On August 24, 2017, a 280-day occupation of salmon farms began in the Broughton Archipelago. 90% of the farms in the Broughton Archipelago were sitting on provincial tenures that were about to expire and First Nations demanded that they not be renewed.
In response, to the uprising the Province of BC initiated a government to government (G2G) process with the nations involved. On June 20, 2018, the date the leases expired, they announced that beginning in 2022 all salmon farms in BC would require agreements with First Nations whose territory they proposed to operate. However, they said they would not make a decision whether or not to renew the 20 expired tenures in the Broughton until September. In September they said they needed 90 more days, and that date has passed November 25th in silence which speaks volumes.
I trust that the indigenous leaders engaged in the G2G are doing everything they can to get Atlantic salmon which are carrying Atlantic viruses out of their territory and I suspect, with very little evidence, that our current BC government is genuinely trying to respect these leaders.
This brings us to the lump under the carpet, the shadowy monster under the bed, the puppet master, that keeps stalling this decision.
The tenures are expired. The union of BC municipalities agree with the Broughton nations, passing a resolution to move salmon farms into closed tanks to protect their economies. 75% of British Columbian's want salmon farms banned from BC waters. So where is the hold up - who wants salmon farms in BC waters?
The federal Minister of Fisheries, currently Jonathon Wilkinson MP for North Vancouver, has been sued 3 times to stop transferring Atlantic salmon into BC waters without screening for the Norwegian blood virus, PRV, and to follow the laws of Canada which prohibit transfer* of infected farm salmon into BC fish farms. I sued DFO on this matter in 2013. I won in 2015. In 2018, I had to sue him again because DFO is ignoring the law and the court and 'Namgis sued him as well.
Marine Harvest says they will be severely impacted if they can't grow PRV-infected fish in their farms.
The Norwegian Salmon Farming industry has caused the federal government of Canada to break its own laws and ignore a federal court ruling so as to allow infected Atlantic salmon into the territories of nations who are suing Canada to stop this dirty practice.
Interestingly, the same scenario is playing out in the industry's mother country, Tromsø, Norway.
The November 26, article titled The hysterical reactions in the aquaculture industry are erratic reports that recently, the city council for the northern city of Tromsø, Norway, adopted a new coastal climate and environmental plan and banned net pen salmon farming. The councilors were aware that this was a controversial decision, however, coastal fisherman of Tromsø have lived on the sea for over 1,000 years and the industry is linked to the disappearance of the cod, shrimp, krill, crabs, lobster and salmon. The local government is committed to protecting the environment for the 75,000 citizens in their city.
Marit Bærøe, Seafood Norway’s northern aquaculture manager, attacked the decision, saying "the city’s politicians were not fully aware of the consequences of their decision"...
Interesting... Consequences to whom?
Similar to BC, Tromsø permits where the farms can operate, while Norway's federal government in Oslo, permits the farms.
Skjalg Fjellheim, points out in his article that the salmon farmers are used to getting what they want, implying the industry's needs typically came before the needs of the local residents until Tromsø.
The Norwegian Minister of Fisheries characterized as "a marketing tool for the industry," a job he reportedly actually held prior to becoming Minister.
Two lawyers working for the industry say that the Tromsø decision was illegal because it violates "political expectation."
When I read this the rubber hit the road, skid marks, full stop! Isn't that exactly what is happening here?
In Norway the industry claims that political expectations should override local governments and that it is illegal to deny them access to the ocean.
Here in Canada the Minister of Fisheries is:
And today I have to ask is the federal government of Canada overriding the long-awaited Provincial decision on the 20 expired salmon farm tenures because the three Norwegian companies operating in BC have political expectation of Canada's Minister of Fisheries?
Stay tuned.
In other news Marine Harvest is spending $50 million changing its name to MOWI hoping to distract millennials from discovering the history behind that piece of farm salmon sashimi.
*(s. 56 Fishery General Regulations)