Last week, the We Wai Kai and We Wai Kum Nations announced a decision that they no longer approve the fish farm tenure in their territory — long-standing MOWI Atlantic salmon farms in Campbell River. The news came after more than 1000 farmed fish escaped from the company’s Shaw Point facility in Johnstone Strait.
From the release:
“The escape of Atlantic salmon, the delay in notifying the Nations about the escape, and the ongoing concerns about the impacts of sea lice on juvenile migrating salmon has brought this issue to a head. ‘The system is broken’, said Chief Assu. ‘We cannot stand by and wait for BC to implement the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or for DFO to protect our vital resource. Our Nations have a right to wild salmon and the right to make decisions about how our territory is used. We will exercise that right, starting with the site at Shaw Point.”
It’s time for Fisheries and Oceans Canada to get #FishFarmsOut!
