Vancouver Island Closed Containment Facility Open for Business!

I had the remarkable experience a couple of weeks ago of witnessing the last stages of construction of a home-grown, land-based, recirculating closed containment salmon farm. The facility is being built to prove the economic good sense of growing salmon in a way that doesn’t threaten the survival of wild salmon.

Namgis Nation is now growing Atlantic salmon in their state of the art facility just outside Port McNeill on Vancouver Island.

On March 18, 2013, 23,000 smolts were delivered to the facility, and will now be in quarantine for 4 months. They are doing well and growing, and are on their own “biofilter” which houses bacteria to clean the water.  Since this is a land-based, closed containment “recirculating aquaculture system”, all environmental conditions can be controlled and more than 98% of the water is recycled.  The small amount of outflow that is produced is fastidiously treated so that there is no chance of transfer of disease or pathogens between the wild and farmed fish. See our Campaign News

It’s a deliciously ambitious project that promises to answer the remaining questions about economic and financial sustainability of current closed containment technology. I say current because this is an actively innovative industry.

It takes a long time to develop a new technology, especially when the industry and government fight so vehemently against it. It’s been a remarkable journey to get to this point in aquaculture history.  One of my pivotal memories is from 2006, at a meeting held by DFO to assess the potential of closed  containment technology for growing salmon. Industry and government representatives scoffed at the possibility, declaring it a doomed enterprise from the beginning. I watched as the entrepreneurs, engineers and inventors in the room became increasingly eager to take up the challenge.  There’s nothing quite so inspiring to an inventor as saying, ‘It can’t be done.’

We’re now seeing the results of that challenge being met in the number of closed containment salmon farms in operation or development around the world. The impetus to push for closed containment technology has always been to solve the problems of the dangers posed by the open net cage salmon farms to the wild marine environment. We’re not there yet. The open net farms are still in the ocean, but we’re getting a lot closer and the argument that there isn’t a viable economic alternative is just no longer credible. For more information about the problems with open net cage salmon farms, see Salmon Farming

Cohen said...

It seems everyone has found quotes in the final report from the Cohen commission to back up their established position on open net cage salmon farms. The industry claims that he found no problem with the farms and people who have been concerned about the farms for years are calling for their immediate removal.

Who’s right? What’s the real story? What does this report really say?

The report is quite daunting, 1100+ pages of testimony and documentation. Judge Cohen did a remarkable and thorough job of investigation and sifting of information to come up with 75 recommendations regarding a number of factors that seem to be impacting the health and well being of the Fraser River Sockeye.

From the very beginning of the Inquiry, salmon aquaculture has taken centre stage and continues to do so. British Columbians long for this issue to be resolved. We care deeply about this amazing fish and have little tolerance for threats to its well being.

Here’s my summary interpretation of Judge Cohen’s assessment of the part that salmon aquaculture has played in the decline of Fraser River Sockeye:
• Disease from the open net pen farms appears to be a major and potentially irreversible risk to Fraser River Sockeye.
• The data required to actually verify the degree of risk was not collected or interpreted adequately by DFO.
• This lack of transparent verifiable information is a result of DFO’s conflicting mandate to promote the industry.
• Siting criteria for open net farms should include proximity to migrating Fraser River Sockeye and farms not adhering to these criteria should be removed.
• The Discovery Island area open net pen farms are in the migration path of the Fraser River Sockeye.
• Production increases in the Discovery Island must not be permitted unless risk can be proven to be minimal.
• Fraser River salmon are important enough to British Columbians that we will not accept anything more than a minimal risk to them.
• DFO has to prove that there is no more than a minimal risk in order for the farms to continue after 2020 and they can only act on this once the conflicting mandate is removed.

This is what I understand, but I suggest you look for yourself. The whole report might be daunting, but the summary is manageable and a good read and Judge Cohen made some interesting comments and observations about our care and protection of this beloved BC fish. I highly recommend you read it and tell us what you think!
For more interpretation of the Cohen recommendations see our website:  http://www.georgiastrait.org/?q=node/1090 and http://www.georgiastrait.org/?q=node/56

Singing in the key of “Green” at Vancouver Folk Fest

Friday, July 13^th heralded the start of the 35^th annual Vancouver Folk Fest.  Refreshingly debunking superstition, Friday dawned beautiful and sunny, setting the tone for a fabulous weekend of fresh air, great music, and fun. GSA’s table was in the Community Village, which Festival organizers thoughtfully situated on the main thoroughfare through the Festival grounds. The location proved to be prime real-estate, as we had scores of festival goers come to talk to us over the course of the weekend!

GSA's outreach team takes in the festival atmosphere.

This plethora of visitors can be attributed in no small part to our charismatic and beautiful mermaid. Having   recently received a make-over from GSA’s multi- talented Rebecca Adams, she was a very (VERY) attractive addition to our outreach team! With her help, Isabelle and I collected signatures for GSA’s brand new petition against the increase in oil tanker traffic planned for the Burrard Inlet, distributed literature about oil tankers and salmon farming, and spread the word about GSA’s Communities Atlas Project. Our free-draw was popular as well. Congratulations to the winners of the West Coast Basket, and the awesome AspenClean eco-friendly Whole House Cleaning Kit! Also, a BIG thank you to Aspen Clean natural cleaning products, the Flying Fish, the Barton & Leier Gallery, and St. Jean’s Cannery for their generous donations to our free draw! Furthermore, we had great conversations with individuals from a number of interesting groups including the Wilderness Committee, Against Port Expansion, and the BC Salmon Marketing Council, as well as Abby Shwarz, an awesome marine biologist and musician with a passion for sharks and herring (stay tuned for a link to her shark-finning awareness song, Children of the Sea!).

