tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16822870664485627542024-03-06T12:03:10.824-08:00Water BloggedThe latest oceans news and discoveries, whether they be fascinating, heartbreaking, frustrating, encouraging, or just really, really cool. Brought to you by Living Oceans.Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-74240112919987958022019-10-07T13:33:00.002-07:002019-10-07T14:45:18.642-07:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsnM3wMvC0G5PcJ4bk2bXnz4nl_PHwdr1Pz_yz8j5GZSDQ5q8yovxxUjuuDvLaqF93JX5e9VZnlgwoVm4Z7z56HsPgww-rWDJiRrFhbIalfLcQXAAPQMl0J5-fQs_qDeI3J8AORCqUmAO/s1600/starving+grizzly.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsnM3wMvC0G5PcJ4bk2bXnz4nl_PHwdr1Pz_yz8j5GZSDQ5q8yovxxUjuuDvLaqF93JX5e9VZnlgwoVm4Z7z56HsPgww-rWDJiRrFhbIalfLcQXAAPQMl0J5-fQs_qDeI3J8AORCqUmAO/s1600/starving+grizzly.png" /></a><br />
<h2 class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Starving Grizzlies: Death
of an Ecosystem and an Economy</b></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></h2>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
One need only look at what's happening today in Knight Inlet
to see what open netpen salmon farming is doing to both the environment and the
economy.</h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Glendale River in Knight Inlet used to have a massive
run of pink salmon. It supported gillnet and seine fisheries and still returned
a million fish to the spawning grounds. Today, no-one can find fish in the
river. The grizzlies are starving and the eagles are absent. The nutrient cycle
has been broken and if anyone were to study it closely, they'd be finding
decreased health and abundance in most species from the forest floor to the
trees themselves. This is what the death of an ecosystem looks like. Along with
it, the commercial fisheries are gone; the lodges and the wildlife viewing
industry are suffering. Without fish, eagles and bears, none of them will
prosper and our coastal economies perish.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The worst of it is that this was predicted over a decade ago.
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18079401">Independent researchers</a> modelling the impact of farm-generated salmon lice on
the Broughton Archipelago’s juvenile pink salmon in 2007 forecast the
extinction of local runs within four generations. It took six generations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ0Q6u0UxVnIPg_AJXsqnU5SutXiF3y1ekwG_WLimLfZneNSP2a499ec_zlbk4a_R1rw47n8RsOdjS1sDb93HwGF69h7ZAiv2PEA6qIsE8as1b_H_IcfPhAD2H2aMbm2NQq1epT2Dp0Yo/s1600/Michel+Drouin+photographing+pinks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ0Q6u0UxVnIPg_AJXsqnU5SutXiF3y1ekwG_WLimLfZneNSP2a499ec_zlbk4a_R1rw47n8RsOdjS1sDb93HwGF69h7ZAiv2PEA6qIsE8as1b_H_IcfPhAD2H2aMbm2NQq1epT2Dp0Yo/s320/Michel+Drouin+photographing+pinks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's now clear, beyond any reasoned argument, that open
netpen farming is killing both wild salmon and herring. With the development of
<a href="https://livingoceans.org/media/reports-publications/lousy-choices-drug-resistant-sea-lice-clayoquot-sound">drug resistance </a>in the sea lice, farms have been unable to control lice
abundance in some regions for five consecutive years. The new mechanical
delousers are a great innovation, but there aren't enough of them to be able to
respond quickly enough to lice outbreaks to prevent negative impacts to wild
salmonids, particularly during those critical weeks when juveniles emerge from
rivers so small that even one or two lice can kill them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9OCXrYTN4Bt2r8rurI4Fq47RTr7gj_-KDLqav9Wlaz2_utH7S4iIkq7flY1IGIfrf6Oyxxg1pfyGPdF0J5dOTYJvwLyOlblop6uFif6VMpa_eU7YNFEWIxiqv84rL8St0f4Lxx5mRxrZ/s1600/herring+fingers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9OCXrYTN4Bt2r8rurI4Fq47RTr7gj_-KDLqav9Wlaz2_utH7S4iIkq7flY1IGIfrf6Oyxxg1pfyGPdF0J5dOTYJvwLyOlblop6uFif6VMpa_eU7YNFEWIxiqv84rL8St0f4Lxx5mRxrZ/s320/herring+fingers.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There's nothing that protects the herring; they're being
devoured by farmed salmon in the netpens as well as heavily infested with
caligus lice. Caligus are related to salmon lice but they’re generalists and
don’t mind having a meal on species other than the farmed salmon on which they
breed. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) doesn’t require farms to manage
caligus lice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then there's the evidence of viral infection. It has been
established by <a href="https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2018-0008">independent research in a number of countries</a> that piscine
reovirus (PRV), in particular, causes disease in coho salmon that can be fatal.
DFO is a partner in the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative that has established
that PRV causes the red blood cells of Chinook salmon to explode, resulting in
jaundice that can lead to death. This year, there are reports of thousands of
fish dying in-river, with jaundiced colouring. This is just one of the viruses
that has been identified in farmed salmon and has been present in most farmed
stock for several years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regardless what arguments are made about the origins of
these viruses, there is no question that salmon farming massively amplifies the
viral load in a region and provides the ideal conditions for viruses to <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/282/5393/1432">mutate and become more virulent</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has
happened in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0044848611001347?via%3Dihub">Norwegian salmon farms</a> and is well-documented in the scientific
literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's just what viruses do to
survive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
DFO's aquaculture science has confirmed that PRV is
persistent in the ocean. They've done experiments, putting uninfected Atlantic
salmon in the water and found they test positive for PRV within 100-200 days.
I'd provide a link, except that, as is the case with so much of their science, it is unpublished. However, taking their conclusions at face value, there is no reason to expect that wild fish in the water are not
also exposed to the virus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been asked several times by the media to respond to
various salmon farming lobbyists who have decried the 2019 federal election
platforms promising to deal with salmon farming by transitioning it to closed,
contained systems. The pro-netpen groups have called the policies announced by
the Liberal, Green and New Democratic parties reckless, irresponsible,
job-killing and—wait for it—not based in science.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Faced with shocking declines in wild salmon populations, 19
consecutive years of field observations of lethal lice infestation levels on
wild salmonids and emerging evidence of viral loading in the environment, we
can hardly call a policy that seeks to isolate the farms from the wild stock
"reckless and irresponsible".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DFO is legally
obliged to act in a precautionary manner to protect wild salmon and fisheries.
I would argue that we're long past "precaution" and into emergency
response mode.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWa_lcBZfuF6z4RwlRjq0miZivpFOaBTQ1KjfGU_vV7JWOiu_G_9ZqIJxeAM4-CGWx4YiToqv9BjhW_Lz3-o8ULSsStJDSmnBGzAwRTW2niox1DRnU9ydzKjzfCZuxUU_2UhjdfX7-NNB/s1600/Kuterra.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="635" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWa_lcBZfuF6z4RwlRjq0miZivpFOaBTQ1KjfGU_vV7JWOiu_G_9ZqIJxeAM4-CGWx4YiToqv9BjhW_Lz3-o8ULSsStJDSmnBGzAwRTW2niox1DRnU9ydzKjzfCZuxUU_2UhjdfX7-NNB/s320/Kuterra.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As to jobs: a land-based closed containment industry for
B.C. has been <a href="https://livingoceans.org/initiatives/salmon-farming/what-were-doing/promoting-commercial-scale-closed-containment-systems">extensively studied</a>. A 50,000MT development would create 4000
two-year jobs during the construction phase and over 2700 permanent jobs. At
50,000MT, it would produce a little over half of BC's current netpen production.
