Tag Archives: DFO

Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

‘Industry doesn’t understand what our people know’: WSÁNEĆ chiefs call for halt to commercial herring fisheries

By Spencer Sacht-Lund, IndigiNews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

WSÁNEĆ* hereditary chiefs are calling for an immediate moratorium on all commercial herring fisheries in the Salish Sea prior to the season’s expected start later this month.

Surrounded by relatives and members of the community at Tulista Park in “Sidney,” overlooking the ocean, four hereditary chiefs read aloud a joint declaration Wednesday morning — coming together for a public, unified call to action for the first time in 40 years, the leaders said.

Continue reading ‘Industry doesn’t understand what our people know’: WSÁNEĆ chiefs call for halt to commercial herring fisheries →
Animals, Rivers & Oceans

DFO: Chum runs are looking much better throughout most of our area

There are more Chum swimming up Basil Creek than we’ve seen for years. According to Matthew Clarke of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Cortes Island isn’t the only place where the Chum run is good this year. 

“As a general rule this year things are looking much better for Chum than they have looked, albeit with a couple of places that are not quite as strong as we would have hoped to see,”  he explained.

Continue reading DFO: Chum runs are looking much better throughout most of our area →
Rivers & Oceans

The Chum Return to Basil Creek

The Chum started returning to Basil Creek a week ago. To an inexperienced eye, the water levels seemed too low on the 16th, but dozens of large salmon were progressing upstream beyond the culvert. Christine Robinson said that she and her husband Cec had seen them the previous day. That was when we agreed to do this interview. 

“We know it’s the big year in their four year cycle. Chum primarily have a four year cycle, a few of them three, and a few of them five, but the majority have a four year cycle.  In 2020, four years ago, approximately 1100 fish came back to Basil Creek. Four years prior to that, in 2016, there were about 1100. We’re not alone in this. All the creeks are in a similar cycle. Basil Creek, of course, is the main stream on Cortes for salmon return. So we’re optimistic that it should be a big year this time,” explained Cec Robinson, one of the principal Streamkeepers on Cortes Island.

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Politics, Transportation

Highlights from Green candidate Nic Dedeluk’s visit to Cortes Island

Around 30 people turned out to meet Green candidate Nic Dedeluk when she came to Mansons Hall on Monday, October 7. Cortes Currents recorded 145 minutes of the two hour meeting, which is far too much to fit into a half hour broadcast. So today’s program consists of a few highlights. 

This event was put on by  FOCI’s Climate Action Committee (The Climate Action Network) and there is a link to the unedited audio at the bottom of this page.

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Rivers & Oceans

Industry Journal: No Future For Net Pen Salmon CAFO?

There was some bad news this month for the Norwegian fish feedlot industry in Canada:  their own trade magazine featured the following headline:

The Critics Are Right: It’s Time To Close Down Salmon Farms
(link to text only version)

Continue reading Industry Journal: No Future For Net Pen Salmon CAFO? →