Sunday sunset over Jericho Beach.

All in all, it was an incredibly positive and successful weekend! The atmosphere couldn’t be beat, the weather was fabulous (save for a few spooky thunder showers), and the music was world class! Isabelle and I particularly enjoyed Dan Mangan, Ani DiFranco, The Head and the Heart, Hey Rosetta, Dala, and the Johnny Clegg Band. The grand finale of the event, which featured a sing-along of “This Land” by the festival’s many performing artists, even featured an improvised “we don’t want no Enbridge Pipeline!” sung to enthusiastic cheers from the audience.  Thank you to Vancouver Folk Music Festival for putting on such an amazing event, to our Executive Director, Christianne, for taking the time to help us throughout the weekend, and to GSA Board Member, Frank Tester for going the extra mile to draw people to our table with his energetic antics.

What an incredible way to spend a weekend!

Until next time,

                 Deanna                                                                

More paddling action in the Lower Mainland and good local food on the Island

Paddling action on the beach near Jericho Sailing Centre
Photo credit: Deanna McGillivray

After a couple of days spent in the office in Nanaimo, Deanna and I were eager to get out for more outreach action. I think that the more you get involved in discussing environmental issues with the public, the more passionate you get about the causes. On Saturday July 7 we thus navigated across the Strait to attend the Vancouver venue of MEC Paddlefest.  The weather was perfect and the venue’s location was great! Our booth was placed along the path to Jericho Beach in the midst of other environmental non-profits fighting for great causes, such as Fraser Riverkeeper, CPAWS and Shark Truth.  Even though most of the paddling action was taking place on the beach, a lot of the passersby and paddlers, curious to know what the colorful tents were about, stopped by our booth. They took the time to share their concerns about oil tankers in the Strait and open-net salmon farming and to learn more about how they can get involved in our Community Atlas project. Once again we would like to thank Adam Hoogeveen for organizing another great MEC event.

The next day Deanna and I eagerly headed for yet another of the island’s fine markets, the new South Cowichan farmers market. Sunday’s venue was very special as it was the grand opening of the Market. Located right next to the highway after Whippletree Junction, and offering ample parking space for cars and bicycles alike, the venue was well chosen, possibly by someone with a strong marketing brain. The weather was excellent (it was one of those burning hot days that makes any excuse to get out of your hot motorized box a good one!) and the turn out was great. Market goers considered us as one of the vendors and most of them made a point to stop by our booth and find out what we were about. Deanna and I had some lively discussions with well informed South Cowichan residents and sampled some excellent baked goods and local produce.  A big thank you to the market manager Keith Lefevre for welcoming us to the market and for working hard to build local food systems. Good luck with your market, we wish you every success!

All in all it was a superbe weekend full of sun and engaging discussions. Thank you to all of the outreach staff, market vendors and people who attended our weekend events for supporting our summer raffle. We will be back in Vancouver this weekend for the Folk Festival in Jericho Park. Come listen to some good tunes and participate in our free draw!

À la prochaine!

                           - Isabelle

A Weekend of Paddling and Patriotism: MEC Paddlefest in Victoria and Canada Day, Nanaimo style

Isabelle and I spent Saturday manning the GSA Booth at MEC’s Paddlefest Celebration at Willow’s Beach in Victoria. Although the clouds looked ominous and threatening all day, the paddling conditions were perfect as the water was as smooth as glass. The event featured many interesting paddling demonstrations and clinics, including a fascinating presentation on gourmet camp cooking. We had fun watching everyone out on the water, and enjoyed interesting conversations with some very passionate people.

Nanaimo's local kids help us save B.C.'s wild salmon runs
one masterpiece at a time!

Canada Day at Maffeo-Sutton Park in Nanaimo was a resounding success! Not to brag, but Nanaimoites know how to throw a party! There was great music (Kumbana Marimba was awesome!), a HUGE and delicious Canada birthday cake, and lots of family friendly activities. The crowd at the park was a sea of patriotic red, and  eco-conscious green. Isabelle and I debuted the newly created “Navigate the Strait” Game, and really enjoyed interacting with all the kids and teaching them about ocean conservation. They gave us some valuable insight about how to improve the activities, and one lucky participant even won a GSA t-shirt! In addition, it was heartening to find that so many people are concerned about the wellbeing of the Strait’s charismatic critters, the further development of the harmful salmon aquaculture industry and the threats an oil tanker increase poses to our beautiful coast. The Toxic Smart brochures proved to be particularly popular with attendees as well. Despite the absence of a prolonged appearance by the elusive Mr. Sun, it was an incredibly enjoyable and satisfying day!

We hope to see you at the Bowen Farmer’s Market in Nanaimo, on Wednesday July 4^th, Paddlefest Vancouver at Jericho Sailing Centre on Saturday, July 7^th, and the grand opening of the South Cowichan Farmer's Market on Sunday, July 8^th.

