Alex’s Plan to Help Save Wild Salmon

In the case of wild salmon versus farmed salmon some things are abundantly clear.  The damage has already been done.  Talk will not change current conditions. The needs of indigenous people are still being ignored.  Legal agreements are still being ignored.  Fraser River salmon populations are not just declining, they are in free fall.  More talk in recommendations wisely presented does nothing to prevent the continued loss of fish and as long as the combatants continue to use words in place of action, nothing much will change except the salmon, their populations will continue to diminish.

Alexandra Morton’s Migration did focus media attention. The actions of many caring citizens when coordinated, also rated media attention. Thank you Alexandra!

The larger national papers tended to ignore A Morton’s efforts, the plight of the Fraser River sockeye and the large numbers of First Nations directly affected by winter food loss when the salmon failed to appear.  Immediate action by the government agencies  does not appear to be forthcoming.

So, have we missed the boat?

The salmon smolts are right now heading out to sea from the short coastal streams.  The long rivers like the Fraser, Skeena and Naas flush their interior waters full of smolts in their spring high water near the end of May and most of June.  These young fish from the Fraser mostly swim through the Broughton Archipelago and have to run the gauntlet of the open net farms.  Sadly, their numbers are thinned by 80%, leaving only 20% to swim free in the unpolluted sea.  The open net farms dispense toxic waste directly into the tidal flow.  The bright under water lights attract large numbers of wild fish to swim under the open nets and are eaten by the farmed Atlantic salmon.  Sea lice drop onto the smolts and further decimate their numbers.  The foreign-owned farm operators continue their operations secure in the legal positions held by DFO and BC Fisheries which allows them to perpetrate this destruction of our wild salmon as necessary collateral damage to the environment which must be borne for the sake of commercial growth.

Is this the end?  Is there no way to bring these destructive foreign fish farmers to account?

Actually, there is.  Below is a letter I received from Alexandra Morton, shown here in its entirety.

“Hello
Once again it is up to us.
The Get Out Migration was a powerful and wildly successful effort.  People in every town we passed through and on the road volunteered their time and expertise and the result is emergence of the people of the salmon, people who are strong, independent and understand the contribution of salmon in our lives, our future and our economy. The First Nation voice set the tone and eloquence – uniting, legendary and welcoming.  People of all ages walked side-by-side to ensure a future where our children can thrive.   We shut down one lane of highway 17 and the police kindly let us walk without traffic lights along Quadra and Government Streets. The Parliament lawns reportedly hold 20,000 people and looking out over the sea of people less than 1/3 of the lawn was visible.

And yet BC’s two biggest newspapers mention there were only —- “nearly 1000 people”.  This is so wrong in so many ways.

(“Sea of people marches to fight fish farms” (The Times Colonist, 9th May): http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/people+marches+fight+fish+farms/3006060/story.html)

There is no mention of our First Nation families and friends and the number of people was five to ten times lower than reality. You can see video blogs of the Get Out Migration at salmonaresacred.org

Those of us who were at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria on May 8 saw who we are and that we exist,  a powerful, peaceful, huge community of people!   As we walked down the highway thousands more honked, waved, gave us a thumbs up, leaned out the windows cheering! Musicians played for us from the mountains to the sea. I believe we are a majority, but with the stroke of a pen thousands of us were deleted, so that the rest of Canada and the world do not know we exist.

The power of one is all we have BUT WE ALL HAVE IT!  If we use it, we will get to keep our fish, our communities and our way of life.  The great walk for wild salmon was peaceful, powerful, fun and it is clearly not over.  Each us must do what we can to impress on government that they work for us and that we simply demand the opportunity to thrive, that we want our generous fish, the salmon. There are no losers here if you remove the European shareholders in the salmon farm companies from this equation. Land-based aquaculture exists, is feasible and is being done by British Columbia, there could be jobs in it if government supported it.  There is no reason we need to beg for low paying jobs, raising fish we cannot touch, when we could have millions of salmon returning to us!

Here are some ideas:

Please reply and tell me if your First Nation, town, society, business, etc. supports the removal of fish farms from the ocean.  I and others will do what we can to make you visible!

Write to the Times Colonist editor and tell them how many people you saw: letters@tc.canwest.com

Write your MP to Get salmon farms out of our oceans: http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E

Write your MLA to support BC land-based aquaculture and to buy back the salmon farm ocean leases: http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-7.htm

Write to MP Fin Donnelly to say you support his bill to remove salmon farms from the ocean: http://www.findonnelly.ca/

Write to Stephen Harper and tell him its time for a BC Fisheries Minister FYI John Duncan supports salmon farming, personally I have found John Cummins the best informed about our fish: pm@pm.gc.ca

Other notices:

We have some Get Out Migration and Salmon are Sacred T shirts left if you want one go to the donations button 1/2 way down the home page at salmonaresacred.org. Make a $25 donation and in the “message space” give your size and whether you want the Black or White shirts. Make sure you fill in your address.  For the Back Bone of the Coast shirts go to http://www.oceanaura.com/magento/index.php/clothing

In answer to all the folks wanting to purchase my books go to alexadramorton.ca

If you do not want to be part of this community of voices write UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject Line

Salmon Are Sacred and we do exist!

Alexandra Morton”