Today, was the first day on the campaign trail for VoteSalmon.ca. I am going door-to-door to ask candidates in the federal election about their position on taking a stand to protect wild salmon by removing the salmon feedlots from BC waters. I am posting their answers at votesalmon.ca
Leona Adams of Campbell River set up an all-candidates opportunity in Spirit Square to hear their position. People traveled from Courtenay with 100 beautiful flags handmade with lino cut salmon designs on them. Sixty people showed up in the chilling wind. Daren Blaney of the Homalco was the MC and Daisy an elder Homalco led us in a blessing.
Sue Moen of the Green Party spoke eloquently about the need to protect wild salmon, move the industry into tanks and give local people access to local resources. She would like to see aquaculture farm lower on the food chain and not raise carnivores.
Ronna-Rae Leonard said the science does not support open net fish farms as sustainable, but she expressed that the workers in the industry need to be considered and supports land-based aquaculture. She wants to see a more local decision – making.
Although we were across the street from Conservative, John Duncan’s office and they had said they would send someone over to speak, they did not come to the stage. This surprised me. In the past John Duncan has been supportive of salmon farming. I thought he would have taken this opportunity to say this but he did not.
Next we went to the all candidates meeting in Courtenay. There Mike Holland of the Liberals joined Sue Moen and Ronna-Rae Leonard. John Duncan was a no show again. People called him “the invisible man.” In answer to my question about reforming the federal fisheries and removing salmon farms from BC waters, Holland said the science was not in.
It is my opinion that there is enough science here in BC and around the world to exercise the precautionary principle and get the farm fish away from the wild fish and out of the water into tanks.
Anissa Reed brought a salmon mask onto the stage that she has named “Kristi” for the DFO scientist Kristi Miller who found that the majority of Fraser sockeye appear to have a virus. Dr. Miller is not allowed to speak to the people and this salmon bears her name in support.
Next we went to meet Zeni Maartman, NDP candidate for Nanaimo. I loved Zeni’s energy and long history of serving the people of Nanaimo region. She very clearly understood the importance of wild salmon and that the future of aquaculture in British Columbia is in closed tanks.