Cheerio until next time!
                          -Deanna
 

A trek to MEC Bikefest and a tasting of Vancouver Island’s Farmers Markets

 

BMX performer Travis Collier at MEC Bikefest
Photo credit: Isabelle Gendron-Lemieux

Deanna and I departed for Vancouver last Friday night to attend MEC Bikefest. Feeling ambitious and in the spirit of alternative transportation, we decided to go car-less. We thus embarked on the ferry rolling our tent and our display material on a trolley. After braving the pouring rain and some technical difficulties (obviously!), we finally made it to our final destination. The next morning when we arrived in Athlete’s Plaza and the sun was shining on the exhibitors setting up for Bikefest, we looked at each other and smiled. The ring layout of the event was great and stimulated an engaging atmosphere-- it also meant that we got to watch the bicycle demonstrations from our booth! A lot of bike enthusiasts, interested in knowing what a marine conservation organization was doing at a celebration of land-based activities, gathered around our booth to learn more about our new online communities atlas. We also had great discussions about oil tankers in the Strait and alternative energy sources, salmon aquaculture and wild salmon conservation issues, and sustainability in general. Thank you to Adam Hoogeveen from MEC Vancouver for organizing this "superbe" event!

Our new raffle whale tail poster!

After a good night’s rest, we packed the car and headed to the Cedar Farmers Market on Yellow Point Road in Nanaimo. Following a great experience at the Bowen Road Farmers Market earlier in the week, we were ready to discover another of Vancouver Island’s fine markets. With approximately 50 vendors, the market had a wealth of delicious local food and exciting artisan wares. In the midst of this celebration of local goods, our booth attracted market-goers interested in learning more about us, as well as current GSA members looking for the latest news about environmental issues in the Strait. The sunshine and the great music made for a very festive Farmers Market. Thank you George for welcoming us to the market! We hope to be back later this summer! 

Thank you to everybody who bought raffle tickets this weekend! Our new raffle whale tail poster proved successful! 

Au revoir et à la prochaine!

                                            - Isabelle

Breezy BC Shellfish Fest, and a care-free Car-Free Day




Isabelle and Deanna enjoying the novelty of lying
 in the street at Car-Free.

 

Isabelle and I attended BC ‘s largest Shellfish Fest in the lovely town of Comox last Saturday. My, but it was a blustery day! We got a workout chasing after brochures and foiling our crafty tent’s repeated escape attempts. However, the wind rather added to the seaside ambiance of the festival, and in no way hampered the enthusiasm of attending shellfish lovers. We enjoyed the delicious smells wafting from the food vendors’ booths and from the cups of contest-winning chowder everyone was carrying around. What a great way to celebrate and appreciate what our coastal waters have to offer, and to bring awareness to how much is at stake! We also really appreciated talking with and learning from the Comox Sierra Club, and the group from Coal Watch about the proposed Raven Coal Mine, and environmental activism. Keep up the great work everyone!

Our dedicated and enthusiastic selves then jumped in the car, zoomed down island, and caught the last ferry to Vancouver (the trip across the Strait was spent performing emergency surgery on our very special Octopus friend).  After a few hours sleep, we were off to Car-Free Vancouver on Main St. Despite some VERY ominous looking clouds at the start of the day, we had a fairly nice afternoon (especially by Juneuary standards!). I don’t know about the other Car-Free venues, but the Main St. crowd was vibrant, diverse and absolutely FULL of energy! It was interesting to discover which issues in the Strait were of most concern to Lower Mainlanders. Not surprisingly, Oil Tankers topped the bill, but ecosystem health, farmed salmon, and toxin reduction were high on the list as well. The day marked the official launch of our Octopus (who is yet to be officially named), and our most successful display to date. Thanks to everyone who came out to chat, participate and buy raffle tickets!

We hope to see you at MEC Bike fest in Vancouver and Cedar Farmer’s Market this weekend. Tourlou/Toodle-oo, until next time!  

                                          -Deanna

Government agencies failing to protect wild salmon

Recent reports of the presence of the deadly ISA virus in B.C. wild salmon seem to have alarmed everyone except those meant to be taking care of the wild salmon.

Rather than taking immediate measures to determine the extent of this threat, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency leaped to discredit the findings and assure international markets that all is well in Canadian waters. Unfortunately, their claim rests on inconclusive evidence and degraded samples.

Instead of launching an emergency investigation into this potential disaster, the federal government has announced a million dollar grant to the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance for international advertising. It appears that the health of B.C. waters, and the wild salmon is not the priority of the federal government after all.

Reflections on the Cohen Inquiry into Decline of Fraser River Sockeye

Fraser River Sockeye - photo by Michelle Young

Hearings for the Cohen Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River have come to an end after a year – and what a year it was.  This Inquiry was struck by the federal government following the 2009 collapse of Fraser River Sockeye. The Inquiry’s Terms of Reference are broad, with Justice Cohen being asked to investigate a host of possible threats which may have contributed to the collapse, including but not limited to “environmental changes along the Fraser River, marine environmental conditions, aquaculture, predators, diseases, water temperature and other factors that may have affected the ability of sockeye salmon to reach traditional spawning grounds or reach the ocean”.

