Tag Archives: Norway

Environment

Paul Watson: Activist, Pirate, Friend

interview with Rex Weyler (All 5 Podcasts of an FM radio special feature originally airing January 21 -25, 2025).

In December 2024, the environmental activist Paul Watson was freed by Danish authorities from detention in Greenland.  He had been held there due to an Interpol red-notice (warrant) issued against him by the government of Japan. The Danish Ministry of Justice denied official requests to extradite Watson for trial in Japan, and he was released to rejoin his family.

What did Paul Watson do that so angered the Japanese government?  Watson, born in Canada, has spent most of his adult life — ever since the 1970s — protesting against the commercial slaughter of whales and other marine mammals.  He was a founding member of Greenpeace, and participated in their early actions to document and obstruct the Russian whaling fleet in the North Pacific.   One of his shipmates on these early campaigns was longtime Cortes resident Rex Weyler.

In this special feature, we offer an extended interview with Rex Weyler; he offers his personal memories of the early Greenpeace campaigns and of Paul Watson, who became a lifelong friend.

Continue reading Paul Watson: Activist, Pirate, Friend →
Transportation

Changes coming to the local ferries in 2027, and directions for the years beyond

BC Ferries announced a series of changes coming in 2027,  including new vessels for the Campbell River and Cortes Island routes and the next steps towards electrifying the fleet.

“We’ve received approval from the ferries commissioner to procure  four new vessels, hybrid electric, and they will bring new capacity into the system. This is great news. In addition to that,  as part of this capital investment that will be electrifying, or putting a lot more power into, two routes that are going to eventually be able to run these hybrid battery electric vessels in the way that they’re built. For the purposes of the investment being announced today, it’s just  two routes, Nanaimo to Gabriola and  Campbell River to Quadra that will be serviced with this capacity to actually run these vessels in their electric form,” explained Nicolas Jimenez, CEO of BC Ferries.

Continue reading Changes coming to the local ferries in 2027, and directions for the years beyond →
Energy

Equinor is getting closer to launching Canada’s first deepwater oil project

By John Woodside,  National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After discovering hundreds of millions of barrels of oil underground and securing a new licence to drill the site, Norwegian energy giant Equinor is one step closer to developing Canada’s first deepwater oil project off the East Coast.

Continue reading Equinor is getting closer to launching Canada’s first deepwater oil project →
Rivers & Oceans

What role will semi closed containment system fish farms have after 2025?

(Part 2 of 2, click here for Part 1)

The fish farm industry does not want to leave British Columbia’s coastal waters in 2025. 

In a recent press release Andreas Kvame, CEO of Grieg Seafood, said, “Our industry is in continuous development with new technologies and innovations, and in Grieg Seafood we are committed to improvements that strengthen biological control and reduce interactions with wild salmon.” 

David Kemiele, Managing Director of Cermaq emailed Cortes Currents, “Our new protocol extends to the end of 2025 and we are using that time to refine what our operations will look like moving forward beyond 2025 and definitely innovation plays a critical role in that plan.”

Continue reading What role will semi closed containment system fish farms have after 2025? →
Rivers & Oceans

47 days until a decision must be made: sea lice and pathogens

As we get closer to June 30, when the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has to decide whether to reissue the licenses for 79 British Columbian salmon farms, independent biologist Alexandra Morton points to yet more problems. 

A recent Global and Mail article revealed the existence of a decade old Department of Fisheries (DFO) report about the ‘transmission of the PRV virus from farmed to wild salmon.’

Morton said the fish farm industry has exceeded the three lice per fish threshold every week since the out-migration season began on March first. Two to five active farms have exceeded that limit every week, for the past five weeks. Morton claims that no sooner had the industry brought the lice on one farm under control, than another exceeds the limit. 

Continue reading 47 days until a decision must be made: sea lice and pathogens →