The Pacific salmon collapse and fish farm frustration!

Jan 24, 2018 | Blog, Governance | 8 comments

Sonia and I have been trying to visit the fish farms in the ‘Namgis territory since early November. The Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw first nations have been publicly opposed to open net fish farms for the past 30 years. Recently, their fight has become very public.

Broken promises and betrayal…

We travelled into the territory to tour the fish farm sites, meet with leadership, community members and to learn more about the issues. It is clear, their frustration is growing!

The ‘Namgis are clear, they support land-based, closed containment aquaculture. They are opposed to the pollution destroying their traditional food sources and the diseases infecting wild salmon produced by farming Atlantic salmon, a foreign invasive species, in the open net pens littering the Broughton Archipelago. They are angry that the government has broken promises and they feel betrayed.

As it stands right now, the multinational corporations that run the farms are using our environment as a waste dump. Whether it is the feces from hundreds of thousands of fish packed into nets or the blood water piped directly from the processing plants into the ocean, these operations have a tremendous negative impact on our environment.

“What they see on the water is shocking!”

The most heartbreaking stories came from the fishermen and women. The clearest indication to me that this has little to do with “jobs” is that the commercial fisher people have been replaced. According to one Elder and skipper, they have experienced the steady decline of the wild Pacific salmon over decades, but in recent years the wild stocks have “fallen off a cliff.” With devastatingly low numbers of salmon returning to “The River” (Nimpkish), the tragedy our generation is facing is the end an ancient relationship between the human and salmon.

It is not just “The River” that is experiencing a collapse. Every creek and stream in their territory is failing. What captured my attention was the description of their once glorious relationship with the “salmon people,” it mirrored the words used by my Saanich relatives, and many other Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia. In the end, what they see on the water is shocking!

“We have to do better!”

There is very little about this story that is okay. The lack of urgency from the provincial and federal government is unacceptable. British Columbians, Indigenous or not, have a special connection with the Pacific salmon. We want better. As a member of the Legislature, we have to do better!

In June, the provincial water lot licenses for the fish farms in the Broughton will expire. It is clear, the fish farms operators do not have consent of the Indigenous people to be in the Broughton, and it appears they have not built relationships, other than by serving up court cases. As a result, the province is in a position to finally remove them from open water and get them on land.

That is just one part of reversing course. It is time our government take the collapse of the Pacific salmon far more seriously and take action! It is not enough to accept defeat and replace wild salmon with farmed salmon, we must stop devastating entire watersheds with unsustainable land use practices and invest in habitat restoration.

I am grateful for the stories of the Musgamagw, their commitment and love for the future of our province. This is just a very brief summary tipping our hat to the wonderful people we met, I raise my hands to Ernest and Nic who organized an amazing whirlwind visit. I am honoured to meet and hear from so many beautiful and passionate Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw people. They don’t just stand for themselves, they stand for all British Columbians.

There will be much more from Sonia and I on this important subject when the legislature reopens in February. Stay tuned!

Let me know what you think about open net fish farms. Leave a comment below or send me an email at Adam.Olsen.MLA@leg.bc.ca.

Photos courtesy Alex Harris.

8 Comments

  1. Dianne Varga

    Great post. First Nations have been asking for 30 years to have these fish farms removed from open waters. Only in recent years, primarily through the work of scientist Alexandra Morton, have we learned the risks of these. Fish farming must end, and end now.

  2. marcelle Roy

    In my opinion fish farms should never have been allowed in our ocean and especially not in migration routes. Millions of taxpayers $$ was spent on the Cohen Commission and none of the recommendations have been implemented. That is a disgrace! Please do not renew any licenses. Time for these foreign fish farms to close up shop and go back home. Ensuring that we uphold First Nations rights is paramount as is ensuring the survival of wild salmon and all species (including us) that depend on that food source for survival.
    Thank you Adam & Sonia for being our voice on this issue.

    • Adam Olsen

      Thank you Marcelle!

  3. Isabel Bliss

    I agree with the need to close these fish farms down as soon as possible as they are unnatural, harmful and causing pollution. We need to do everything we can to help our Pacific salmon species stay healthy, and to keep our water free of lice and other infections. Thank you for taking a stand against the fish farms, Adam and team.

    • Adam Olsen

      Thank you Isabel. We will continue to stand up for wild Pacific salmon!

  4. Jennifer dyck

    Judge Cohen outlawed ocean fish farms many years ago but No enforcment happened plus licences were renewed by govt against supreme court written orders along with more criminal acts. It seems the current BC & Canadian govt want to patronize or stonewall reconciliation by saying racist atrocities have been allowed for 100 years therefore excusing politicians (Horg & Justicen) who admit they are in no hurry to relinquish bondage or respect the rights of indigenous people. Whats the rush? Todays collapse of west coast salmon on the brink of extinction of whales is one deadly rush screaming out, along with heaps of related issues demanding a breakthrough for obvious freedoms! You got to let go.

  5. Jennifer Maltpy

    Mr. Olsen, I think you are a confused Green with a short memory. Aquaculture (salmon) on the West coast is a response to the overfishing we witnessed mid-last century. How soon we forget. Whether it’s enhancement, farming, or ranching, it’s not just economy and food, but a conservation tool as well. I think the Green Party should support aquaculture, as a very green response to the very real risk of killing our last wild salmon with a hook or net.

    And for you to encourage First Nation people to partake in illegal activities, rather than participate in the consultative process that is their constitutional right, is not becoming of an elected representative of BC. You should strive to be better.

    • Adam Olsen

      Hello Jennifer,
      Thank you for your comment. There is so much more to this than over-fishing. Habitat destruction of fish bearing streams and rivers virtually every watershed. We do support aquaculture. We stand with the ‘Namgis and support land based, closed containment aquaculture. With respect to First Nations issues. I do not ever encourage anyone to partake in illegal activities. There are many unresolved issues with Indigenous rights that the provincial government must take very seriously and not ignore.
      I, and my BC Green Caucus colleagues, are always striving to be better.
      All the best,
      Adam

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