Tag Archives: DFO

Rivers & Oceans

Fish fight over West Coast licences and quota resurfaces at federal committee

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A parliamentary committee investigating whether corporations and foreign owners have a stranglehold on Canadian fisheries is experiencing a serious case of deja vu. 

Witnesses speaking about the dire straits faced by commercial fish harvesters and coastal communities on the West Coast are raising the same issues first presented to the Standing Committee of Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) starting in 2018. 

Continue reading Fish fight over West Coast licences and quota resurfaces at federal committee →
Indigenous Nations, Industry

‘Heartbreaking’: an overhead view of Coastal GasLink sediment spills into Wet’suwet’en waters, wetlands

By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Sleydo’ Molly Wickham was composed and quiet as she stared out the window of a helicopter flying over vast stretches of TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory (yintah). Below, a wide swath cut through forests and wetlands, crossing creeks and rivers. 

A wing chief of the Gidimt’en clan, Sleydo’ was part of a small group on a monitoring flight to document the contentious project’s impacts as soaring temperatures rapidly melted last winter’s heavy snowpack.

Continue reading ‘Heartbreaking’: an overhead view of Coastal GasLink sediment spills into Wet’suwet’en waters, wetlands →
Business, Community, Housing, Tourism

Kate Maddigan, CCEDA’s new Economic Development Officer

The Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) recently hired Kate Maddigan as its new Economic Development Officer (EDO). 

Colin Funk, the President of CCEDA, explained, “I have known Kate pretty much the entire time I’ve been on Cortes, I think I’m coming up to my 10th summer here. I’ve been on a few boards with her when I was active with Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI). We live pretty close together in the south end of the island. So like many, we bump into each other at the store or on the trails and such.”

Cortes Currents asked Maddigan about some of the work she has done in the community.

Continue reading Kate Maddigan, CCEDA’s new Economic Development Officer →
Rivers & Oceans

The Quadra Project: Salmon Farming in Perspective

The salmon farming industry in BC is once again challenging the authority of the Minister of Fisheries to make decisions about whether or not its feedlots should continue to be located in open ocean settings. Their first successful court challenge overturned Minister Bernadette Jordan’s 2020 decision to close down open-net operations. Now, in 2023, Minister Joyce Murray’s similar decision is also being challenged. For perspective, this challenge invites a review of the history of salmon farming in BC’s waters.

When corporate salmon farming arrived in a relatively pristine British Columbia, the marine wilderness was already occupied by many native species. The farms were totally incongruous with this ecology, and immediately found themselves in conflict with the seals, sea lions, orcas, whales, eagles, osprey, mink, otters and kingfishers. The result was carnage to wildlife as the farmers tried to defend their salmon from a traditional food that had always been available to the natural predators.

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Environment

The Race to Recover a Sunken Tanker Truck

Editor’s note: The vessel was recovered Friday afternoon. Guy Adams, owner of Marine Link Transportation, told My Campbell River Now that the tanks are now onshore and about 10% of the fuel leaked into the ocean. He aded that local First Nations were a crucial part of response and recovery efforts, pinpointing the sunken truck and monitoring environmental impacts.

By  Zak Vescera, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A mission is underway to recover a fuel truck holding 17,000 litres of diesel oil that rolled off a barge and sank off Vancouver Island last  week.

The Canadian Coast Guard  and other responders are trying to raise the truck that sank in the  Chancellor Channel about 55 kilometres north of Campbell River. 

An internal memo from the Transportation  Safety Board confirms the truck carried diesel oil. The federal  Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed the truck contained five  separate tanks, one of which is leaking.

Continue reading The Race to Recover a Sunken Tanker Truck →