For more than 20 years, Georgia Strait Alliance has tackled a wide range of issues affecting wild salmon and their habitat, but I must admit that I was both relieved and surprised to see aquaculture listed by the federal government in the Inquiry’s terms of reference. I was surprised given the frequent denial by industry and government of any possible impacts of sea lice from net-cage salmon farming on Fraser River sockeye. This denial seems to be based solely on the fact that Fraser River sockeye are much larger than juvenile pink and chum salmon (the weight of scientific evidence clearly demonstrates negative impact of sea lice from salmon farms on juvenile pink and chum) by the time they reach the Wild Salmon Narrows. This argument ignores that sea lice can weaken the immune system, leave juvenile salmon more susceptible to predation, and act as a vector for disease.

We are going to have to wait until mid 2012 for Justice Cohen’s recommendations. Whether his recommendations will be strong enough to protect wild salmon, or if they will be implemented is yet to be seen. However, the real value of the Cohen Inquiry is the information that has come to light during the hearings, including the lack of research being done on the impacts of fish farms on wild salmon as well as the very cozy relationship between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the BC aquaculture industry.  Here are some interesting pieces of information I’ve taken away from the Inquiry:

• Dr. Josh Korman revealed that salmon farms suffer, on average, 30 high-risk fish heath incidences per year among the approximately 60 to 80 farms active at any given time. That is an alarmingly high incidence of diseases diagnosed on salmon farms every year, despite assurances by the industry that their farming practices are sound.
• Marine anemia was found on salmon farms in BC as early as 1988 (referenced in a DFO document from Dr. Michael Kent who was researching Plasmecytoid Leukemia or marine anemia), just before Fraser River sockeye went into sharp decline.
• The Conville Bay site located along the Wild Salmon Narrows migration route had an outbreak of marine anemia in 2006 and those farmed fish were left in their net-cages until after the 2007 sockeye migration reached the farm; these are the same juvenile sockeye that failed to return to the Fraser River to spawn in 2009.
• The “Discovery Island Modeling Progress Report” prepared for Justice Cohen shows that a disease outbreak at the Brent Island salmon farm at the west end of Okisollo Channel in the Wild Salmon Narrows would disperse throughout the channel within a week, potentially spreading the disease to several other farms and to wild salmon.
• The province only audited 5 dead fish per farm, a sample size ridiculously low enough that even if a disease was present on a farm, it could easily go undetected. A scientifically defensible sample size would be 60 or more fish.
• Sixty percent of diagnosis made on dead farmed fish audited by the provincial government (which they were responsible for prior to December 2010) were not definitively diagnosed but rather classified as “open”. As such, they were not included in the provincial fish health audit reports, so the average of 30 high-risk fish health incidences per year could be much, much higher if we actually knew what these fish were dying of. 

Discovery Island Virus Modeling

So many questions!  What are these mysterious diseases on salmon farms that were not being diagnosed? Symptoms in the disease databases include those of Infectious Salmon Anemia virus and marine anemia. Are these undiagnosed disease symptoms on farmed salmon related to the research Dr. Kristi Miller is doing into pre-spawn mortality of Fraser River sockeye? Dr. Miller has until recently been denied access to test farmed salmon for her as yet unidentified pre-spawn mortality virus which has similar symptoms to marine anemia. Interestingly enough, just one week before Dr. Miller took the stand, the BC Salmon Farmers’ Association offered to provide samples of their fish. If the sample fish are eventually provided, will these tests come soon enough to inform the Inquiry? Or will they happen at all as funding to Dr. Miller’s lab has been cut by DFO?

It is clear that there is significant risk to wild salmon from diseases and sea lice from salmon farms. We must find the answers to these many outstanding questions, however the risk to wild salmon is too great to just keep waiting. Under the precautionary principle, net-cage salmon farms should be removed.  We can’t allow the denial tactic of continually planting seeds of doubt to be a reason to do nothing when so much is at stake.

GSA has had standing in the Cohen Inquiry as part of the Conservation Coalition examining the impacts on wild salmon from a number of threats. Right now we are in the process of drafting recommendations to Justice Cohen with our coalition partners, and these recommendations will be available on our website soon (learn how to make your submission here). You can bet they will include that DFO no longer be responsible for both the promotion of salmon aquaculture and the protection of wild salmon, a conflicting mandate. We will also ask that Justice Cohen recommend to Prime Minister Harper that net-cage salmon farms be removed from our oceans. If this industry wants to continue to operate in BC, their only option is closed containment.

A Personal Story to Inspire Change

A Personal Story to Inspire Change

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
Leo Tolstoy

While I have only been with the Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA) for a short time, I have been inspired by what individual people can do and how like minded people can change the way we think and live. At a recent staff meeting, I was truly enlightened by GSA’s mission “to protect and restore the marine environment and promote the sustainability of Georgia Strait, its adjoining waters and communities.” Those who work and volunteer for GSA do so because they believe that they can positively change the way people live, and protect the marine environment in our community. As a summer student, I have personally experienced how advocacy, education, and outreach are useful tools for connecting people with issues around the Georgia Strait and the health of the marine environment.

Having the role of a community outreach coordinator, I am given the opportunity to attend events and festivals in different communities along the Georgia Strait. At these events, I discuss people’s concerns, ideas and things they love about the Georgia Strait, in an effort to connect people and further develop our community map. At these events, I meet people who have been directly impacted by issues that GSA is deeply connected to and concerned with, for example open-net salmon aquaculture.

