Category Archives: Rivers & Oceans

Arts, Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

Ocean rescue ‘heroes’ the subject of new television series

By Crystal St.Pierre, Windspeaker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Four communities along the western shores of British Columbia that are members of the Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary will be showcased in an upcoming television series called Ocean Warriors – Mission Ready.

“We are going to watch those guys transition into a full-fledged volunteer Indigenous coast guard,” said Steve Sxwithul’txw, creator, producer and director of the upcoming series.

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Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

Cermaq Canada reoccupying Raza Island fish farm

It has been three weeks since a federal court ruled that former Federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bernadette Jordan breached the rights of B.C. salmon farmers to procedural fairness, when she ordered them to phase out their operations in the Discovery Islands by June 2022. Now Cermaq Canada is returning to its site on Raza Island. 

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Rivers & Oceans

Mothers Day Beach Clean-up on Cortes Island

On Mother’s Day (May 8), a dozen volunteers removed two pick-up truck loads of debris, from the beach between Hollyhock and Seaford. 

“We’ve had a winter’s worth of storms, blowing things up, and this beach that we’re working today from Hollyhock, basically up to Seascape Road. this is a huge collector facing the southeast, the open Strait of Georgia with Victoria, east Vancouver Island and all the Sunshine Coast communities. Anything that gets put in the water ends up right about here,” explained Mike Moore, one of the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) volunteers.

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Rivers & Oceans

Geneticist testifies to DFO’s failure to protect wild salmon from PRV

(Click here to access other presentations taken from the Committee.)

In the first of a series of posts gleaned from the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, a top UBC geneticist testifies on DFO’s failure to follow up on the findings of its own scientists and those from the international community, regarding the threat that Piscine Orthoreovirus or PRV  poses to the wild salmon population. The following audio is taken from the testimony that Dr Gideon Mordecai gave on Thursday, May 5, 2022. 

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Business, Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

Overview of Klahoose Aquaculture

In 2007, Chief Ken Brown purchased 50% of a 34 hectare sub-tidal geoduck farm off Squirrel Cove, on Cortes Island. In the years that followed, the Klahoose First Nation bought their partner out. They were 100% owners when Bruno Pereira became General Manager of Qathen Xwegus Management Corporation (QXMC). 

The next phase of Klahoose Aquaculture growth grew out of a series of discussions that Pereira had with Operations Manager Paul Muskee, more than two years ago.

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