The licenses for all 19 salmon farms in the Discovery Islands expire in June. There will only be 7 farms left in the Broughton Archipelago by 2023, at which point their tenure ends unless they can obtain First Nations approval and Department of Fisheries licences. That leaves an estimated 79 salmon farms throughout the province, and all of their licenses come up for renewal on June 30, 2022.
Continue reading Potential elimination of open-net salmon farm sector in sightCategory Archives: Rivers & Oceans
Ottawa invests $11.8 million in Indigenous commercial fishing ventures on West Coast
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ottawa is committing close to $12 million to boost sustainable Indigenous fishing enterprises on the West Coast.
Continue reading Ottawa invests $11.8 million in Indigenous commercial fishing ventures on West Coast
Boat catches fire close to Refuge Cove
At 9:08 AM on the morning of February 9th, 2022, a Squirrel Cove resident phoned the Coast Guard about a fire just north of Refuge Cove, on West Redonda Island. What she thought might be a house engulfed by fire turned out to be a 34 foot wood and fiberglass boat close to the shore.
Continue reading Boat catches fire close to Refuge Cove
B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Quadra Island oyster farmer Steve Pocock believes B.C.’s shellfish sector is facing a watershed moment.
West Coast growers have endured a tough couple of years as the COVID-19 pandemic dried up demand from restaurants and international markets, and extreme temperatures in June cooked countless beach-grown oysters and clams alive in their shells.
And now growers have another sink or swim dilemma — the need to change farming practices and tackle marine debris created by the shellfish sector, said Pocock, who is also president of the BC Shellfish Growers Association (BCSGA).
Continue reading B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment
FOCI’s Forage Fish Monitoring project
At the January 20th Annual general meeting of the Friends of Cortes Island society, or FOCI, Arlene Tompkins gave a presentation on the Forage Fish Monitoring project.
Continue reading FOCI’s Forage Fish Monitoring project