The negative impacts of open-net salmon farming have been recognizably linked to a variety of serious environmental issues, such as the limited growth and development of wild salmon. Additionally, open-net salmon farming is thought to have an impact on coastal tourism, and the ability of individuals to maintain recreational fishing as a viable business. Recently, I met a person who shared a truly wearisome story about the loss of his business as a recreational fishing guide.

This gentleman, who we will call Garry, expressed his early success as fishing guide and his love of taking people from around the world out on his boat to fish for wild salmon. Garry shared how he and his family built and ran a fishing lodge on one of the small islands north of Nanaimo, and throughout the summer months took tourists to catch wild, native salmon. Currently, however Garry is no longer able to keep his lodge going or continue to work as a recreational fishing guide. Garry attributes the decrease of the recreational fishing industry to the increase in open-net salmon farms and notes that as the number of farms has increased in the Georgia Strait, the number of wild, mature and lice free salmon have become almost impossible to find.

Garry’s story is truly disheartening, but unfortunately is not the only one I have heard. For this reason I want others to look at the big picture regarding open-net salmon farming. Although many see it as a profitable and viable business that supports local economies- ask these two simple questions: What about local businesses that are being displaced by open-net salmon farming and how can open-net salmon farming stay sustainable ? Garry’s story serves as a message for others to protect the marine environment, but also that preserving and maintaining the health of the marine ecosystem is essential in sustaining the livelihoods of various people living along the Georgia Strait.

I hope others will continue to stop and think about where the salmon they are consuming comes from, and make a personal effort to support the campaign for the immediate transition of all open-net salmon farms to a closed-containment system. For further information and to voice your concerns, please add to our community map or visit our website and learn what you can do. Also, to further expand our engagement with those who care and live along the Georgia Strait, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook to add and share your ideas, comments and concerns.

Kelly Sims

Salmon farming industry puts wild salmon at increased risk by reactivating farm along Wild Salmon Narrows migration route

Fifty-five organizations and thousands of concerned citizens have been calling for the removal of five salmon farms along Okisollo and Hoskyn Channels on the north and east side of Quadra Island, a critical Fraser River sockeye migration route. This call was supported by the conclusions of a think tank of scientists who convened at Simon Fraser University in 2009 to discuss the potential causes of the Fraser River sockeye collapse. Included in their recommendations was the experimental removal of salmon farms along Fraser River sockeye migration corridors.

Despite these calls, and the many still unanswered questions concerning the role that fish farms may have played in the 2009 collapse, Marine Harvest has chosen to sublet an inactive site along this very route to Grieg Seafood. Expansion of net-cage salmon farming along a critical Fraser River sockeye migration route during an inquiry into the reason for the sockeye collapse is reckless, given that salmon aquaculture is included in the scope of potential impacts that may have led to the drastic decline. Adding a sixth farm and half a million more farmed salmon to the Wild Salmon Narrows migration route is an irresponsible move that elevates the threat to Fraser River sockeye and many other wild salmon that migrate through this region.

On top of this, last week a new scientific paper was published in PLoS ONE journal. Sea Louse Infection of Juvenile Sockeye Salmon in Relation to Marine Salmon Farms on Canada’s West Coast provides a tangible link between salmon farms and elevated levels of sea lice on juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon. This study further highlights the need to observe the precautionary principle and remove farmed salmon from the path of migrating wild salmon.

Grieg Seafood stocked the previously inactive Conville Bay site with Atlantic salmon being relocated from another fish farm site, a move that can sometimes indicate problems at a farming location. Grieg Seafood and the BC Salmon Farmers Association have ignored our request to explain where these farmed Atlantics were moved from and why, despite their constant reassurances that their industry operates in an open and transparent manner.

Watch the video below and join us in the Wild Salmon Narrows at the reactivated Conville Bay net-cage salmon farm. Also, take action by joining our Spring Cleaning Crew and help us clear this critical migration route before the offspring of the 2009 collapsed Fraser River sockeye arrive at this very location in a few short months.

Join the Wild Salmon Narrows Spring Cleaning Crew.

New year, new look

Now that we’re full on into February, it might seem a bit late to be talking about the beginning of a New Year. But let’s just say I’ve aligned myself with the Chinese New Year – Happy Year of the Rabbit – and we’ll leave it at that!

And really, I needed a bit more time anyway to catch my breath after 2010, especially the last few months. With three 20^th anniversary celebration events in the fall alone, a big win in our legal action to protect the orca, and planning for a busy year ahead – it was a heady and hectic end to a great year!

Looking back, I have to say, it was truly a wonderful experience to have so many of our members and supporters take part in our 20^th Anniversary Celebrations around the region. I experienced a real pleasure in meeting so many of you and hearing stories that covered the breadth of our organization’s existence. It renewed my belief that the work GSA does is deeply important to our supporters, and I look forward to meeting many more of you in the future.

Now enough about 2010 – because so far, 2011 has been off to an excellent start. Our Clean Marine BC Program is now under the new leadership of Lisa Winbourne - we welcome Lisa to GSA! Mike Richards, who wraps up 10 years at the helm of that successful program, is now taking on the challenge of Director of Special Projects, a new position for GSA. We also welcome David Fields, who is joining GSA’s Salmon Aquaculture program team until early June. New faces and new energy are a great way to start the year!

