[Marxism] Native bands target province's salmon farms

[Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby@xxxxxxxxx>]

Native bands target province's salmon farms

By MARK HUME

Thursday, September 29, 2005 Page S3

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050929/BCFISH29/TPNational/Canada


VANCOUVER -- Concerned about the environmental impacts of salmon farms
and frustrated by a lack of consultation with the B.C. government,
natives have begun talking about a possible boycott of the 2010 Winter
Olympics.

"There are other things that are of concern but fish farms are a big
issue," Eric Joseph, chairman of the Tsawataineuk Band Council, said
yesterday after a news conference at which several groups called for
changes to salmon farms.

William Cranmer, chief of Namgis First Nation, said talk of an Olympic
boycott has been growing, despite a recent announcement by the
provincial government that it is pursuing a new relationship with natives.

"We hear a lot about the new relationship but we don't see the proof
yet," said Mr. Cranmer, whose organization has been objecting to fish
farms for 18 years.

"The government hasn't consulted with us about fish farms. We have more
salmon farms in our area than any other place on the coast and the first
time we ever hear about a new one is when the government sends us the
paper [approving it]."

Chief Bob Chamberlin, of the Kwicksutaineuk/Ah-kwa-mish First Nation,
said the latest concern among his and other bands in the Broughton
Archipelago, which has 31 salmon farms, is that the government is going
to increase the size of fish farms.

The archipelago is a group of islands north of Johnstone Strait, off the
northeast coast of Vancouver Island.

"They want to increase the square footage and increase the tonnage [of
salmon production] and pretend that that isn't an increase in fish
farming," said Mr. Chamberlin, who called for a moratorium on new
development and talks with government about changing existing farms.

The three chiefs, who said they are worried about the impact farms have
on wild salmon stocks, on clam beds and on ground fish, attended a news
conference to show support for groups protesting the way fish farms
operate in the archipelago.

The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform, the Living Oceans Society,
the BC Wilderness Tourism Association and the United Fishermen and
Allied Workers' Union, all said penned Atlantic salmon are spreading sea
lice to young wild, pink salmon, causing populations to collapse.

They called for salmon farms along key migration routes to be fallowed
in the spring, when young fish leave spawning streams to head out to
sea. Many farms are clustered in narrow sea inlets and it is impossible
for wild fish to migrate past without coming into contact with the
penned salmon.

"We must prevent the destruction of these [wild] fish," said Alexandra
Morton, of the Vancouver-based CAAC.

But Ian Roberts, president of Campbell River-based Positive Aquaculture
Awareness, said Ms. Morton and her colleagues have faulty data. Using
Department of Fisheries and Oceans stock assessment reports, Mr. Roberts
pointed out that some rivers in the area are experiencing improved runs
of pink salmon this fall.

Mr. Roberts accused Ms. Morton of "baseless fear mongering."

He said the fish farming industry might be prepared to fallow some
farms, at some times of the year, but widespread shutdowns could
seriously damage the industry. "If it's achievable it's something we'd
be interested in working on with them, but not if they are basically
asking to eradicate farms," Mr. Roberts said.

Brian Riddell, a scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
said data on spawning pink salmon have not been completely collected
yet, but some of the salmon rivers in the archipelago are experiencing
very poor returns, while others are above average. "It's very mixed.
It's not fair to say [salmon stocks] are collapsing," Mr. Riddell said.

He said pink salmon runs elsewhere in British Columbia, where fish farms
aren't at issue, are also experiencing mixed returns. The Fraser River,
for example, was expected to have a large run of fish, but the salmon
haven't showed up yet.

But the three chiefs all said they are convinced that fish farms are
causing problems in their area.

--
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
   --Bertholt Brecht.


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