Dear Member of Parliament Shea:
I have written you repeatedly asking that you protect the North Pacific from the Norwegian Virus ISA (Infectious Salmon Anemia) by closing the border to Atlantic salmon eggs. My letters are posted on my blog:
April 11, 2011
March 30, 2011
March 6, 2011
Feb. 3, 2011
Sept 17, 2011
May 31, 2010
Nov. 30, 2009
Sept. 8, 2009
You refused and over 1,000,000 Atlantic salmon eggs came into BC on your watch. If ISA virus is now in BC waters, I see you as personally responsible because as Minister of Fisheries you alone had the power to stop it. When the North Atlantic cod died of DFO policy no one was held accountable for ignoring DFO scientist Ransom Myers who did his best to prevent the cod collapse and humanity lost one of its biggest food supplies. Because not one person in DFO was held accountable for this, it makes it easier for people in your position to only hear what is good for you. This is wrong and has to stop or else the world is going to lose one essential fishery after the next.
Because your party leader renamed the Canadian Government, the "Harper Government," it gives the impression that your government is managing Harper's interests, not Canadian interests, and I am concerned that wild salmon may not be among Harper's interests.
I can see it is difficult to manage the commons, because the commons tend to be under-represented in Ottawa. We do not have huge budgets for lobbyists and advertising, we do not even have access to meet with you even though we pay your salary. This is a centuries old problem with consistent result called "tragedy of the commons". What you need to consider is that your family and mine are equally negatively impacted by destruction of earth's generous life-systems. We are all on this small rock hurtling through space together, there is no place any can escape the reckless rampage of our society. Whenever you travel to BC you are breathing air made by trees fed by salmon. It is essential that people in your position recognize the true power-lines that sustain life on earth. It may be difficult for you to stand up for the people's salmon in the face of the more convenient corporate salmon that need no rivers, but I appeal to you to find the strength to do so.
The Norwegians looked at BC and saw the perfect place to grow salmon. Why can't you see this? The eastern Pacific is a magnificent powerful system that grows millions of salmon for free to the benefit of all of Canada and the world. That you would give these life -sustaining ocean currents to three companies to flush manure from Atlantic salmon raised in cages with NO TRESPASSING signs them, feeding them fish from Chile, using enormous amounts of fuel and risking all with disease is hard to fathom, silly and not sustainable.
If you, Gail Shea, have allowed a deadly fish virus into the North Pacific, in service of these companies, by ignoring the science and impact in Chile, your situation will be a little different from the Minister who presided over the cod collapse. This time we have brought the evidence to you that ISA virus does travel and has traveled in Atlantic salmon eggs and has had catastrophic impact wherever it appears. Your political party now has the majority, you can do as you like - will you protect wild salmon from the Norwegian salmon feedlots or not?
Alexandra Morton