On the campaign front, the New Year has already brought big news, both good and bad. We celebrated Agrimarine and the launch of their first commercial-scale closed containment tank installation, while we decried Fisheries and Oceans Canada for appealing parts of a ground breaking ruling around the protection of our southern resident orcas (two steps forward, one step back!). These two examples are bookends - one looks for new ways of doing things to protect wildlife and promote a healthy economy, while another just keeps doing things the same old way, to the detriment of our environment and a species we all hold dear.

But we prefer to focus on the new energy abounding here at GSA, and in the spirit of ‘something new’, if you've gone to our website, you'll have noticed something new. After many months of passionate discussion, we are very excited to launch our new logo! It’s a fresh look that continues to represent the long-time passion and strengths of GSA: our effectiveness at connecting land and sea, and the ‘caretaker’ responsibility we have for the Strait, just as a mother orca has for her new calf. We hope you like it too!

And last but not least – thanks to all of you who continue to support GSA in our work, with your time and with your hard earned dollars. You have made all our successes in the last 20 years possible. If you aren’t a GSA donor yet, please consider making a donation today and joining one of the most effective groups in BC, and the only one with its eyes on the health of our Strait.

May 2011 be good to you!

For the love of sockeye

Spectators gathering at the Adams River,
October 2010

Last month I had the privilege of witnessing the miraculous abundance of Fraser River sockeye returning this year. The Adams River was a whir of activity as people jostled for the best position to see as the salmon fought the currents and each other for the best mate and place for a spawning redd. Tears welled up frequently as I marveled at the beauty and the miracle of their unlikely return.

I say unlikely return, as these fish came back in greater abundance than has been seen in a whole century, despite all mankind’s greed and ignorance has thrown at them. But the tears also came in frustration, and still do, as I hear the fish farm spin doctors churn out the denial and deflect attention from their impacts on wild salmon. “The sockeye have returned and we haven’t changed a thing, so we couldn’t have caused the collapse of Fraser River sockeye last year,” claims the fish farm industry. “The conservationists are wrong.”

Well, why don’t we start by taking a look at what we do know…

Based on peer reviewed published science, we know that sea lice harm wild pink and chum salmon…in fact we know that a heavy sea lice infection can even kill an adult salmon either directly, or by weakening them to be preyed upon or more susceptible to disease. (For instance, the vice president of Cooke Aquaculture in New Brunswick recently told La Presse they “lost 500,000 fish this year” to sea lice infestation.) The body of scientific evidence also continues to grow; just last month two studies were released on the impacts of sea lice from salmon farms in BC on coho salmon. So how many sea lice does it take to kill a juvenile sockeye? We don’t know, but we do know through genetic analyses that Fraser stocks have been reported to have sea lice in the vicinity of salmon farms in the Wild Salmon Narrows farming region. We also know that fish farms are prone to disease outbreaks as seen in BC, Europe and Chile, despite vaccinations and antibiotic use, with devastating effects.

Fraser sockeye returning to their spawing
grounds

What we don’t know is what the salmon farming industry is hiding when it comes to sea lice and disease on their farms. The salmon farming industry has vehemently resisted the release of these data while claiming that their operations do not have a negative impact on wild fish populations. The Cohen Inquiry into the decline of Fraser River sockeye recently obtained some information from a few farms going back five years (which is yet to be analyzed and also not available to the public), but without access to complete data, no one can adequately assess the impacts and if salmon farms have harmed Fraser sockeye.

It is from this platform of denial and obstruction that the fish farm industry makes baseless and simplistic claims like the one above, attempting to exonerate themselves from any role in the decline of wild salmon while their farms continue to spread sea lice, waste and potentially even disease into our waters.

That’s why we are asking for an emergency migration route for juvenile salmon, a route on the east and north side of Quadra Island in the Wild Salmon Narrows which needs to be cleared by March to increase the chances of survival for next year’s miraculous juvenile salmon. Immediate measures to remove salmon farms from sockeye migration routes was also recommended by a think tank of scientists that gathered at Simon Fraser University in December 2009 to discuss possible causes of the Fraser River sockeye collapse. I’m not holding my breath, since both the provincial and federal governments have done little to protect wild salmon from fish farms so far, and in fact are supporting the industry’s expansion. However, this year’s miracle which is the Fraser River sockeye gives me hope that wild salmon can hold on while we continue gaining ground and working hard to get this industry into closed containment.

Credit: this post was originally published by Michelle at http://blog.farmedanddangerous.org 

Government Not Making it Easy for Concerned Citizens to Weigh in on Wild Salmon Issues

When it rains it pours! This summer has seen a deluge of public comment periods concerning wild salmon in BC. (See the list below.) While this suggests that government wants to hear from us on these issues – many of the people who are most affected by the impacts of fish farms are extremely busy this time of year and unavailable to participate in public consultation processes.

It’s also interesting that the Cohen Commission chose to hold public hearings just as fishermen are able for the first time in years to go out and harvest Fraser River Sockeye and ecotourism season is in full swing. And the rest of us? Well, many of us are out enjoying the summer weather, perhaps on vacation…who wants to be indoors writing submissions and attending meetings?

