancouver (hosted by the Suzuki Foundation I think) with several other environmental groups to discuss an 'action-plan' in response to our Province's decision to lift the moratorium on expansion of the net-pen industry.
At my expense I travelled from Victoria to Vancouver and attended the meeting as an 'Independant-Sportfisherman'. I was the only such person at that meeting attended by rep's from Suzuki's outfit, Sierra Club, BC Steelhead Society, Georgia Straight Alliance and others.
Then as now, I was simply a sportfisherman (and Father of two) who'd learned enought about the industry to be concerned that there may not be any Wild fish around for my kid's as a result of it.
As the meeting came to order, introductions were called for and around the table it went: "...Bob Hope - Sierra Legal Defence..." "Maggie May - Georgia Straight Alliance..." etc. I introduced myself, as I stated above, as a meager 'Concerned Sportfisherman' with no significant previous 'tree-hugging' or 'fish-hugging' credentials. I noticed then that many at the table seemed to dismiss me.
I sat back and watched and listend as the meeting digressed into a shovin-match of the whose-who in the Environmental Elite Club. My opinion was never sought, and to this day I don't know what if anything arose from that meeting.
My point of view is this Prof: Many powerful opposition organizations have trod this road before me - and we
STILL HAVE FISHFARMING AND IGNORANT (IF NOT CROOKED) POLITICIAN'S SUPPORTING THIS MADNESS.
What's been tried so far has failed... miserably.
My approach is somewhat different, I think.
I thought long and hard about the opposition movement to date, and then I had an epiphany.
Most if not all groups before us - the Wild Salmon Alliance - have had serious financial/econonomic, or ego/political values at stake around this battle, regardless what side they were on.
It occured to me then that it would take much, much more to heel our crazed Politicians and 'Punt' this menace from our waters for good.
It will take PASSION AND SUPREME COMMITTMENT TO THE CAUSE!
The kind of energy you will only find in the hearts of BC's Sportfisherman.</u> We don't need money or political recognition, all we want is to ensure there are Wild Salmon left for our kids and grandkids.
This, in my humble opinion Prof, is HEAVY ARTILLERY that will be brought to bear on this issue. Politicians may fall, fishfarms will sink, and sadly, a couple of thousand British Columbian's will lose their jobs.
But those individuals can be retrained, helped out by the Province's Sportfisherman if neccessary.
How about putting them to high-paying fisheries-habitat-enhancement and restoration work jobs?
All said, yes my door and mind are wide-open to all help any individuals or organizations might lend to this cause.
The 'Alliances' first meeting will happen in Victoria within the next 2 to 4 weeks. The timing will depend on the outcome (registration numbers) of two pending media releases. If the numbers warrant it, a second meeting will occur shortly after on the mainland, probably Vancouver. Ferries' are expensive, so I will do the travelling. These initial meetings will be a great opportunity to pool new ideas and plot an effecive strategy. I'm looking for contributions from everyone; I will go this alone if neccessary but I'm not stupid - higher numbers and superior ideas will ensure success.
My plan as it stands is simple:
- Bring all Politicians and the DFO who've sided with the industry out of their fox-holes onto the public stage for all to see.</u> Each and every one of them - name by name</u> - will be held accountable and their political aspirations will bear the weight of their involvement with the fishfarmers.
- Recruit all the high/profile - celebrity Sportfishermen we can to join our cause.</u> ie. "Raif Mair! Where the hell are you?"
- Win public-opinion... and political favor will follow.</u> As the 'Good-ship Fishfarming' begins taking on more water - and it will - sit back and watch how many heavy-weight Politician's frantically strap on their lifejackets and jump to join our cause.
In closing, I am compelled to state once again that I have great respect for all those previously and currently involved in this battle and would encourage all to continue.
Make no mistake about it - THIS IS A WAR!
It will take a monumental and highly coordinated effort to bring down this multi-billion dollar conglomerate.
