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[chris gadsden]

From the CBC

Salmon farming spawns aboriginal lawsuit against B.C. government
 
A Northern Vancouver Island First Nation is preparing a class-action lawsuit against the B.C. government, alleging nearby salmon farms are harming wild salmon stocks.

The Alert Bay natives will release details of the planned class-action lawsuit Wednesday at a press conference in Vancouver.

First Nations and environmental groups have long complained that waste from the farms is dangerous to wild stock, and that farmed salmon spread disease and contribute to higher concentrations of sea lice.

A spokeswoman for the B.C. Agriculture and Lands Ministry, which is responsible for aquaculture in British Columbia, said the government is aware of the legal action but isn't prepared to make an immediate comment.

The natives said the legal action will be the first class-action lawsuit in Canada launched to protect aboriginal treaty rights.

There are 29 salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago near Alert Bay, and the natives believe the farms have contributed to a drastic decline in wild salmon stocks

[Fish Assassin]

Good for them. Hope they succeed.

[searun17]

yes it is good to see the alert bay first nations taking the goverment and fish farms to court ,i hope they do succeed in the cause for the betterment of the resource.
one thing i do worry about here though is hopefully the first nations group intends  to go the distance with this and not let the government and big busuness pay them off out of court to just go away.

[chris gadsden]

Another article



Aboriginal people in the Broughton Archipelago off northeastern Vancouver Island say they will file a class-action lawsuit against the B.C. government for damages caused by salmon farming to wild stocks.

“This is not something we’ve done lightly,” Chief Bob Chamberlain of the Kwicksutaineuk Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation said in an interview Monday. “It’s such a crucial struggle for our people.”

Chamberlain said the class-action suit will involve a total of eight first nations concerned about the detrimental impact of open-net salmon farming on their stocks.

The salmon-farming industry has been the subject of long-standing concerns related to issues such as transmission of sea lice and disease to wild stocks, as well as pollution, and the escape of non-native Atlantic salmon to the wild.

Asked if natives are seeking financial compensation in the legal action, Chamberlain said: “This isn’t monetary-driven. If that was the case, we’d be involved in the industry. We’re looking at safeguarding our wild salmon as our starting point and our end point. We don’t think that’s been the focus here.”

News of the class-action lawsuit comes only days before the imminent release of a report on sea lice by the Pacific Salmon Forum, a body appointed by the provincial government.

Release of the forum’s report has been delayed out of respect for the death Jan. 20 of Stan Hagen, the minister of agriculture and lands, who had responsibility for aquaculture.

The natives said in a news release Monday they will host a news conference Wednesday in Vancouver to release details of the “class-action law suit against the British Columbia government to address the impacts of salmon farms on wild salmon in their territory.”

lpynn@vancouversun.com

[Athezone]

Fabulous news! This issue really needs to be brought out in the open because most mainstream people are not aware as to what is really happening to our salmon stocks. Exposure in the newspapers and hopefully on tv in a big way will go a long way toward letting people know about the stupidity of fish farming. I really hate to use the word farming, it should be fish breeding or fish growing plant.
When I think of farming my image is of huge rolling fields of wheat and corn with people working with soil and rocks who take pride in
providing a daily bounty. But with fish growing it seems like it is all about money. Sorry. I may be wrong but thats the way I feel. and if I knew that I was going to work everyday and doing something that may harm and hurt the world we live in I don't think I could do that. I don't know how anyone could do that.

[hotrod]

It will be the natives who will succeed on getting rid of the fish farms forever!  I guarantee that!


          Hotrod

[Eagleye]

This is great news. Good on the Chief and his people for putting salmon ahead of monetary gain.

[SnaggedADuck]

Great news and I want them to succeed, I just hope it isn't tied up in courts too long.

[Morty]

Good Eye Chris !  - Thanks for letting us all know.

He guys & gals, lets not let this just slip by as daily good news.  Please lever off this and tell your: friends, neighbours, and co-workers.

This is not totally easy for the First Nations up there to do.  Some of the First Nations people make an income whether directly or indirectly from providing services to those farms.   It's a tough time for them.  The salmon runs are so depleted that they cannot make money from fishing, guiding, or Eco tours and they've been left little option that do at least some work for the farms.

We cannot continue to assume someone else is going to fight this war for us.  We've lost all the skirmishes so far and have fallen all the way back as far as they can push us.  It's time to stand up for what you believe and make a difference for future generations.

Rec. Fishers - Guides - and First Nations can either all lose, or all benefit from working together on this.

[bentrod]

Good news.  Hopefully they go for a second lawsuit and nail the BC govt. for gravel mining in the Fraser Valley watershed.

[chris gadsden]

Good news.  Hopefully they go for a second lawsuit and nail the BC govt. for gravel mining in the Fraser Valley watershed.

The problems is the government has got some local bands in bed with them so they can get away with it.

[Morty]

There is more to the gravel issue than is being discussed here.  The reality is that the Fraser River is about the only source for that quality of mixed aggregate anywhere in the Lower Mainland.  Some local municipalities are having to barge in aggregate from the Gulf Islands.  Port Coquitlam is an example.  They have had to go as far as build a dock on the Fraser River to offload the barges coming from the Straight.

If we think about it a bit - the Fraser gravel extractions would only be the "money grab" that some are calling it IF there was actually a shortage and the price was high.  Why else would they go to all that effort, building causeways, taking them out,.....   just so they can kill fish?  We need to stop and use a bit of logic sometimes.

If we can put TV cameras on Mars - we should be able to figure out how to get the gravel out with minimal habitat damage.

This isn't coming from a government nor construction position - I'm a Mortgage Broker by trade.
Rick

(P.S. rate are really good now.)

[bentrod]

I know the story.  And I know it's not about quality gravel.  It's about easy gravel and having a convenient excuse to get it.  The gravel comes from up stream in places that might be more difficult to get at.  They might have to cross private/tribal lands, they'd have to excavate into hillsides and be more visible.  We went down this road a long time ago in the states and now we cannot do it again.  I'm not saying we're perfect.  There's still some dredging going on in the columbia, but in the name of keeping it deep enough for barges.  This still doesn't go through without a fight.  At any given time, the States and Federal government has a large number of lawsuits trying to halt projects. Some are successful and some are not.  At least it's a legal challenge that forces someone to answer to the courts.   

[eddy]

If anyone can succeed it is the FN.
Wish them all good success and if the rec-fishers can be of any help, let's do all that we can.
Good luck!