Two First Nations in Canada say Sea Shepherd ‘not welcome’
Salmon farming in BC a divisive issue with some relying on wild salmon both for food and income, and those in coastal communities that rely on fish farms for year-round jobs
An operation involving the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society targeting fish farms on the BC coast has the backing of a number of coastal First Nations, but it’s by no means unanimous support.
At least two First Nations on BC’s coast have let the campaigners behind Operation Virus Hunter know that they are not welcome in their territories.
On Monday, biologist and anti-fish farm campaigner Alexandra Morton was joined on board the Sea Shepherd’s RV/Martin Sheen by actress Pamela Anderson, David Suzuki and two First Nations spokesmen to announce plans to conduct sampling in an attempt to establish whether a virus found in farmed fish is also present in wild fish.
Morton will be collecting samples looking for the piscine reovirus, which has been associated with a condition called heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) in salmon, although no definitive causal link between the virus and the disease has yet been established.
She will try to establish whether there are “hot spots” where the virus is present in the vicinity of fish farms.
Salmon farming in BC has created a divide among First Nations, like those in the Fraser Valley watershed, who rely on wild salmon both for food and income, and those in coastal communities that rely on fish farms for year-round jobs.