Remember, these Great Fish are not ours. </u> We are merely custodians who - although we use the resource - must ensure there are Wild Salmon left for future generations.
As I look back at my life, I see scattered upon the trail a thousand things left un-done. I've vowed to both my Childred that this scrape with the fishfarmers' and my government will not be added to that pile.
Today the 'Alliance' stands at: 76
Cheers,
Terry Anderson
Wild Salmon Alliance
Red Monster
Well-Known Member
First nations ponder suits as alarm over sea lice spreads
Stephen Hume
Special to the Sun
Monday, January 28, 2008
If British Columbia's wild salmon runs were damaged by a sea lice crisis similar to those in Norway, Scotland and Ireland, who should be accountable?
Chief Darren Blaney of the Xwemalhkwu First Nation figures government. So Blaney is urging fellow chiefs to start thinking about class action suits directed at governments constitutionally required to protect wild fish for first nations but which always seem to place industrial interests first.
"I've talked to some of the Sto:lo chiefs about it already," Blaney says. He plans to bring the idea forward again at a cross-border meeting of tribal chiefs and elders from around the Georgia Basin.
This year it's in Tulalip, Wash. Washington tribes share Fraser River sockeye stocks, so he may find sympathy south of the 49th parallel. Not to mention among upper Fraser bands who rely on sockeye runs for food.
He might even find common cause with sports anglers. They pay dearly to fish but are first to lose access while government approves gravel mining in prime rearing habitat, logging in watersheds and fish farms along migration routes.
"Everybody is concerned about the salmon stocks," Blaney said. "This year we only got seven fish each per household. Our neighbours south of us in Sliammon didn't get anything. For our ceremonial purposes this has a huge impact. Some of our elders wrote to me complaining about it."
When I met Blaney last week, news was already breaking about new peer-reviewed science to be published in April. It confirms sea lice infestations among baby wild salmon migrating past fish farms far beyond the Broughton Archipelago.
That hardly surprised Blaney. "The amount of fish farms in this area is bigger," he said. Besides, his band has partnered with the Georgia Strait Alliance and the Raincoast Conservation Foundation to research the prevalence of sea lice in traditional Xwemalhkwu territories in the Discovery Islands.
That research is preliminary but the biologist overseeing it told me it shows the same disturbing trends first noticed in the Broughton.
Concerns there were initially greeted with a chorus of boos. Yet work by Alexandra Morton turned out to be good enough for publication in some of the world's premier science journals.
Now the Xwemalhkwu are getting similar results in their traditional territories about 100 kilometres south of the Broughton.
"We simply followed what Alexandra Morton started," biologist Mike Price said. "We monitor 14 or 15 sites and sample every two weeks during the migration period."
Last year researchers collected 2,573 immature salmon. Almost half -- 41 per cent -- carried the parasites. Some individual smolts were literally covered. But the farther the samples were from active fish farms, the fewer the fish burdened with parasites.
Alarmingly, immature sockeye and immature herring appeared most vulnerable, with 62 per cent of the sockeye and 72 per cent of the herring carrying heavier loads of the parasites than chum or pinks.
Given the importance of these two species, this data will surely seize the attention of first nations on the Fraser and in Washington. Large numbers of Fraser sockeye smolts migrate to the open Pacific through the narrow passages in the Discovery Islands.
"I've been telling these Sto:lo guys that if there's a problem with sockeye returns to the Fraser, it's probably right over here," Blaney said.
If this new research sets off alarms among the Sto:lo, will the Nlaka'pamux, St'at'imc, Secwepemc, Chilcotin, Nadleh Whut'en, Nak/azdli and Lheidli-T'enneh be far behind?
Blaney's musings about defending first nations' interests in wild fish stocks through court action could take on a whole lot more weight and pretty darn quickly. If that happens, I doubt it will take long before the plight of wild salmon is linked to treaty talks.
