Canada’s Oldest First Nation’s Newspaper - Serving Nuu-chah-nulth-aht since 1974 Canadian Publications Mail Product haas^i>sa “ Interesting News” Vol. 31 - No. 17 - August 26, 2004 Sales Agreement No. 40047776
Tla-o-qui-aht works with Clayoquot salmon farm By David Wiwchar Southern Region Reporter Tofino - Tla-o-qui-aht councilor Elmer Frank looks out over a series of large net pens in Clayoquot Sound. “Two years ago, when Creative Salmon’s lease came up for renewal, we told them to pack up and get out of our traditional territory,” said Frank. “But after sitting down with them and seeing what they actually do, we changed our perspective a bit,” he said.
“Two years ago, when Creative Salmon’s lease came up for renewal, we told them to pack up and get out of our traditional territory,” said Frank. “But after sitting down with them and seeing what they actually do, we changed our perspective a bit.” Creative Salmon is working towards organic certification for the indigenous Chinook salmon it raises in six farms in Clayoquot Sound. Owned by a consortium of Japanese and Canadian investors, Creative Salmon prides itself on the fact it hasn’t used any antibiotics in 2 1/2 years, and fallows their farms for a longer period of time in an attempt to reduce its impact on the creatures living on the seafloor underneath their net pens. According to Creative Salmon’s General Manager Spencer Evans, the company’s philosophy is to put fewer fish in the net pens, thereby reducing problems with disease, mortalities, escapes, and waste.
Creative Salmon is working towards organic certification for the indigenous Chinook salmon it raises in six farms in Clayoquot Sound. “Most escapes are caused by predator attacks, and since predators are less likely to attack a pen with lower fish densities, we haven’t had any problems,” said Evans, adding their only loss occurred more than three years ago when they lost 3000 salmon due to a sea lion attack. “If there is a loss, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Chinook runs in this area are extremely low,” he said. Their salmon are only three generations
removed from being wild, and escaped farmed Chinook could help flagging local runs in Clayoquot Sound, he said. “Dismissing the impact of escapes in such a cavalier fashion contributes to real irritation and a growing lack of confidence the public has in salmon farming,” said Lynn Hunter, BC Coordinator of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR). “Escapes are most frequently caused by human error, not predator attacks. An escape of farmed chinook salmon in an area where wild Chinook runs are low could be disastrous. Farmed domestic fish are genetic pollutants, which pass along genetic traits, which diminish the viability of wild fish. Until Creative Salmon and other companies convert their operations to closed containment facilities, there is no way they can claim their industry is sustainable,” she said. Broodstock for the farmed Chinook comes from the Robertson Creek and Big Qualicum hatcheries, and feed for the 220,000 salmon at each of their four active sites is made from fishmeal from the roe herring fishery.
Although the Chinook fry are vaccinated before being placed in the net pens, Evans proudly boasts their fish have not needed antibiotics for 2 1/2 years. According to Evans, the feed only comes from sustainable sources, and from fish products that would not be directly consumed by humans, even when local sources dry up and feed has to be brought in from South America. Although the Chinook fry are vaccinated before being placed in the net pens, Evans proudly boasts their fish have not needed antibiotics for 2 1/2 years. According to Evans, Chinook salmon have a natural immunity to IHN, so while salmon farms raising Atlantic salmon in Clayoquot Sound have been devastated by IHN outbreaks, Creative Salmon hasn’t suffered any losses or had any problems with the naturally occurring disease. “It’s an ease on people’s minds that no antibiotics have been used since 2001,” said Elmer Frank. “Creative Salmon’s work towards organic certification certainly is a plus for us, but we do need to know more about how it works,” he
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Yuquot Summerfest ................................................ Page 3 Mowachaht/Muchalaht protects Tsu-xiit ............ Page 4 Chiefs reject decision to drop case ....................... Page 5 ADR process draws fire ......................................... Page 7 Sports News ............................................................. Page 8 NEDC Business News ............................................ Page 16
Simon Read, Shannon Turner, Jeannette Watts, Helen Dick, Joan Shanks, Lisa Sam, Barb Flynn, Mary Rimmington, Lynn West, Ina Seitcher, Liz Thomsen, Bev Robson, Matilda Watts, Penny Cowan, Mary McKeogh, Jody Vos, Moira Havelka and Chris Curley.
NTC Nurses receive provincial award By Shannon Turner President, PHABC The Nuu-chah-nulth Community Health Nursing Program is the 2003 recipient of the Phyllis M. Baird Memorial Award. The Baird Award is given to a Community Health Nurse practicing in a rural area of BC who demonstrates integrity, leadership and excellence in practice. The award, which comes with a $250 prize, is meant to facilitate continuing education in his or her chosen field. Our statement at the Annual General Meeting regarding this award read as follows: To the Nuu-chah-nulth Nursing Team (NTC) of Central Vancouver Island for their work in supporting community capacity, advocating for social justice, mentoring others and promoting involvement of community members in public health programs. In the nursing framework this team has developed, the nurse thinks of herself as a partner with the community members and staff; NTC nurses support the community to identify and access their resources.
NTC members are also uniquely involved in advocating for families and communities in terms of environmental, economic, education and other influences in the health and social realms. Their results have met with success: there have been significant reductions in suicides, teen pregnancies and infant mortality in these communities. The Public Health Association of BC is a voluntary, non-profit, nongovernmental organization that promotes and protects the public’s health by actively working to: * Encourage the development and implementation of healthful public policy * Facilitate the sharing of health and related information * Encourage research into the broad issues that affect the public's health * Co-operate regionally, nationally and internationally with other organizations to promote the public's health * Encourage governments to provide sufficient resources for disease
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