Building it out to 100,000MT would equal or exceed the employment from the
current netpen industry and the jobs created would include more better-paid
positions than the present industry.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeao0Y99L0zTzdhoePmq26sT-JvErFA8qwJP4pnHyquk0N_v9YRoedcrbveAYHVzqwttzZcdPWmiYXI_cJrVljrajzAWMYm1732lBdOQRUbPUbJYBNjia6cK6HTGeiwgONCKmzJ94KELlR/s1600/Salmon+Seine+Net+Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeao0Y99L0zTzdhoePmq26sT-JvErFA8qwJP4pnHyquk0N_v9YRoedcrbveAYHVzqwttzZcdPWmiYXI_cJrVljrajzAWMYm1732lBdOQRUbPUbJYBNjia6cK6HTGeiwgONCKmzJ94KELlR/s320/Salmon+Seine+Net+Set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that's only one side of the equation. If wild salmon
stocks can be rebuilt after the removal of netpens, transition to a closed
containment industry will also bring back thousands of jobs in sport and
commercial fishing, tourism and related industries that have been bleeding from
coastal communities since the salmon farming industry arrived.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa7cL782Odsuqu0XiLf4CYhkjc0c6ZOcpdSanZcSNcZnLehT3MtOWJblYQk9YctPej_B4bPzomfxhVfsUjwWkgkIzoq6PVJnNVOL5Zy-iU3HZT00ADZdklM3_yA7046BoUBRTQQ9mMECO/s1600/BC+salmon+fishing+and+Humpback+whale+feeding+on+herring+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1600" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa7cL782Odsuqu0XiLf4CYhkjc0c6ZOcpdSanZcSNcZnLehT3MtOWJblYQk9YctPej_B4bPzomfxhVfsUjwWkgkIzoq6PVJnNVOL5Zy-iU3HZT00ADZdklM3_yA7046BoUBRTQQ9mMECO/s320/BC+salmon+fishing+and+Humpback+whale+feeding+on+herring+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, no; the policy platforms announced by the Liberal, Green
and New Democratic parties are not 'reckless', 'irresponsible' or 'unscientific'. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Living Oceans is very pleased to
see federal leaders committing to transitioning the salmon farming industry to closed
containment by 2025. The Conservative Party has now joined in, promising to support
technology and practices that aim to keep wild and farmed salmon
separated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We look forward to working
with the next government to ensure they follow through on their commitment by
requiring salmon farms to be fully contained.</div>
Karen Wristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11807077712737068512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-5184496030285781772018-12-18T14:27:00.001-08:002018-12-18T14:27:19.923-08:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<b>The Broughton Archipelago Recommendations Q & A</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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So many questions are pouring in on Facebook, with lots of
misconceptions about the historic agreement reached by three First Nations and
the Government of British Columbia, that I thought I’d compile them here with
answers from the text of the actual Steering Committee recommendations.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are
122 open netpen salmon farm sites in BC:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>why does this agreement only deal with 17 of them?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The farms in question are located on the traditional
territories of the ‘Namgis, Mamalillikula and Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis
Nations, located in the island and mainland regions roughly adjacent to Port
McNeill. These three Nations demanded removal of the farms from their
territories and members occupied several of the farms for the better part of a
year before the provincial government agreed to establish talks. A
government-to-government process was established, creating a Steering Committee
to deal with just the farms in these Nations’ territories.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How many
farms are actually being shut down?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Between now and 2022, ten farms will be deactivated in the
Broughton Archipelago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A further seven
will close in 2023, UNLESS agreement to keep them open is reached with the Nations
involved and DFO has issued new operating licences. Below, the farms are listed
by the year in which tenures will end; some allowance of time is given to
decommission the site thereafter.</div>
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<br /></div>
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2019</div>
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2020</div>
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2021</div>
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2022</div>
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2023</div>
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Cliff Bay</div>
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Burdwood</div>
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Wicklow Point</div>
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Port Elizabeth</div>
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Sir Edmund Bay</div>
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Arrow Passage</div>
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Upper Retreat</div>
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<br /></div>
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Larsen Island</div>
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Cecil Island</div>
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Potts Bay</div>
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<br /></div>
</td>
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Midsummer</div>
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Cypress Harbour</div>
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Glacier Falls</div>
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Humphrey Rock</div>
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Doctor Islets</div>
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Sargeaunt</div>
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Swanson Island</div>
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3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They’re
just moving the farms somewhere else, aren’t they?</div>
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No, although there are some changes to the maximum biomass
of fish allowed at each site over the next four years. There <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">may</i> also be applications for increased
biomass at other sites (outside the Broughton), where First Nations agree. The
Broughton Agreement does not speak to this, as the First Nations at the table
could not speak for Nations in other areas. Otherwise, a province-wide
moratorium on new farm sites is still in place.</div>
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<br /></div>
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4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why didn’t
they shut the farms down immediately?</div>
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The government-to-government negotiations took into
consideration questions of law (the potential for the salmon farms to sue the government
for loss of the farms) and of fairness to workers as well. The closure dates
chosen allow for an orderly transition out of the area, with time to grow out
the stocked farms and relocate workers.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Will
there be any wild salmon left in five years’ time?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Better a historian than a prophet…some fish stocks in the
Broughton, such as the pink salmon, are at an all-time low abundance. No-one
knows if they will rebound. However, the Broughton recommendations go a long
way to giving them a fighting chance, by establishing a role for First Nations
in setting management objectives, monitoring and enforcement of the terms of
the “Replacement Tenures” that will be granted to the 17 farms during the
transition. The objectives will become conditions of the leases granted by the
Province and so at least in theory, the leases could be lost if the industry
does not comply with them.</div>
Karen Wristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11807077712737068512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-32503108062188191032017-02-16T16:24:00.001-08:002017-02-28T10:06:23.761-08:00Kinder Morgan: That Ship has Sailed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm55iZXlsgWsPlxDDtom9EpvGDunDLZ7AMEDbuz2Dbb4VaDoEGBytg9C5h7GLtjS1SUV9t9BaMGCo-FUQ2tFHcFFjC5XE7baCpfYvIUesPqaBdQ5eHmYc5EU0zKZMJa_8ZL17V7v0xzH7g/s1600/tankers_billboard_iStockphoto.com-Natalia-Bratslavsky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm55iZXlsgWsPlxDDtom9EpvGDunDLZ7AMEDbuz2Dbb4VaDoEGBytg9C5h7GLtjS1SUV9t9BaMGCo-FUQ2tFHcFFjC5XE7baCpfYvIUesPqaBdQ5eHmYc5EU0zKZMJa_8ZL17V7v0xzH7g/s320/tankers_billboard_iStockphoto.com-Natalia-Bratslavsky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Kinder Morgan Canada is said by market analysts to have a lot of corporate hope pinned on the construction of its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The project would increase its cash flow sixfold at a time when cash is in short supply. So short is the supply of cash that the company is said to be seeking a joint venture partner to build the pipeline.<br />
<br />
Potential partners in the pipeline will no doubt be influenced by the opportunities that a pipeline to “tidewater” offers for oil producers: will they diversify and expand their markets by pumping oil to the Pacific coast, ensuring a further 60 years of fossil fuel profit for the pipeline investor?<br />
<br />
Not very likely.<br />
<br />
China was supposed to be the big new market for Canadian oil; the one that would pay a premium for our sour, heavy crude and have a boundless appetite for it. But China today is awash in oil. They spent most of 2016 exporting diesel, they had so much. And they’re continuing to receive oil, as debt payment from countries like Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Venezuela and Kurdistan. All of these countries borrowed billions from China when oil was valued at over $100 bbl. Now that the price of oil is half what it was, debt repayment takes twice as much oil.<br />
<br />
China also has oil deals with Iran and Russia, worth hundreds of billions. It has been planning energy infrastructure for over a decade, to diversify its sources of fossil fuel and reduce dependence on deliveries by ship. China now receives oil by pipeline from Russia and Kazakhstan. Pakistan is building a new pipeline to China from Gwadar Port that is intended to hook up with Iranian oil supply and could eliminate the costly and dangerous ocean route through the Strait of Malacca. China has also built strategic reserves of oil to shield it against price fluctuations.<br />
<br />
Perhaps more important than the supply side is the outlook for oil demand: China’s growth is slowing. In September of 2015, Singapore Business Review first noted the slowdown, observing that Singapore’s port was backed up with upwards of 30 Aframax tankers being used to store fuel that would ordinarily be shipped to China or Japan. China’s crackdown on the use of bituminous fuels by its independent ‘teapot’ refineries had also slowed trade, the Review noted. Historically, the teapots were required to buy partially refined fuel oil from the state-owned oil companies, but when the country began to be flooded with oil-for-debt shipments, rules were relaxed and the teapots bought bituminous blends directly on the open market. China has now “clamped down” on the import of bituminous oils—particularly bad news for Canadian tarsands exporters.<br />
<br />
In 2016, Blomberg reported the tanker Jag Lok loaded oil from Equatorial Guinea and set sail for the Chinese port of Qingdao, only to be forced to circle outside the port for 20 days waiting for offloading facilities. Platts outlook for 2017 notes that the teapots will no longer be allowed to export oil products, further reducing the demand for imported bitumen.<br />
<br />
At the same time as growth and demand for oil are slowing, China’s demonstrated concern for air quality and climate impacts is growing. It now includes energy conservation and efficiency measures in its assessment of new development projects. The current five-year plan stresses green growth and sets targets for the reduction of airborne particulates, conservation of energy resources and the development of renewable energy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
It appears that, despite all its effort to get tarsands to tidewater, Kinder Morgan has missed the boat. If the company does find the backing to build the pipeline and tanker project, producers may end up selling oil in Washington and California—two places they could as easily reach overland. Let’s hope the market is actually thinking this one through.<br />
<br />
<b>Update, February 27, 2017</b>: U of A Petroleum Engineering professor Bruce Peachy opines in Alberta Oil Magazine today that " Trans Mountain would also likely be used to supply any remaining
California demand, in competition with Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico and
Peru, before it would supply much to more distant Asian markets." <a href="https://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/2017/02/uncle-sam-friend-foe/">read more>></a> <br />
<br />
If, like me, you feel a little queasy about waiting to see if the market does its homework, you may be wanting to know, "What can I do to help stop the project?" Read on!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Help the court challenges with a donation.</b> Living Oceans Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation have teamed up with Ecojustice to challenge project approval. Several First Nations have also brought lawsuits and you can help them by visiting <a href="http://pull-together.ca/">Pull Together</a> to make a donation or organize your own fundraiser. The Pull Together campaign raised over $600,000 to help First Nations win the Enbridge court challenge that ultimately led to that project's rejection. Together, we can do it again!<br />
<br />
<b>2. Make this a B.C. election issue.</b> Ask questions at your all candidates' meeting, write to your local paper and talk about it with your friends: this pipeline and tanker project is bad for B.C., Canada and the globe. [click <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/RT%20Fall%202016.pdf">here</a> for a brief refresher on some of the reasons why the project should not proceed.] Prepare to vote for the party that promises to put an end to it.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Remind the federal government about its climate commitments.</b> Too often, our elected representatives get away with managing expectations through media moments, rather than dealing with issues. Let your MP know that you expect to see strong government leadership to encourage investment in renewable energy and a solid climate plan that will replace fossil fuels in the Canadian economy.<br />