"What's the point of signing a treaty with fish in it if there are no fish?" Blaney said. "We have a saying, 'He's generous with an empty basket.' "
"It gets tiring listening to these guys [in government]. I get tired of the discussions about the number of jobs [on fish farms]. The jobs are more important to them than the environment.
"It's insanity. If there's no environment, there are no jobs."
shume@islandnet.com
Stephen Hume
Special to the Sun
Monday, January 28, 2008
If British Columbia's wild salmon runs were damaged by a sea lice crisis similar to those in Norway, Scotland and Ireland, who should be accountable?
Chief Darren Blaney of the Xwemalhkwu First Nation figures government. So Blaney is urging fellow chiefs to start thinking about class action suits directed at governments constitutionally required to protect wild fish for first nations but which always seem to place industrial interests first.
"I've talked to some of the Sto:lo chiefs about it already," Blaney says. He plans to bring the idea forward again at a cross-border meeting of tribal chiefs and elders from around the Georgia Basin.
This year it's in Tulalip, Wash. Washington tribes share Fraser River sockeye stocks, so he may find sympathy south of the 49th parallel. Not to mention among upper Fraser bands who rely on sockeye runs for food.
He might even find common cause with sports anglers. They pay dearly to fish but are first to lose access while government approves gravel mining in prime rearing habitat, logging in watersheds and fish farms along migration routes.
"Everybody is concerned about the salmon stocks," Blaney said. "This year we only got seven fish each per household. Our neighbours south of us in Sliammon didn't get anything. For our ceremonial purposes this has a huge impact. Some of our elders wrote to me complaining about it."
When I met Blaney last week, news was already breaking about new peer-reviewed science to be published in April. It confirms sea lice infestations among baby wild salmon migrating past fish farms far beyond the Broughton Archipelago.
That hardly surprised Blaney. "The amount of fish farms in this area is bigger," he said. Besides, his band has partnered with the Georgia Strait Alliance and the Raincoast Conservation Foundation to research the prevalence of sea lice in traditional Xwemalhkwu territories in the Discovery Islands.
That research is preliminary but the biologist overseeing it told me it shows the same disturbing trends first noticed in the Broughton.
Concerns there were initially greeted with a chorus of boos. Yet work by Alexandra Morton turned out to be good enough for publication in some of the world's premier science journals.
Now the Xwemalhkwu are getting similar results in their traditional territories about 100 kilometres south of the Broughton.
"We simply followed what Alexandra Morton started," biologist Mike Price said. "We monitor 14 or 15 sites and sample every two weeks during the migration period."
Last year researchers collected 2,573 immature salmon. Almost half -- 41 per cent -- carried the parasites. Some individual smolts were literally covered. But the farther the samples were from active fish farms, the fewer the fish burdened with parasites.
Alarmingly, immature sockeye and immature herring appeared most vulnerable, with 62 per cent of the sockeye and 72 per cent of the herring carrying heavier loads of the parasites than chum or pinks.
Given the importance of these two species, this data will surely seize the attention of first nations on the Fraser and in Washington. Large numbers of Fraser sockeye smolts migrate to the open Pacific through the narrow passages in the Discovery Islands.
"I've been telling these Sto:lo guys that if there's a problem with sockeye returns to the Fraser, it's probably right over here," Blaney said.
If this new research sets off alarms among the Sto:lo, will the Nlaka'pamux, St'at'imc, Secwepemc, Chilcotin, Nadleh Whut'en, Nak/azdli and Lheidli-T'enneh be far behind?
Blaney's musings about defending first nations' interests in wild fish stocks through court action could take on a whole lot more weight and pretty darn quickly. If that happens, I doubt it will take long before the plight of wild salmon is linked to treaty talks.
"What's the point of signing a treaty with fish in it if there are no fish?" Blaney said. "We have a saying, 'He's generous with an empty basket.' "
"It gets tiring listening to these guys [in government]. I get tired of the discussions about the number of jobs [on fish farms]. The jobs are more important to them than the environment.
"It's insanity. If there's no environment, there are no jobs."
shume@islandnet.com
