Get Out Migration Walk Closing In On Goal
By 250 News
Thursday, May 06, 2010 10:07 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Fish Biologist Alexandra Morton is closing in on her goal, reaching Victoria having walked the length of Vancouver Island to spread the word that salmon are sacred.
Morton has been the most vocal force for bringing an end to open net salmon farming. Her walk, which started on April 23rd in Sointula at the north end of Vancouver Island, is called Get Out Migration. “This is a call to action to make government aware that we want wild salmon to take higher priority than farm salmon. Farms belong on land.”
Morton says her walk has been an emotional one. Speaking on the Meisner program on CFISFM this morning, Morton says she is being greeted by hundreds of people “ We are walking to tell people that if they simply stand up and make themselves visible to government, there is no reason we have to lose our wild salmon. But as we walk into towns with our flags flying, brilliant salmon signs, singing “we are walking to Victoria to save our fish,” an entirely unexpected thing is happening. People are coming up to me and holding me - crying. They are speaking about schools without children, independent livelihoods lost, communities dying. This is about much more than fish.”
Morton says she doesn't know if the efforts will ever get through to provincial and federal government but she says, "We are giving it our best try." Morton says initially, she would have been have been satisfied if the fish farms were located somewhere other than on a salmon migration route, "But now, my feeling is, just, get out." She says there are Canadian copmpanies which want to farm salmon at operations established on land, but she says the Provincial government won't discuss those plans. She says such operations would pick up the jobs lost from aquaculture. She says once the aqua culture farms are gone, the focus can be put back on reviving the wild salmon stocks " We as biologists know what these fish need. If we work with these fish rather than against them, I think we would be surprised. Alaska is having record runs, Western Pacific is having huge runs, you can't have all the Fraser River Salmon running through these farms where we know there is disease as well as sea lice."
Morton’s walk will culminate with a 4 p.m rally at the B.C. Legislature on Saturday.
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Posted by: gamblor on May 6 2010 11:37 AM
“They take 60 to 70 chum fry, per minute, per seal,” he says. “They eat the young fish like popcorn.”
"Mr. Olesiuk’s latest coast-wide census, to be released this week, shows B.C.’s seal and sea lion populations are at historic high levels."
"There are an estimated 105,000 harbour seals on the coast – up from about 10,000 in the early 1970s – and 28,000 Steller’s sea lions, the highest number since the early 1900s."
"In Scotland, a study found that taking a single seal out of the Moriston River increased the sports salmon catch by 17 per cent. On other rivers, removing seals had varying results, with salmon catches increasing from less than 1 per cent to more than 33 per cent."
"He favours a seal cull, but added: “It’s pointless to kill seals if you don’t address the other problems, too. I think salmon farms and hydro projects do more damage.” Notice he thinks, is that science? Morton's studies do not stand up to peer review. At one time she said all west coast salmon are affected by salmon farms but seeing that is not panning out she is narrowing it down to the Fraser. She is running out of wiggle room that is why she is getting more vocal.