<br />
Regulatory approvals notwithstanding, this project still faces major hurdles in the market, in the courts, at the polls and in the streets. Let's stay on the job, for the whales, the Salish Sea and the people of the B.C. coast!<br />
<br />Karen Wristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11807077712737068512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-72741093800934933302016-10-19T11:36:00.000-07:002016-10-19T11:40:48.914-07:00Salmon Filleting WorkshopAs the new sustainable seafood campaigner, I asked myself, what would be a good way to promote local fish in a fun way? I have been in the hospitality industry for almost three decades and have worked with a lot of great folks over the years. So, naturally I wanted to do something with food as it is a good way to get people interested, especially if there is a celebrity chef involved. I moonlight as a server at Fable where Chef Trevor Bird, a contestant on Top Chef Canada, has been at the helm of a <a href="http://www.fablekitchen.ca/" target="_blank">60-seat restaurant</a> for the last four years and has recently opened the Fable Diner. Chef Bird’s philosophy is the foundation of his restaurant: local, organic and seasonal. At Living Oceans Society, we are working to assist local fishermen using responsible fishing methods to sell directly into the Vancouver marketplace, helping the local economy and displacing unsustainable imported fish. Often, fresh-caught fish is sold whole, so doing a filleting workshop made sense. <br />
<br />
At first, I tried to put together two events; one in Vancouver and one in North Vancouver. Chef Bird asked Ned Bell, the face of sustainable seafood in Vancouver, to lead one of the workshops and they both kindly agreed to volunteer their time. I was very excited in the prospect of doing two filleting workshops with two great chefs. Unfortunately, as the summer slowly went on, the logistics of getting these two very busy chefs at an available location became a lot more challenging! And to make matters worse, the fishing season had been very disappointing, with Fraser River sockeye showing the lowest numbers ever on record—I might have no fish to fillet!<br />
<br />
Luckily, I remembered that at Fable we only used sustainable pink salmon on our menu and contacted the supplier to see if I could get some fish for the workshop and to my relief pink salmon was available! I ended up with a great location with the help of the folks at Oceanwise; Chef Poyan Danesh in charge of the cooking demonstration at Miele offered the Miele Experience Centre’s kitchen for free – a beautiful room in an amazing location, how lucky is that! <br />
<br />
On the day of the event, I had asked a friend to help me with getting the fish from the Aquarium’s fridge to Miele’s kitchen. Long story a bit longer, that fell through. I got access to the Miele’s kitchen at 3pm on that day with the event being at 6pm. I started getting things organized and left at 4pm to get the fish from the Aquarium. Bad idea: one hour from traffic jam! Realized a couple of blocks later I had forgotten my bus pass and with no money in my pocket, had to run back to get it. By the time I finally reached the bus stop I realized it was 4:20 pm and I needed to get back in time to finalize the room set up and greet the first participant. Hail a cab to speed things up. Get to the aquarium, get the fish and as I come out of the building I see a cab. I run to get it but someone else was faster; luckily I had time to ask the driver to call me another one. Wait and wait, time is ticking and no taxi, stuck in the middle of Stanley Park. I call another company just in case, it’s past 5pm and panic is setting in my gut. Oh relief, taxi is here at last! We arrive at 5:20 pm, but the fun is not over; now I have to carry 80 pounds of salmon for a whole block. Sweat trickling down my back, I finally open Miele’s door. I have half an hour to finish the set-up, get some words on paper for an introduction and five minutes to breathe before it starts. Well, no such luck, the first participant arrives followed by the chef and the show must go on! <br />
<br />
That night, Chef Trevor Bird inspired fifteen people of all walks of life to try their hands at filleting a salmon. Hesitant at first to make the first cut, by the end of the workshop, everyone had filleted a 5-pound, sustainable pink salmon, learnt how to make a tartare and what to do with the bones and the head. The chef had a couple of surprises up his sleeve. He cooked the salmon he had used for demonstration for us to enjoy (depending on the oven you have, 200 F’ for 20 minutes or less if you use a convection oven OR until no longer translucent but moist OR to your personal taste). He even made a great tasting tartare out of the trimmings. The only thing missing was a nice glass of Pinot gris from the Okanagan valley, especially for me! The night was fun and interesting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGSEhrWXVnrgGJcW73GrBh34EckbjXXyczbiwlCscTohyphenhyphenAbjLCMcSXMTD_aDH9IK2Ov12EEqTpdOs5tFF5mZChJKDkTWErD79Q_3jOjFEoLrupMuPKcz9HQwF8QquQsUfWXm8GNWDUMs/s1600/CtaMYiMWIAA3LZI+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGSEhrWXVnrgGJcW73GrBh34EckbjXXyczbiwlCscTohyphenhyphenAbjLCMcSXMTD_aDH9IK2Ov12EEqTpdOs5tFF5mZChJKDkTWErD79Q_3jOjFEoLrupMuPKcz9HQwF8QquQsUfWXm8GNWDUMs/s1600/CtaMYiMWIAA3LZI+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
As seafood consumers, we can all make a big difference in the overall sustainability picture for seafood if we ask the right questions: “Where is this fish from? How was it caught? Is this fish farmed or wild?” At Living Oceans, we’re working to make it easier for you to answer these questions with online resources like<a href="http://www.seatofork.org/" target="_blank"> SeatoFork.org</a> and the Seachoice website (<a href="http://www.seeachoice.org/">www.seeachoice.org</a>). <br />
And now that I’ve perfected the filleting workshop, it’ll be easy for you to sign up next time and learn how to fillet and prepare whole fish fresh from Fishermens’ Wharf to enjoy with family and friends!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-86982514991230832682016-04-01T09:23:00.000-07:002016-04-01T09:23:10.231-07:00Lifestyle over Luxury: Online startup partners with Clear the CoastBy guest blogger Jeff Duke<br />
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Clothing brands are a dime a dozen these days. It doesn’t take much to order some standard cotton t-shirts and put a cool looking logo on them. When Lifestyle Over Luxury was conceived a year and a half ago, somewhere 100m off the coast of Australia - that’s the exact opposite of what we set out to do.<br /><br />Cotton is one of the most chemical intensive crops in the world. It occupies 2.5% of the world’s agricultural land but is responsible for 22.5% of the world’s insecticide use and 10% of the global pesticide use. Over a million agricultural workers are hospitalized each year from exposure to these chemicals while working on cotton plantations. A lot of these chemicals end up in what you’re probably wearing right now - a considerable amount runs off and ends up in waterways and eventually the ocean. All this in the name of cheap product production. <br /><br />Lifestyle Over Luxury was founded to make a difference in people’s lives; to inspire them to look at life a little differently, define their own success and break away from the routine lives we’ve all come to accept as fulfilling. L/L was inspired by leaving that normality behind and years of travelling this incredible planet - walking the beaches, surfing the oceans, exploring the forests. It was impossible not to gain an incredibly heightened respect for this amazing place we all live. It was also impossible to overlook the devastating impact we’ve had on it. <br /><br />When it came time to create something tangible out of the L/L ideology, we weren’t going to become a part of the problem we’d seen first hand. Our clothes are all sustainably made in Canada from bamboo and organic cotton. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing textile plants in the world. It doesn’t require replanting like cotton - so it’s less taxing on the agricultural land. It’s naturally disease and insect resistant so pesticides and insecticides are not required. Best of all, it’s ridiculously soft and comfortable. Organic cotton is made naturally without the use of insecticides or pesticides. <br /><br />We wanted to go beyond just producing a sustainable product. We wanted L/L to develop a 360 degree sustainability approach where production and sales were both making a difference. We are so stoked to be working alongside Living Oceans to make this happen. We donate $1.00 from every single sale directly to their Clear the Coast project - this is leveraged by Living Oceans for matching funding and results in an entire garbage bag of trash cleaned up off our shores with every single L/L sale.<br /><br />At our current rate by 2050 the weight of plastic in the ocean is going to outweigh the fish. We’re surfers, sailors, divers and adventurers addicted to exploring this world - this is not the kind of world we want to live in. Imagine our kids paddling out through this generation’s trash. I doubt that’s the world you want either. Every dollar you spend is vote cast for the world you want to live in. What are you voting for?<br /><br />Learn more about L/L and check out our gear at <a href="http://www.lifestyleoverluxury.com/">www.lifestyleoverluxury.com</a>. Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-47078182124085203702015-12-17T15:54:00.000-08:002015-12-17T15:54:47.624-08:00Front falls off Fraser Institute tanker argumentIn a November 24th opinion piece in the <i>Vancouver Sun</i>, Taylor Jackson and Kenneth Green ask: <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Opinion+tankers+What+happened+evidence+based+policy/11541544/story.html">Ban on oil tankers? What happened to evidence-based policy?</a> I’d love to take them out for a little boat ride from Kitimat through Dixon Entrance some time this month, for a reality check on their views on the science behind the North Coast tanker ban. Only a dedicated policy analyst sitting in the warm, dry confines of the Fraser Institute could have come up with the reality-starved thesis that there is no scientific rationale for banning tankers on B.C.’s North and Central Coast.<br />
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I remind readers that tankers were banned from this area following the <i>Exxon Valdez</i> spill in 1989 and that ban, although not legislated, has been in continuous effect since that date. Put simply, we’ve had no oil tanker spills because we’ve had no oil tankers plying these waters. Traffic between Alaska and the Lower 48 states observes not only the ban, but an additional <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/disabled-tanker-drift-rate-vs-voluntary-tanker-exclusion-zone?language=en">Voluntary Tanker Exclusion Zone</a> off the West Coast, designed to ensure that when the tankers lose power or steerage, they cannot be driven onto rocky shores by wind and waves.<br />
A December excursion through Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance could be really enlightening for Taylor and Ken. December is the month most likely to see storm-force winds that can build in a matter of hours from nothing to 60 knots or more—which is to say, the wind can come up on a ship that has left port 18 hours earlier in fair weather, leaving it exposed and without a place of refuge.<br />
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Those winds often build the seas to heights of 18-20 metres—that’s about a six-storey building’s worth of water crashing down on the decks. The highest waves recorded in Hecate Strait are over 30 metres: more like a 10-storey building. In places along the proposed North Coast tanker route, there are also strong currents and when the wind meets a current going the other way, things get to be what mariners call “chaotic.” It’s a little different from the chaos at the Fraser Institute when a Liberal government gets elected. Things get broken.<br />
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Some of the things that could get broken in such seas are the thousands upon thousands of welds that hold double-hulled oil tankers together. A few tankers have gone that way, flexing in nasty seas until they just gave up; the ships broke into pieces and sank, spilling much of their cargo in the process. In 2010, 20 years after that particular design weakness was immortalized by the comedy team Clarke and Dawe in their sketch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM">“The Front Fell Off”</a>, the International Maritime Organization’s working group on oil tanker design came up with “goal based design criteria” to apply to tankers built after July 1, 2016: basically, an agreement that tankers ought to be designed such that their fronts won’t fall off. It is estimated that there are some 2,400 oil tankers in service that predate this breakthrough agreement.<br />
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In addition to the sciences behind meteorology and naval architecture, there’s also biology arguing in favour of a tanker ban on the North Coast: large ships are noisy beasts under normal operating conditions and the underwater acoustic disturbance is harmful to whales and other marine mammals. Six species of whales that are listed under the Species at Risk Act frequent the North and Central Coast. To the extent that the Canadian government has proceeded with recovery plans for them, those plans identify acoustic disturbance and ship strikes as threats to the species’ recovery. Adding ship traffic to this region, accidents or not, is bad news for whales.<br />
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Against these real-world considerations of navigation on the North and Central Coast, Fraser Institute policy analysts reference only global tanker safety statistics that are conspicuously not derived from traffic on our B.C. coast. I agree entirely with their assertion that tanker safety has improved over the past 30 years with the development of new technology. What I contest is the suggestion that this means oil tankers may safely ply all waters on the globe.
Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-32564214607827443202015-09-28T16:36:00.000-07:002015-10-21T11:36:40.013-07:00Clear the Coast 2015<i>By Karen Wristen </i><br />
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Living Oceans’ 2015 efforts to Clear the Coast of marine debris brought in an amazing five metric tonnes of debris, mainly composed of plastics of Japanese origin. Last year, working on the same Cape Scott beaches, we picked up 2.67 tonnes of plastic from all over the world, with Japanese-labelled items comprising about one-third of the total.<br />
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In an effort to put a dent in the enormous volume of plastic waste that is washing up on northern Vancouver Island shores, this year we intensified our efforts with more volunteers on the ground and more ground covered. We organized two major expeditions: the first returned to Sea Otter Cove aboard Paul Ross’s <i>Samphire</i>, and the second ventured into new territory for us in the Scott Islands, from a base camp in San Josef Bay. <br />
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Sea Otter Cove, August 17-24</h2>
It was delightful to return to Sea Otter Cove—it is such a pretty and secure cove and the weather was full-on summer. Sea otters plied the water daily for food, seemingly undisturbed by our presence; and while wolves and bears were evident, they kept out of sight. Dozens of different birds soared all around us as we worked. The kelp beds at the entrance to the Cove look as healthy and abundant as ever.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>A raft of sea otters. Photo: Kari Watkins</i></span></td></tr>
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Most of our crew camped on shore this year, while I stayed on <i>Samphire </i>to be on hand to get meals for everyone. It was quite the trick, feeding such a large crew from a tiny galley but we worked it in shifts and our volunteers were either very polite or actually impressed by the quality of the food we were able to turn out.<br />
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I’d like to say we found Sea Otter Cove clean, after all the work we did last year, but not so: we managed to fill five lift bags with nearly one tonne of debris! We recovered fishnet entangled in hundreds of metres of line that was painstakingly untangled to create bags for lifting large and unwieldy chunks of plastic, while purchased bags made of re-purposed fishnets and others designed specifically for helicopter lifts were used for most of the debris. <br />
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We hiked an easy 40-minute trail north over to Lowrie Bay on two days, because there was just so much debris there. Lowrie is a beautiful, deep sandy beach that is wide open to the Pacific, with rocky outcrops on which the waves break dramatically—a surfer’s paradise. It’s also so long that we had to establish two consolidation sites: some of the debris there was far too heavy to move long distances. Large, dense plastic pallets and the ever-present net balls are really challenging to move over soft sand! We packaged everything ready for lifting and left it high above the high tide line.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>Fish floats wrapped in re-purposed fish net on the beach at Lowrie Bay.</i></span></td></tr>
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To the south, the outer beaches of San Josef Bay that can’t be accessed from the Cape Scott trail head were easy to get to from Sea Otter Cove. A marked trail crosses level ground and not 15 minutes’ walking brings you out to the Bay. Last year, a passing family of boaters cleared a stretch of this beach for us and we picked up the debris. This year, you’d be hard-pressed to know it had ever been cleaned: I actually lost count of the number of bags we filled there, and there were multiple strings of fishing floats, tires, plastic jugs and the like that weren’t bagged, but just lifted on a rope.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>Clear the Coast volunteers with fishing floats collected from San Josef Bay.</i></span></td></tr>
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The beach at San Jo was so heavily covered in logs that it was tricky to find an area to consolidate everything for the lift—we either had to carry everything over the pickup-sticks pileup or chance leaving it where the highest tides might still reach. We opted for the latter, but I won’t do that again: when we came back to get it at the end of the next expedition, it was half-buried in a load of seaweed and sand and getting it out was a dirty, smelly proposition!<br />
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I missed the voyage to and from Sea Otter on <i>Samphire</i>, as I’d elected to drive to San Jo so that we’d have a vehicle in case of emergency. Our science volunteer, Garth Covernton, accompanied me and so the pair of us had to be shuttled around to San Jo’s inner beach to hike out to the truck. Paul Ross had nearly flipped his inflatable in the surf the day he came to pick us up, so we were cautious about a drop-off point. We chose to land at the second beach, knowing nothing about the trail between there and the trail head. Let’s just say I was not inclined to argue with B.C. Parks’ characterization of it as “treacherous” when I later read the sign at the trail head!<br />
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It’s a bone-jarring ride on a logging road from the Cape Scott trail head back to Port Hardy and it’s wise to keep one’s fluids up by stopping at the Scarlet Ibis in Holberg along the way. Legendary fish and chips and the first cold beer to be found outside the Park.<br />
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Lanz and Cox Island Provincial Park, September 5-8</h2>
Our second expedition was planned to attack the innermost of the Scott Islands group. Last year, our helicopter pilot had told us that the islands were choked with debris and she was right! This trip had to be done by helicopter because the waters are so dangerous and we needed large numbers of volunteers to do the work in a single day—or so we thought. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>Karen Wristen among the jagged rocks on the beach at Cox Island.</i></span></td></tr>
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We established a base camp on the beach at San Jo Bay, with 18 of us in tents and a cook tent rigged up over a helpfully large root ball buried in the sand. I have to mention the 45-minute trail down which we’d had to bring enough food and supplies for 18 people for four days—my partner Jasper and I using wheelbarrow and dolly, and volunteer Michael Neate using his bicycle trailer sans bicycle (they’re not allowed in the park) barely managed it. Sure, it’s wheelchair accessible; it’s also one of those trails that gets longer and hillier every time you do it!<br />
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We hired West Coast Helicopters to take us out to the Island in teams of four or five people per beach. We’d hoped to be able to hop from beach to beach and do a couple each, but found so much debris that we could have spent more than the hours we had just cleaning the three we chose to start with. We also found that, at low tide and in calm weather, there would have been no problem camping overnight on at least two of the beaches, so we could have planned a more extended cleanup.<br />
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I worked with Terry and Eric Grantner and Michael Neate on the first beach on which we landed a crew. Within three hours, we had bagged up four lift bags, one net bag and a huge string of floats. The helicopter returned with its hook on and removed our bags in two lifts. At this point, Mother Nature began interfering with our plans. When the helicopter returned, there was no hook in sight and we knew something was wrong. We climbed aboard and learned from our pilot, Paul Smith, that the weather was closing in fast and worse—he’d found his spare fuel contaminated with water. Facing two uncertainties, he’d elected to get the crews out as fast as possible. Looking at the ugly, dark cloud closing in from the north as we headed back to San Jo, I was happy for his good judgment!<br />
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Unfortunately, we’d been unable to communicate with one another on the VHF radios we’d brought—the headlands between the beaches were too much of a barrier. Each crew could communicate with the helicopter when it was within range, but that didn’t give the other two crews enough warning to be able to secure their bags to shore to await a later pickup. We were all concerned that a high tide would float them out, posing a hazard to navigation and to wildlife that might become entangled in the ropes securing the bags to one another. We waited uneasily through a drizzly night to find out what the morning would bring.<br />
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The next day must have dawned—the fog got brighter, at least—and I was certainly not expecting the helicopter that landed about 10:30 with the news that we could try to lift out some of the bags from the first expedition. Lanz and Cox were out of the question, however; a blank wall of sea fog obscured them from view.<br />
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Jodie, Michael and I were off to tend the lifts within minutes. We managed to get everything out of San Jo and all but one bag from Sea Otter before the pilot had to leave for another job. That left the Lowrie, Sea Otter and Cox Island loads stranded; we were out of budget and out of time with this crew of volunteers.<br />
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I have to break the continuity here to recall some acts of exceptional heroism. One of the net bags that left Sea Otter Cove looked like trouble from the minute it left the beach—the load of irregularly shaped plastics had become hung up in the net and wasn’t sitting in the bottom of it the way it should. That would place undue stress on the net and I feared it would tear. It didn’t; but what did happen was that the load fell into the bottom of the net and snapped the rope from which it was hanging just as the helicopter passed over our campsite!<br />
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Taking nothing away from the effort that everyone put into this expedition, I have to say that Marten Sims deserves special mention for getting into the water in San Jo Bay on a cool September day to attach a line to the bag. Nigel Marshall, too; when the line Marten was carrying proved too short for the job, he waded in behind Marten and between them, they recovered the bag intact. He, Wesley Piatocka and Cassy Bergeron packed the load out to the bins at the trailhead using the wheelbarrow and trailer, in two trips that left them exhausted. Kudos to them and to everyone who helped plan the recovery, warm up the swimmers and break down the load for packing out!<br />