Forgive me for being a wee bit cynical, but maybe the federal government doesn’t actually want to hear what we have to say on these issues so critical to wild salmon. That’s why it is so urgent for each and every one of us to take part in at least one if not all of these public consultations.

We’ve already heard fish farmers claiming that this year’s anticipated large sockeye runs mean fish farms aren’t a problem, which is of course ridiculous. These Sockeye runs should be even bigger than expected as several dominant runs are returning this year, and while some Fraser River Sockeye runs are doing okay, specific stocks are in dire straits.

So don’t let the summer slide by without weighing in – wild salmon need your voice! Here are the opportunities for participation:

Tell the National Organics Standards Board (CGSB) NO! No organic certification of net-cage farmed salmon.

Get more information on the Farmed and Dangerous website.

Go to the CGSB website to view the standards and submit a comment.

Sign a petition to stop the "organic" labeling of net pen farmed salmon.
Deadline: August 30, 2010.

Tell Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to fulfill their constitutional mandate and implement regulations that will protect wild salmon!

Get more information on the Farmed and Dangerous website.

Go to DFO’s website to view the proposed regulations and submit a comment.
Deadline: September 8, 2010.

Tell Judge Cohen to recommend the permanent removal of all fish farms on Fraser salmon migratory routes to protect wild salmon!

Go to the Cohen Commission website to submit a comment.

Find out when Judge Cohen will be holding public forums in your community, and apply to make a presentation.
Deadline: TBA

Also, make sure to comment on the draft global salmon farming standards recently released by the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue:

Tell the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue (SAD) Not good enough! We need tougher standards to reduce or eliminate the ecological and social impacts of salmon farming.

Get more information on the Farmed and Dangerous website.

Go to the World Wildlife Fund’s website to view the draft standards and submit a comment.

Deadline: October 3, 2010.

The Dying Clam Gardens of Waiatt Bay

For thousands of years, First Nations have relied upon the traditional clam gardens of Waiatt Bay, which contains 40 culturally modified clam beds. In the last few years we've been hearing reports that the clam gardens are dying, so we decided to go see for ourselves. Waiatt Bay is of particular interest as it is in the middle of the Wild Salmon Narrows.  

As we entered Waiatt Bay on the east side of Quadra Island, clam gardens were evident  in every nook and cranny possible, where for thousands of years First Nations worked these sea gardens by rolling the large rocks down to the low tide line in order to improve the habitat for the clams and cockles they harvest. Immediately upon setting foot on shore, the elders went to work digging clams, as their ancestors before them…and hopefully their children after them!  

We took a look at several of the clam gardens, and at first glance the clams seemed healthy. However the beaches were full of whole empty shells, which suggests many had died fairly recently. Butter clams seemed to be most affected, while the deeper little necks appeared fine. 

The elders slowly filled a few buckets until it was time to head back. The clams collected appeared to be healthy and although the abundance of clams at all the sites we visited was greatly reduced from historical levels, they were able to collect enough to look forward to a good clam dinner. As former Homalco Chief Darren Blaney began opening the butter clams harvested on the apparently healthy beaches, he found them all inedible. The clams were not good at all; rather than a nice healthy pink, they were blackened and sickly looking inside.

It’s not clear why these clam gardens are dying, but the Cyrus Rocks open net-cage fish farm only 1.5 km from the mouth of the bay is a prime suspect. This is the same type of impact being witnessed on beaches near fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago. While we await the results of a study being conducted there, perhaps we should be looking more closely at the beaches near the farms in this area as well. 

Learn more about Waiatt Bay, the Wild Salmon Narrows, and the Cyrus Rocks fish farm.

The Get Out Migration Takes to the Wild Salmon Narrows

Much of my time working as a salmon aquaculture campaigner is spent in an office, on the computer or the phone, interspersed with large indoor meetings and presentations. Yesterday was different. Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining the Get Out Migration, an incredible grassroots initiative spawned by scientist Alexandra Morton.

I couldn’t contain my excitement as we left the dock in Campbell River. We were about to join up with the Migration in the Wild Salmon Narrows, a migratory corridor Georgia Strait Alliance has been working to clear of open net-cage salmon farms. Our little crew of three people met up with another half dozen boats as we reached the first three farms packed together at the west end of Okisollo Channel.

A helicopter buzzed overhead as Michelle Nickerson plunged into the freezing water and twice swam the length of Mainstream’s Venture Pt. salmon farm. This was a symbolic gesture for juvenile salmon that are migrating past the lice infested farms at this very moment. People are embracing this journey by land and sea from Sointula to Victoria and celebrating wild salmon in any way they know how; through art, song, community gatherings, filmmaking, blogging, photography, taking to the water and streets, and even swimming past a salmon farm.

But our day wasn’t over, it had only just begun. As we came to the Oksillo rapids, it was clear that this was a day of celebration, as several boats played around in the area’s upwelling nutrient rich water so vital to wild salmon. We then followed Okisollo Channel as it turns south, where we saw the devastation under the Cyrus Rocks farm with an underwater video camera, and the mood became more solemn.

As we moved south through Surge Narrows, spirits once again soared as we joined up with another flotilla, swelling our number of boats to a couple dozen, salmon flags flapping in the wind, horns honking, people cheering for wild salmon, and the helicopter once again recording the excitement from above.

