Bigger buffer zone for orcas, but not in Canada

Washington State signed new legislation that requires boats to keep 914 metres from orcas, more than doubling the current requirement, beginning in January 2025. Unfortunately, Canada isn’t following suit. Originally published in PostMedia’s The Province on May 18. Endangered southern resident orcas are on the verge of getting a lot more space, but not if … Continue reading

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Your wastewater is polluting the Salish Sea

“MY wastewater?!?”, you might be thinking. It’s true. Anything that runs down the drains of your sinks, showers, washing machines, dishwashers and toilets becomes wastewater. Personal and industrial use of items that contain complex, and sometimes harmful, chemicals means that wastewater contains a myriad of compounds including plastics, heavy metals, nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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Let’s talk about it – but let’s act on it too

In the week since the federal government announced that it was calling a judicial inquiry into the collapse of our Fraser sockeye stocks, there has been a lot of talk about what this really means and indeed, that it is a conversation well worth having. I’ll admit that my first reaction to the announcement was … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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