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We packed up camp on the morning of September 8th. Returning to Sointula, I called Coast Guard to report a potential hazard to navigation, put out an urgent call for funding and a media release and began appealing to the public for help. And that’s where the amazing things started happening...<br />
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The Third Expedition</h2>
First, the Vancouver Aquarium called to say they had a little bit of tsunami debris funding left and they could help. On the strength of that and some generous donations from our supporters, I booked a helicopter and debris bins for the weekend of Sept 19th and 20th. Michael Neate and Jodie Bergeron volunteered to join me, as we expected to find our bags scattered by the tides and needing some man-handling to get them into position for lifting.<br />
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Just before I left, the Canadian Wildlife Service called to say they could purchase some helicopter time for us. And while I was up island waiting on the weather (again), the Cape Scott Wind farm called to say they would donate two hours’ of helicopter time. And then the sun came out, against all predictions.<br />
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We still ended up having to do the work over two days, when Saturday dawned quite soggy. The ceiling was high enough despite the rain, so we flew from West Coast’s Port McNeill base to our first stop near Hanson’s Lagoon, where I’d agreed to look for the kit of a shipwrecked sailor who had contacted me that week. He’d provided co-ordinates, so it took no time to locate the wreck and salvage his dry bags. The wreckage was too large to contemplate moving, so we stowed it above the high tide line.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS3ecqiiWoXuoB9nEjhdKs2Q2Y0qHOtvOZGS6pDcW3RH0BXwPPH0xZcI9TA7ACFnjzQuy6BwmXaQZlWg3nUnAG9-Lhc03aKNbRakyDI7vZKilq8ta2WnRoiVpO_dY8NuVArIHdOabMs4/s1600/IMG_0807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS3ecqiiWoXuoB9nEjhdKs2Q2Y0qHOtvOZGS6pDcW3RH0BXwPPH0xZcI9TA7ACFnjzQuy6BwmXaQZlWg3nUnAG9-Lhc03aKNbRakyDI7vZKilq8ta2WnRoiVpO_dY8NuVArIHdOabMs4/s320/IMG_0807.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>Shipwrecked sailboat near Hanson's Lagoon.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From there, we hooked up the bags at Lowrie Bay with no difficulty. The helicopter was a while coming back, though; and when it did, our pilot said the ceiling was lowering and so he’d hooked up the load at Sea Otter himself and dropped it; we were heading home. It was the lowest flying I ever hope to do, but very instructive: we were able to take a good, close look at all the pocket beaches south of Cape Scott and every one is full of debris!<br />
<br />
Sunday, the weather forecast changed dramatically and we were off—driving to San Jo Bay one more time. The pilot needed to sling fuel out to San Jo in order to be sure of having enough for the job, so we could not fly with him. We arranged to meet at the San Jo parking lot—if we were needed. Mike Aldersey, the base manager, was flying this job himself and he felt it would be most efficient if he went out alone and did the hookup. We were there as backup, if it proved we were needed to move the bags about.<br />
<br />
It did turn out that we were needed—after the first load, Mike landed to explain he had to have someone on the ground to help with the rest. But his helicopter was showing a warning light and we’d have to wait for another one from McNeill. That meant another pilot, who could be with Mike in the helicopter while they flew a load in—something he can’t legally do with passengers. We had to decide between doing two trips—one for passengers and one for debris—or letting them handle it themselves. Naturally we opted for the most efficient approach, although not without regret that we wouldn’t see Cox Island again this year.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9YSPjNDKnLQbeQaeCiZMp3nyxyuIFY8-aJVMuh46mEFYjBqZPJEyiSyLPh-jJxNxDLrZfDtWzx0LOpsNXR4nxzoVSKcC0owkBZlsln2mUU0TvWsS1anchj8AQD9FwiqnISUb-BGXq1k/s1600/IMG_0836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9YSPjNDKnLQbeQaeCiZMp3nyxyuIFY8-aJVMuh46mEFYjBqZPJEyiSyLPh-jJxNxDLrZfDtWzx0LOpsNXR4nxzoVSKcC0owkBZlsln2mUU0TvWsS1anchj8AQD9FwiqnISUb-BGXq1k/s320/IMG_0836.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>Marine debris in a bin.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We stayed to see two more 30-yard bins filled with the remaining debris, making four in total that we’d recovered. To give you an idea of the volume that represents, I figure I could park two of my Honda Civics in a bin lengthwise, and open the doors right up without touching the sides. They’re about eight feet tall. Stacked two and two, they’d be about the size of a small two-storey house. It’s amazing to think we recovered that much with the work of about 20 people over seven collection days; more amazing still to realize that there is easily 20 times that much still out there on Cox, Lanz and Vancouver Islands.<br />
<br />
Jodie Bergeron, Michael Neate, Ross Weaver and I sorted that last load for recyclables at the 7-Mile Landfill the next day. Thanks to the Regional District of Mount Waddington, we were not required to pay the tipping fees and received an accurate, weigh-scale total for our labours.Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0Mount Waddington B, BC, Canada50.67209461471225 -128.2798004150390650.631851614712254 -128.36048141503906 50.712337614712247 -128.19911941503906tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-87463361700206324122015-06-09T16:01:00.001-07:002015-07-27T14:55:35.787-07:00Salmon in the KitchenIf you love eating salmon but aren’t too sure about preparing it yourself, then you should sign up for the <a href="http://www.supersaas.com/schedule/Living_Oceans/Salmon_in_the_Kitchen_Workshops" target="_blank"><i>Salmon in the Kitchen</i> workshops</a> that Living Oceans is hosting this summer in Vancouver. You’ll get a hands-on opportunity to cook, fillet and can fresh salmon under the guidance of expert chefs. Included in the cost of each workshop are the salmon supplied by <a href="http://www.skipperotto.com/" target="_blank">Skipper Otto's Community Supported Fishery</a> delivered fresh off the boat right into downtown Vancouver. You get to take the filleted/cooked/canned fish home with you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgu5J3YYIeGu16ZBmhD_nG0g2aQT35LzsUlJ8uyklyPMNFSpsfibXO7KmJwRwNx7UWIPd_7clvvqecjiG50MMmkPdj9C-4bxf5KNKCjBiPBI9VNgQfIr1uXU1lw0PjoBuTkBME2f7kN4/s1600/filleting_sonia-strobel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Learning to fillet salmon." border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgu5J3YYIeGu16ZBmhD_nG0g2aQT35LzsUlJ8uyklyPMNFSpsfibXO7KmJwRwNx7UWIPd_7clvvqecjiG50MMmkPdj9C-4bxf5KNKCjBiPBI9VNgQfIr1uXU1lw0PjoBuTkBME2f7kN4/s400/filleting_sonia-strobel.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><i>Learning to fillet salmon. Photo: Sonia Strobel</i></span></td></tr>
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<h2>
Workshop details</h2>
<i><a href="http://www.supersaas.com/schedule/Living_Oceans/Salmon_in_the_Kitchen_Workshops" target="_blank">Register online for the workshops</a></i><b><i> </i></b><br />
<b>Cooking</b><br />
A
hands-on workshop that covers the basics and foundations of how to cook
with salmon. Recipes will be different for each workshop. The workshop
will include tastings for all participants and attendees will be sent
home with copies of the recipes.<br />
Maximum 8 participants per workshop. $52* per person per class.<br />
<ul>
<li>Tuesday, Aug. 18, 6:00 – 9:00 pm at Save On Meats, 43 W. Hastings St., Vancouver</li>
<li>Tuesday, Sept. 15, 6:00 – 9:00 pm at Save On Meats, 43 W. Hastings St., Vancouver</li>
</ul>
<b>Filleting</b><br />
Buying whole fish is often the most
economical, as long as you don’t butcher the fish! Come master your
knife skills in this hands-on workshop where you will get to fillet your
own fish and vacuum seal it to bring it home.<br />
Maximum 8 participants per workshop. $57* per person per class.<br />
<ul>
<li>Thursday, June 25, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at Save On Meats, 43 W. Hastings St., Vancouver</li>
<li>Thursday, July 16, 6:00 – 8:00 pm Save On Meats, 43 W. Hastings St., Vancouver</li>
</ul>
<b>Canning</b><br />
Canning salmon is one of the best ways to
preserve the ocean’s bounty for the winter months and this demo-style
workshop will teach you all the tricks of using a pressure canner.
Workshop participants will take home a step-by-step salmon canning guide
and a small jar of canned salmon.<br />
Maximum 12 participants per workshop. $32* per person per class.<br />
<ul>
<li>Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at Save On Meats, 43 W. Hastings St., Vancouver</li>
</ul>
<b>Smoking</b>There will also be two salmon smoking demo-style workshops in the fall. Details coming soon. <br />
<i>*$2 from the registration fee will go towards supporting
‘train-the-trainer’ workshops at local community kitchen spaces to help
increase cooking skills and capacity in vulnerable populations. </i><br />
<br />
Skipper Otto’s first started teaching people how to prepare salmon at Fisherman’s Wharf at Granville Island in Vancouver. Year after year the workshops have grown in popularity as people get more interested in eating locally and preparing their own gourmet meals. This year, they’re being held at the Save On Meats Community Kitchen at 43 W. Hastings.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stocksandbones.ca/" target="_blank">Doris Gnandt</a> and <a href="https://theurbanpocketknife.wordpress.com/canning-classes/" target="_blank">Serena Chu</a> will be the chefs guiding the workshop with Doris handling the cooking and filleting and Serena taking care of the canning sessions.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcOYU8fFqG5U_MZDGA2lBR4EbLnmB0QYzvLoeqUf7N4fq47MzBYsW5OxAm6P3k1AKgBP1yw95OOL_Rw99E0JFkHtmxh1m3jErR400XVErJhEtQewk7r0gjuYISsIAAlRAkCbRcaGiw-E/s1600/doris-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Doris Gnandt" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcOYU8fFqG5U_MZDGA2lBR4EbLnmB0QYzvLoeqUf7N4fq47MzBYsW5OxAm6P3k1AKgBP1yw95OOL_Rw99E0JFkHtmxh1m3jErR400XVErJhEtQewk7r0gjuYISsIAAlRAkCbRcaGiw-E/s200/doris-cropped.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY7SB-EaIkoyYcRQVL-__3DCGma7iTegIxGQitIw-OzUpO1Evj4ofWlFwVc_tOEftKq97sWYNKnlCYOkpLG3Uapnly8-UDf8N5qUYzH471V_XJAkQySi6kerudAVBY3cP_eOY8lSOaT8/s1600/serena-chu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Serena Chu" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY7SB-EaIkoyYcRQVL-__3DCGma7iTegIxGQitIw-OzUpO1Evj4ofWlFwVc_tOEftKq97sWYNKnlCYOkpLG3Uapnly8-UDf8N5qUYzH471V_XJAkQySi6kerudAVBY3cP_eOY8lSOaT8/s200/serena-chu.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><i>Doris Gnandt (left) believes you should cook from the heart and it shows in her filleting and cooking demos. Serena Chu (right) likes to make things that are irresistibly tasty but actually healthy!</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/111477502" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Skipper Otto’s filleter extraordinaire Rumi Hokubay practices the
traditional Japanese method of filleting called San-Mai Ni Orosu.