The Get Out Migration has captured the imagination and hearts of communities across Vancouver Island and throughout BC. Yesterday it was evident that the Migration’s tag line, wild salmon are sacred, is at the heart of our west coast culture. Whatever people have in them to give, we are giving it all for wild salmon. We have to, or they will disappear. So stand up and be counted, because if we don’t stand up for wild salmon, no one will.

Filmmaker Twyla Roscovich has produced a video of our day on the water in the Wild Salmon Narrows. Enjoy…



Take urgent action to clear the Wild Salmon Narrows of open net-cage salmon farms!

Everyone Loves Wild Salmon Don't They?

Watch this video on the impacts that open net-cage salmon farming has on wild salmon, the marine environment, and your health.


Learn more about salmon farming impacts and what you can do.

Join Us in the Wild Salmon Narrows

Working as an environmental  campaigner isn’t always as exciting as some might think…countless hours on the computer, in meetings and doing research, often with seemingly little progress. But every once in a while something exciting happens: just last month I got out on the water twice to visit the Wild Salmon Narrows! Join us in this video as we visit the five active open net-cage salmon farms which must be removed to provide one clear migration route for wild salmon through the Wild Salmon Narrows. Discover the wild juvenile salmon that migrate through this region and the threat that these fish farms pose to their survival.



Learn more about our Wild Salmon Narrows Campaign and how you can help clear one migration route for wild salmon.

Wild Salmon Narrows: The People

As part of the Wild Salmon Narrows Campaign to clear a migration route of fish farms in the northern Georgia Strait region, we are listening to people in the area who are directly affected by fish farms. There are five active fish farms in Okisollo Channel, the northern portion of the Wild Salmon Narrows migration route where our first story takes place.

This is Jody's Story...

It's not often you meet someone like Jody Eriksson. Jody calls remote Okisollo Channel his home and has lived in the Discovery Islands his whole life. He drives a boat instead of a car, and has learned pretty much everything he knows from the environment around him.

Ask Jody anything about salmon that migrate through his area and he'll tell you...more than you expect to hear. The majority of juvenile salmon from southern Vancouver Island and the Fraser River pour through the northern Georgia Strait on their way to the open ocean, many of them passing right by Jody's front door. He has observed juvenile salmon migrating north all his life, starting in early spring with the first little pink and chum emerging from local creeks and mainland rivers, followed by juveniles from further south including Fraser River Sockeye.

Jody sampling juvenile salmon in Nodales Channel Photo by Michelle Young

For the past several years in the spring, Jody has been part of the team sampling those same wild juvenile salmon for research on the impacts of sea lice from fish farms. Jody was the one who beach seined the Fraser River sockeye that did not return this year....he should know -before the DNA results were in, he knew they were Fraser River sockeye, and before they returned to spawn he saw many of them wouldn't make it back to the Fraser.

In 2007, Jody sampled the juvenile sockeye that would have been part of this year's return, and found them heavily infected with sea lice. Some of the small fish were infected with as many as 30 sea lice near the farms. When asked about the fact that many of the sea lice found on the sockeye sampled were a non-salmon specific generalist species called Caligus, he replied "Both types of sea lice are found on juvenile salmon migrating past the fish farms, and both types are found on the farmed salmon. Yes, sea lice are natural, but the fish farms break the natural cycle by putting parasite hosting adult salmon right on the migration paths of juvenile salmon when they would otherwise naturally encounter few sea lice. As a result, there are way more sea lice of both kinds on juvenile salmon near the farms than there are before the fish reach the farms."

Open net cage supporters point to the great returns of many pink salmon runs this year as evidence that it couldn't have been the fish farms that caused this year's Fraser River sockeye to collapse. "Nothing could be further from the truth", he says. "In fact you can quote me...the Fraser River Sockeye will almost certainly have a good year next year. Lice levels were down when they went out to sea, and ocean conditions were good for them. They should return in strong numbers just like this year's incredible return of pinks that they migrated out with." Why were these wild juvenile salmon less infected with sea lice then? Many things affect lice levels, such as salinity, timing of sea lice treatment, and stocking status of the farms, like whether they are empty, contain younger fish, or lice-ridden adult fish. "I have no doubt that more wild salmon would be returning if the fish farms weren't there, even in years with strong returns. More farmed salmon in the water means more sea lice means more juvenile wild salmon die."

He's also quick to point out that the drug fish farmers use to try and control their sea lice problems affects crustaceans. "Sea lice are crustaceans and so are prawns, crab and shrimp. Prawn traps come up empty near the farms after they treat with SLICE."

Does Jody think it's a good idea to clear Okisollo and Hoskyn Channels of fish farms in order to protect wild salmon? "We need to get rid of all the open net-cage fish farms, but here is as good a place to start as any, being the first farms that the Fraser River salmon migrate past. Next to go would be Nodales...the juvenile salmon spend lots of time feeding and growing there, and those farms have to treat twice a year because their sea lice are so bad. The water just sloshes back and forth and there are 4 farms in Nodales. Then keep going north..."

Watch Jody in action as he samples juvenile salmon in Lice Infection on Fraser River Sockeye by filmmaker Twyla Roscovich.