Participants in the Filleting Salmon workshops will get to fillet their own fish, vacuum seal it and bring it home! </i></span></span></div>
<br />
The Salmon in the Kitchen workshop series creates community around—and awareness of—our local fisheries. Most of the fresh, local, sustainable fish caught by fishermen on the South Coast is exported or sent directly to high-end restaurants. As a result, over 80% of the seafood bought in Vancouver is imported. By teaching people the skills and knowledge about local seafood and how to handle it, we increase the value of the fishery to the local community. This in turn makes the local seafood supply chain more resilient and lends to increased food security in our community. <br />
<br />
The workshops aren’t all work though. There’s a lot of fun involved too. And food. If you attend the Cooking with Salmon workshop don’t eat a big dinner beforehand, as you’ll need a good appetite to taste the recipes you’ll be cooking. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qoTbEFvv83JSkMSpgNYqOuOZDMCCL1LTaC6UT9IwzJd-kKy8K3He2H9tn15-ScnmcE2L6mtoU0P9Tlv-HcAPo0A9JOHvJ_glTvfIbhyQqrXQNRFnIYGwktC2VVS55Z7mavrly_UaU90/s1600/Wendy-Davis_First-Canning-of-2012_Sointula_BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="canned salmon" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qoTbEFvv83JSkMSpgNYqOuOZDMCCL1LTaC6UT9IwzJd-kKy8K3He2H9tn15-ScnmcE2L6mtoU0P9Tlv-HcAPo0A9JOHvJ_glTvfIbhyQqrXQNRFnIYGwktC2VVS55Z7mavrly_UaU90/s400/Wendy-Davis_First-Canning-of-2012_Sointula_BC.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="color: #444444;"><i>At the Canning with Salmon workshop participants will learn the basics
of how to use a pressure canner, receive a step-by-step guide to
reference later, and be able to take home one jar of canned salmon. Photo: Wendy Davis</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We are grateful to our local partners and sponsor – Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery, Save on Meats, Vancity enviroFund, and the Vancouver Foundation Greenest City Fund.<br />
<br />Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-54564308781512174232015-06-07T15:00:00.000-07:002015-06-07T15:02:31.738-07:00Take a deep breath, take pride and then take action <i>By Karin Bodtker </i><br />
<br />
Today, on Oceans Day, I invite you to think about your connection to the ocean. Everyone has a connection to the ocean. For me the ocean is deep—in more ways that one! When I was in my early twenties and lived close to beach, a solo walk along the seashore would allow me to revel in my emotions—which were dynamic, intense, pushing and pulling me one way and another. Perhaps the action of the waves soaked up some of the intensity (as I said, I was in my early twenties) and I felt able to carry on.<br />
<br />
These days I think my connection has a much more scientific edge to it (this is safer territory). I know that Canada’s ocean ‘estate’ is roughly 70% as big as its land-based estate. As Canadians, we can certainly be proud of the magnitude of our oceans and the awe inspiring seascapes that surround our country. No matter where we live in Canada, rivers and waterways connect all our homes to one of Canada’s three oceans.<br />
<br />
Now take a deep breath and say a word of thanks to the ocean. Every other breath you take comes from the ocean because the oceans’ plants produce half of the world’s oxygen. That’s a pretty necessary connection for all of us. How do we ensure this connection persists and our oceans stay healthy? One way is through Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs are ocean places that are set aside like parks, providing sanctuary for individual species and entire food-webs so they can recover and thrive. They’re like an insurance policy. Take a moment to <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/connecting-canadians" target="_blank">tour a few protected areas</a> (one in each province) that showcase some of Canada’s spectacular wildlife and connect us to the oceans. Revel in the beauty, feel the pride; after all, it’s Oceans Day!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://http//www.livingoceans.org/maps/connecting-canadians" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqX51nb3XjfCZb96NqeqhvflcVoM4UCQr-j9axa5KRUFL0z3AcDHrE7nbhAMXuKjgl46RUk5xwf9OEQSRa7KxmEhIFTpBtod2nZ373D4zIxy7iEWCcHz9crE5o5d-0aVnr3wyeYewXqDg/s400/mpaStoryMap_ESRI_screenshot.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://http//www.livingoceans.org/maps/connecting-canadians" target="_blank"><i>Connecting Canadians is our new interactive map that shows how the ocean touches every province and territory in Canada. Healthy oceans matter in Eyebrow, Saskatchewan... and everywhere else in Canada, too!</i></a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Currently, only 3.4% of the global ocean is in protected areas, compared to 15.4% of the world’s terrestrial and inland water areas. However, it’s higher (8.4%) if you consider only marine areas within national jurisdiction (e.g., exclusive economic zones)<sup>1</sup>. When we look at Canada’s record, we get a bit of a shock – less than 1% of Canada’s oceans are protected. Still proud of Canada? Browse through our new maps to see <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/connecting-canadians" target="_blank">all the MPAs</a> or check the <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/canadas-marine-bioregions-protection-status-2015" target="_blank">protection status</a> for each of Canada’s 12 marine bioregions.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/how-protected-are-canadas-oceans" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/how-protected-are-canadas-oceans" border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaB13nZxVC0aN8atZzGnW7y23H55ZZPcL4De1PueDnEdYt2rvkyHi4yCNSxBUGp8IZaSgl3yelLjYPhLt4e_arBvvNDso3zNEP7_ZGNnbSxLHHOEZv9x7Jd_1vw0nIWUs_XR0FKOaeQw/s200/how-protected_thumb.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/canadas-marine-bioregions-protection-status-2015" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/canadas-marine-bioregions-protection-status-2015" border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiOr9tMQEd35i0D7bHDa2JF7rP-Bx9RJyc58qY0ZIr1M9RvIHztOk0NFOt7D2KQcGpdfYnUAnoqg9tBEWZfU1eVPS04qcqtxKvVOndtctR2aIycUSt0uhcwX3MDGCFqA4UNfIV2Jdzeo/s200/bioregion-map_thumb.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
What about connections between protected areas? That’s the way to really make protected areas efficient; build a network. In 2011, Canada released a National Framework for Canada's Network of Marine Protected Areas, a document to guide design of networks of MPAs. That was four years ago, and guess where all the newly designed networks are? Nowhere. That’s right, no networks completed yet. Where’s your sense of pride now?<br />
<br />
A few days ago, Living Oceans along with five other conservation organizations, delivered a <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/parking/action/MPA-recommendations-2015.pdf" target="_blank">set of MPA recommendations</a> to every single Member of our Parliament. We are urging the federal government to step up the pace on marine protection. This Oceans Day, please <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/action/seal-the-deal" target="_blank">take action</a> and add your name to the list of those who support a more robust insurance policy for our oceans.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1. These stats come from the Protected Planet Report of 2014 from the United
Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC),
so I trust them.</span>Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-78023522226914139872015-04-14T11:36:00.000-07:002015-04-14T11:37:20.096-07:00English Bay Oil Spill Response is Instructive<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXB7DhqdaHdZS56jhivog9HxQGWg3cfAXkL0drIoCUp5FJM87_M8185vspVwfj3lDXtQh0LtmmvN5puOe0ohaFvpxjT-JTfAEMcbRgk7DvjyimVmA7zWRVlzRj7aTr6dsDIFvsoPSZso/s1600/Marathassa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXB7DhqdaHdZS56jhivog9HxQGWg3cfAXkL0drIoCUp5FJM87_M8185vspVwfj3lDXtQh0LtmmvN5puOe0ohaFvpxjT-JTfAEMcbRgk7DvjyimVmA7zWRVlzRj7aTr6dsDIFvsoPSZso/s1600/Marathassa.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The grain freighter Marathassa at anchor in English Bay, surrounded by a boom the day after it leaked an estimated 2,700 litres of bunker fuel into the ocean.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you ever wondered what the federal government really meant by “World Class” oil spill response, now you know. The English Bay spill on April 8 proved out a lot of the <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/media/releases/living-oceans-reacts-federal-governments-tanker-safety-announcement" target="_blank">criticisms that Living Oceans has been making about spill preparedness in B.C,</a> yet to listen to federal government pronouncements, you’d think the response was perfection itself. This, then, is a world class spill response.<br />
<br />
The Coast Guard has spared no effort to praise its own efforts and those of Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, the oil-company owned outfit contracted to pick up the oil. Commissioner Jody Thomas in “enormously pleased”; Assistant Commissioner Roger Girouard says the response was by the book and advised the CBC on April 11 that only about six litres of oil remained in English Bay. Girouard maintained that 80% of the oil had been cleaned up by skimmers working the water’s surface. "You don't contain 80 per cent of a spill inside 36 hours and call that inadequate," he said. "I will not accept that definition of my team." <br />
<br />
On the response time, Commissioner Thomas was very specific: "Within 25 minutes of notification, we were on the water. And with [Western Canada Marine Response Corporation], we worked through the night to skim the water and boom the ship."<br />
<br />
The only statement above that is entirely correct and complete is that the response was by the book, which is to say that the WCMRC was on the scene with recovery equipment within the time prescribed by Transport Canada. From the handbook: “[I]n Port Metro Vancouver it is required that WCMRC maintain a dedicated package of equipment that is capable of responding to a 150 tonne spill within 6 hours.” The fact that they didn’t actually deploy their booms until somewhere between midnight and 2:00 a.m. takes them a little outside that response time, but hey, they couldn’t figure out where the oil was coming from.<br />
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Clearly, a textbook spill response will result in the oiling of Vancouver’s beaches, as it has here. This was said to be a two-tonne spill (2700 litres); Kinder Morgan’s idea of a “credible worst case” spill is 10,000 tonnes, just to put the question of beach oiling in perspective.<br />
<br />
But what about the size of the spill and the “80% cleanup”? By April 13, Coast Guard was admitting that the spill size estimate they were using was a conservative estimate made by flying over the area to determine the spill’s visible dimensions and multiplying that by estimated spill thickness. That sounds quite reasonable, unless you knew from the time of the initial report at 5:05 p.m. on Wednesday that much of the oil was already under water and thus invisible from the air.<br />
<br />
Rob O’Dea, a sailor who reported the spill, said, “… it was an oil slick about ½ km long and 250 m wide. The surface was covered with a blue sheen and just beneath the surface there were globules of oil by the thousands per square metre. They were within the top few inches of the water… Some were the size of a pea, many were the size of a fist.” <br />
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And where was it coming from? Rob apparently had no difficulty figuring that out: “When we passed by the stern of the offending freighter there were larger, sticky globs of black goo a meter long and as thick as your arm. Oil was everywhere at and below the surface. The crew of the ship were madly trying to load 50 gallon drums from a small boat onto the ship while at the same time they were dropping small pails over the side of the ship and hauling up water. It was a keystone cops kind of scene and the Port Metro boat passed by in close proximity but did not intervene.” (That Port Metro boat is apparently the one that “we” had on the water “within 25 minutes”; Rob says it showed up about 6 pm. WCMRC wasn’t there at 8 pm when he decided to go in.)<br />
<br />
Unconfined oil will spread to a thickness of about 0.4 mm. Sticky globs of black goo a metre long and as thick as your arm don’t. Yet there was Girouard, insisting that “physics tells us that it will float” (a direct quote, by the way, from one of Enbridge’s experts at the hearings on the Northern Gateway Pipeline hearings) and reporting on the reductions in surface oil as if it were all that required response.<br />
<br />
The truth is that nobody will ever accurately estimate how much oil spilled, given that within a very short time after the spill, so much of it submerged beneath the water’s surface. The water in English Bay right now will be low in salinity and high in suspended particles because of the plume coming out of the Fraser River and those are the ideal conditions for sinking the oil into the water column, perhaps even to the bottom. We may be finding tarballs from this spill washing ashore for years to come.<br />
<br />
As recently as two years ago, Coast Guard had a dedicated spill response vessel and a trained crew at the [former] Kitsilano base who, according to retired Coast Guard Capt. Tony Toxopeus, could have responded within an hour and perhaps contained the surface spill before it hit the beaches. “They’re downplaying it to such a degree it’s shameful, it’s terrible, it’s dishonest,” Toxopeus said.<br />
<br />
“There was a 40-foot boat that was purpose built for oil pollution response,” said Toxopeus, adding the base also had 150 metres of Kepner self-inflating boom, 150 metres of 24-inch fence boom, 30 metres of oil absorbant boom, a skimmer and absorbant pads. “That was probably the best equipped station on the B.C. coast.”<br />
<br />
Even that equipment would have been inadequate to respond to submerged oil, which could pass under the floating booms and travel with the current. Note that this was bunker C oil, carried by nearly every vessel in the Port. It’s much like the bitumen that Kinder Morgan wants to ship—a heavy oil, given to forming dense, sticky mats and globs, rather than just spreading on the surface.<br />
<br />
In summary, “World Class” oil spill response apparently means critically disabling the ability of Coast Guard to respond to spills in the harbour of the B.C. city most liable to experience an oil spill and denying that you did so; handing the task over to a corporation owned by the oil companies themselves; and legislating response times that are clearly inadequate to protect the Greenest City from beach oiling. Add in the power of the federal government’s communications machine to spin the facts—80% recovery, 25 minutes to have “a boat in the water” and “physics tells us it will float”—and repeat ad nauseum that you’re doing an excellent job. <br />
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I don’t buy it and judging by the public response, neither do most in Vancouver.<br />
<br />Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-50174700899048929192015-03-13T10:22:00.003-07:002015-03-13T14:45:27.037-07:00MPAs Work Together for Healthy Oceans and CommunitiesCanada is part of a global effort to ensure that at least 10% of our oceans are in marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2020, but we currently only protect <a href="http://cpaws.org/uploads/CPAWS_DareDeep2020_final.pdf" target="_blank">1.3% of our total ocean estate</a>. MPAs are management areas that are put in place to protect species, habitat, and heritage sites—like the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia. They are a designated place in the ocean where human activities are regulated and restricted to reduce our impact on the ocean and coastline.<br />
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MPAs can have different designs, protection levels and management structures. The most effective ocean conservation areas around the world have high human use restrictions but the level of use in them can vary. For example, one MPA may not allow any human entry at all, while another may allow ecotourism activities like kayaking and diving, but no extractive activities such as fishing. In order for these regulations to work, there must be effective enforcement of the rules by authority figures like park wardens or fisheries officers. MPAs should ideally be large in size, but sizes may vary depending on which habitat or animal is in need of protection. Research has shown that the most successful MPAs have been established for a long time, since it can take decades for animals and habitats to reproduce and thrive. They also tend to do best when set in an isolated place away from <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature13022.html" target="_blank">human pressures and conflicts</a>. Understandably, some MPAs can’t have all of these features but we must aim for as many as possible in order to effectively protect the marine environment. When successful MPAs are put in place, they conserve our oceans and help maintain and improve the coastal economies that rely on them.<br />
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A couple of great examples of MPAs in British Columbia are the Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents Marine Protected Area and the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve & Haida Heritage Site. It’s wonderful that B.C. has some marine protected areas but it’s not enough. Currently less than 3% of B.C.’s marine environment is protected. We need more parks. In fact, we need an entire network of MPAs. <br />
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Recently, the federal government released the <a href="http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/planning/marineprotection-protectionmarine/bc-mpa/docs/ENG_BC_MPA_LOWRES.PDF" target="_blank"><i>Canada – British Columbia Marine Protected Area Network Strategy</i></a> which provides guidance for the design of marine protected areas along the Pacific coast, and is a step towards increasing Canada’s current level of marine protection. A network of MPAs is a collection of different sized parks with various levels of protection that are spaced close enough to one another to allow marine species to move between them. Studies from around the world have shown that networks of ocean parks can provide benefits to entire marine ecosystems while also balancing important social, economic and cultural human needs.<br />
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Not only would the entire Pacific marine ecosystem off the coast of B.C. benefit from a network of MPAs but so would the coastal communities that rely on the ocean. Benefits would include more local and sustainable jobs on the coast, better food security, protection of recreational, heritage and traditional sites, as well as increased <a href="http://www.sfu.ca/coastal/research-series/listing/marine-protected-area-network-design-features-that-support--resi.html" target="_blank">ocean conservation and education about the marine environment</a>. <br />
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Although the federal government has released an MPA network strategy for B.C., we need to see movement towards establishing these parks. The province and participating First Nations are already on their way to releasing and implementing marine plans for part of the B.C. coast, through the co-lead Marine Planning Partnership for the North Pacific Coast (MaPP) planning process. Set to be released later this spring, these marine plans are a solid basis for the Canadian government to work off of to begin establishing a network of federal MPAs in B.C. Taking the research and recommended marine protection areas from the MaPP plans and enhancing them to the federal level will ensure that MPAs are established to maintain and improve what is needed for healthy oceans and coastal communities and begin building a better future for our coast.Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-23534916386340318292015-02-19T12:51:00.001-08:002015-02-20T14:26:19.791-08:00Cohen Commission recommendations gather dust while salmon farm applications keep on comingBy now there must be half an inch of dust atop the Cohen Commission’s report on the plight of the Fraser River sockeye as it languishes on some forgotten bookshelf in an Ottawa backroom. How else to explain the total disregard for the commission’s findings? Surely the salmon farmers’ recollections of Justice Cohen’s recommendations have grown hazy since 2012 when the findings were released. Stewart Hawthorn, the Managing Director of Grieg Seafood BC, wrote in a <a href="http://www.campbellrivermirror.com/opinion/letters/290977591.html?fb_action_ids=10153047147239618&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582" target="_blank">letter to the Campbell River Mirror</a> that the Cohen report “provides further evidence that salmon farming and wild salmon stocks can live well together.” Well, not quite. The government closed the Discovery Islands to increased finfish aquaculture until at least 2020 due to concerns that open net-pen salmon farms were impacting Fraser River sockeye migrating through this area. <br />
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No matter. Mr. Hawthorn’s letter was an invitation to an open house his company was holding to promote two new salmon farm applications in Clio Channel in the Broughton Archipelago. The Discovery Islands are immediately south of the Broughton; the same fish pass through both areas. The letter invited readers “to come and meet our staff, ask questions and provide comments.”<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/parking/action/ff_griegApplications_jan2015_vSocialMedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/parking/action/ff_griegApplications_jan2015_vSocialMedia.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Proposed site of new Grieg Seafood salmon farms.</i></td></tr>
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On the afternoon of February 10th over 70 people from the small village of Sointula decided to take Mr. Hawthorn up on his offer. They got into a whale watching boat and crossed Broughton Strait to stand shoulder to shoulder in a small room in a Port McNeill hotel where Grieg Seafood was holding the open house. Also at the open house were representatives from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and the British Columbia government. I wouldn’t go so far as to say things got out of hand, but the Sointulians were not pleased about the idea of Grieg cramming about one million farmed salmon into 26 net-cages, each measuring three by 30 metres, into a channel less than 1.5 km wide that serves as a migration route for wild salmon smolts heading to the ocean.<br />
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i>The Grieg Seafood open house in Port McNeill was well attended by coastal residents opposed to more open net-cage salmon farms.</i></td></tr>
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Maybe Mr. Hawthorn’s staff weren’t expecting folks would actually show up to get a few things off their chests. But there are a lot of people in the Broughton that depend on a healthy ocean to make their living. And there are already 29 open net-cage salmon farms in the archipelago dumping feces, fish food and sea lice into the ocean. People from Sointula know what the score is and what’s at stake. <br />
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One fishermen at the meeting asked why Grieg was allowed to kill off the wild salmon for free. Another pointed out that the existing farms are essentially unregulated by DFO. Someone else pointed out that the drugs Grieg uses to kill sea lice in the farms also kill prawns and shrimp. A nearby lodge owner said that the farms are turning the area into an industrial zone. You get the idea. One woman summed the mood up nicely: “Put your damned farms on land or go back to Norway!” <br />
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<a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/action/help-us-stop-two-new-salmon-farms-endangering-the-broughton-archipelago" target="_blank">Now you can weigh in too</a>. Here’s the situation in a nutshell. Grieg Seafood want to convert two shellfish aquaculture tenures to salmon farms. No environmental impact assessment of the two new farms has been done, even though finfish farms have very different impacts from shellfish farms. This is the first time that the salmon farming industry has asked to transfer tenures from shellfish to finfish. If they are granted approval it could open the floodgates to other shellfish tenures being converted to salmon farms—and there are a lot of unused shellfish tenures on the B.C. coast right now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/parking/action/ff_griegApplications_clamBeds_jan2015_v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/parking/action/ff_griegApplications_clamBeds_jan2015_v2.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i>The proposed salmon farms are close to intertidal shellfish beds that
are exposed to water flows from the farms. These clam beds are important
to First Nations and others in the area. </i></td></tr>
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We have reviewed the applications and feel strongly that they should not be approved for a number of reasons including that they do not comply with the government’s own criteria:<br />
<ul>
<li>The farms would be too close to salmon bearing streams, vital herring spawning areas, and shellfish beds. </li>
<li>They are also in close proximity to not only one another but also an already established salmon farm at Bennett Point, which could create navigational issues in Clio Channel. </li>
</ul>
DFO admits there are <a href="http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/CSAS/Csas/Publications/SAR-AS/2009/2009_071_e.pdf" target="_blank">gaps in its knowledge</a> regarding finfish aquaculture, such as the effects from pesticides, antifoulants, disinfectants, drugs within feces and risk of pathogen transfer to wild fish. Herring spawning in this area are vital to the rich ecosystem,
supporting whales, seals, birds, fish, etc. that in turn support the
economies of Sointula and other northern Vancouver Island communities
with industries like wildlife viewing, kayaking, boating, diving as well
as recreational and commercial fishing.<br />
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We’ve laid out our argument in an <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/action/help-us-stop-two-new-salmon-farms-endangering-the-broughton-archipelago" target="_blank">action alert</a> on the Living Oceans web site. You’ll see links there to the B.C. government’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations web site where you can submit your thoughts about Grieg’s new farms before February 24th. You can also send a message to Grieg from the action alert directly if you’d like to get a few things off your chest. Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-87147137478284797332014-11-18T16:03:00.000-08:002014-11-18T16:03:13.940-08:00How to Sort the Wheat from the Chaff in the High-Stakes Game of Canadian Voter Approval<br />The next few months should see a marked increase in the amount of media coverage and advertising attacking opponents of pipeline and tanker projects, according to leaked documents obtained by our colleagues at Greenpeace. “Promote. Respond. Pressure,” reads the 3-part strategy of U.S. public relations firm Edelman, whose leaked strategy for increasing Canadians’ acceptance of TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline includes the creation of fake grassroots groups in support of the pipeline and a variety of tactics to divert the resources of opponents from the issues.<br />
<br />Edelman’s point person on the file is D.C.-based Michael Krempasky, whose past works include promoting the U.S. “Tea Party”, Walmart and the Koch brothers’ interests in general. Other team members include some of the brains behind climate change denial propaganda. It is not surprising that the techniques to watch for will be familiar to anyone acquainted with the above campaigns:<br />
<br />1) Astroturfing: Jargon for the creation of fake grassroots support groups, this technique has been employed in countless campaigns in Canada and the U.S. Look for groups with names like, “Canadians for Job Security” or “Families for the Future”; names seeking to evoke immediate identification with shared Canadian values. If the message sounds oddly supportive of the petrostate, check to see who funds the group and when they were started. Real grassroots groups usually tell you this on their websites.<br />
<br />2) Third party endorsements: Sadly, they’re going to try to use university professors, again (borrowed tactic from the tobacco lobby). When tobacco propaganda was at its zenith, it was almost impossible to tell who was on the payroll—that only came out later. New voices entering the public debate, especially to criticize the work of civil society organizations speaking out against tarsands development, should be carefully scrutinized to see if that person has a credible history of research and publication on the subject.<br />
<br />3) Diversion tactics: The most effective, in terms of wasting scarce charitable resources, are lawsuits and complaints to regulatory authorities such as Revenue Canada. Since the federal government is currently all tooled up for extra auditing of charities, I would expect a few complaints to be filed. Lawsuits such as the one recently filed by Kinder Morgan against activists on Burnaby Mountain are also often effective in suppressing criticism and wearing down the opposition.<br />
<br />It is no co-incidence that this campaign is set to roll out in advance of the Canadian federal election next year. With the dollar plummeting along with the price of oil, there will be a concerted effort to convince Canadian voters that the petrostate is not the cause of the problem, but our salvation. Come what may, consider the source and follow the money.<br />Karen Wristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11807077712737068512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-5845844735213693502014-10-20T14:13:00.000-07:002014-10-20T14:22:45.603-07:00Simushir: Lessons Learned?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBO3YmMbrHsbCbOxXXaDDBOvkh4TnzECNHEqGCUw41ien6uuoy2H0vfcohRTTUWPLoK835hptPeK3IewkyozPoJdg3ra3xDFdlKf8vLNT9p4ehcQ6Hp2i-7zidoFlN8KYOenRnPJ3eG1s/s1600/simushir_DND-Maritme-Forces-Pacific.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>By Karen Wristen<br />
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I was glued to the computer all weekend, watching the agonizingly slow progress of the tugs steaming out to the west coast of Haida Gwaii, to rescue the disabled container ship Simushir. Early Friday, it was reported that the ship had lost power only 19 nautical miles off the coast of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Cultural Area, in heavy seas with winds gusting up to 75 kph.<br />
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The National Park Reserve is one of this coast’s treasures. From an ecological perspective, it is an area of incredible biodiversity. Off the west coast, the ocean floor drops away sharply to depths of over 760 meters, while near shore, the continental shelf is home to rich kelp forests and eelgrass beds. These two, quite different ecosystems existing in such proximity mean the region is home to creatures from the deepest ocean right through to the skies—millions of seabirds either live there or use it as a rest stop in their long migrations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Map of Haida Gwaii habitats at risk</i></td></tr>
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The sad legacy of past oil spills is that we’re learning more every day about how oil affects different species and the news is not good. The iconic oiled seabird is just the tip of the iceberg: long term and genetic damage has now been linked to oil exposures for species as diverse as birds, otters and whales. There was a lot riding on the wind and waves this weekend; and on the progress of the several tugs headed for the Simushir.<br />
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The Simushir was carrying about 400 tonnes of bunker C fuel as well as some diesel. That’s not much, compared with the supertankers that are proposed for this coast; but it was still enough to lay waste to the west coast of Haida Gwaii. Carried along on the Alaska current, the oil would have worked its way northward, oiling steep rocky shores and the innumerable inlets and bays along this rugged coast.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Russian-flagged container ship <i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Simushir </span></i>was first reported adrift 19
km off Gowgaia Bay, South Moresby Island (Gwaii Haanas). Photo: DND Pacific Maritime Command</span></i></div>
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“Cleanup” would have been impossible in these conditions—with 4-6 meter seas and high winds, none of the conventional oil spill response equipment could have been deployed effectively. Booms would have been useless against the waves crashing ashore. Most of the oil would come ashore, fouling habitat before anything could be done. The area is far too remote and rugged to contemplate deploying crews to attempt to remove oil from the rocks and beaches.<br />
<br />
Against this scenario, the Simushir was helpless. The nearest tug proved, happily, to be just 17 hours away and that was the Coast Guard’s Gordon Reid—a patrol vessel underpowered to tow a vessel the size of Simushir. And remember, Simushir is less than a third the size of a supertanker. The Gordon Reid might have been anywhere on the coast that day; it is pure luck that it was in Hartley Bay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju79xC5cfdeP5LoXVN7clvng7HKa39qVSjSuUpeCcW-RZ_fqcz3fcpWFX67ZvzpTjD8r4NJwRZYatPQHk5X4p7BzD3kvKK01M-x6xq8x6qPOqaHPMwdydMQxob-VwsWUcUyvtDJt6EoJM/s1600/CCGS_Gordon_Reid_off_Ross_Bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju79xC5cfdeP5LoXVN7clvng7HKa39qVSjSuUpeCcW-RZ_fqcz3fcpWFX67ZvzpTjD8r4NJwRZYatPQHk5X4p7BzD3kvKK01M-x6xq8x6qPOqaHPMwdydMQxob-VwsWUcUyvtDJt6EoJM/s1600/CCGS_Gordon_Reid_off_Ross_Bay.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Gordon Reid</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I have nothing but respect and gratitude for what the crew of the Gordon Reid accomplished, with an underpowered boat and tow lines too light for the job. In that awful weather, they managed to get tow lines aboard the Simushir on three separate occasions, only to see them snap under the enormous strain of wind and waves. Nevertheless, they managed to put a little more sea room between the ship and shore, giving the crew some respite from an experience that was surely harrowing.<br />
<br />
Still, the Canadian boats were forced to stand by and watch, waiting for an American commercial tug to put the vessel under tow. It was again pure luck that the tug Barbara Foss was heading into Prince Rupert when the emergency unfolded: the tug is usually stationed in Juan de Fuca Strait. Had it not been for this good fortune, the Simushir would have had to await a rescue tug from Alaska.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghr-pAbrJ2q7PXgMRlPawXFLhjCGl8Sxf5Clfmv666ZEUCVdAd_GH1lKBjOrRmKs6GdViWpzG9l2_6-L65hvtpC2BcImvpOS9JMvvaEFA8moZCNPChvb7HxMGFCruyg9r7r7x5eyLhqQ0/s1600/Barbara_Foss_at_Neah_Bay4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghr-pAbrJ2q7PXgMRlPawXFLhjCGl8Sxf5Clfmv666ZEUCVdAd_GH1lKBjOrRmKs6GdViWpzG9l2_6-L65hvtpC2BcImvpOS9JMvvaEFA8moZCNPChvb7HxMGFCruyg9r7r7x5eyLhqQ0/s1600/Barbara_Foss_at_Neah_Bay4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Barbara Foss</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Leaving Rupert by mid-day Friday, the Barbara Foss encountered Hecate Strait on one of its bad days: 6-8 meter waves and a southeast wind that blew fitfully in the 30-40 knot range, according to Environment Canada. It took the high-powered tug until Sunday to reach the drifting vessel and during all of that time, the Simushir remained at risk from a change in the wind.<br />
<br />
A south or southeast wind was keeping the Simushir offshore for most of Friday, but when storms of this intensity blow through they generally bring changing wind patterns. A shift to westerly was predicted and that would have driven the ship toward shore. Depending on wind speed, the Gordon Reid might, or might not, have been able to keep her off the rocks. The best they’d been able to do when towing with the wind was 1.5-2 knots. It’s unlikely that they’d have made any headway at all towing against the wind.<br />
<br />
Tugs like the Barbara Foss are expensive and the crew’s training is highly specialized for ocean rescue and ship salvage. In years past, it may have been good sense for Canada to rely on our neighbour to provide rescue services—they were the ones with the commercial vessel traffic that needed the rescue capacity and so why not let them pay for it, and borrow it when needed? But the volume of shipping passing through Canadian waters has increased dramatically over the past decade and capacity to respond to it has not. If anything, capacity has been decreased by federal cuts to Coast Guard.<br />
<br />
To be clear, we have never had towing capacity for ships of the size that now regularly ply our waters. Response times being what they are from the U.S., it is now clear that we need that capacity. It’s also clear that we need some public dialogue on where to locate any new tug. I would vote for Haida Gwaii—it’s right on the shipping route and closest to the worst waters on our coast.<br />
<br />
In addition to a salvage tug, we need:<br />
<ul>
<li>Agreement on “places of refuge”—protected areas where ships in distress can shelter, potentially putting those areas at risk of a spill;</li>
<li>A legislated zone of protection, through which ships do not pass—wide enough to ensure that if they lose power like the Simushir did, they cannot drift into shore before a tug can get to them;</li>
<li>Investment in recruitment and training for coast guard rescue capacity; and</li>
<li>A ban on oil tankers on the North Coast.</li>
</ul>
Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-47669831121273060002014-10-17T11:40:00.000-07:002014-10-17T11:40:28.305-07:00New ways to pay for MPAsMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) are ocean places that are set aside like parks and are one of the most effective methods to conserve and protect the ocean. <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/initiatives/ocean-planning/issues/marine-protected-areas" target="_blank">MPA</a>s provide sanctuary for sea life so that food-webs can recover and thrive. When planned and managed effectively, MPAs shield ecosystems from harmful human practices such as destructive fishing practices, offshore oil and gas drilling and other industrial activities; coastal and estuarine areas serve as carbon sinks that can mitigate the impacts of climate change; they benefit the economies of coastal communities through businesses such as marine tourism and sustainable fisheries.<br />
<br />If we hope to keep benefiting from the ocean and its resources then we need to come up with ways to pay for the cost of establishing and managing MPAs over the long term.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Canada falls short</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q80ZdKLT00NlI7kWLv2cRnyuLMNJGEC47WNJHQbR2cphv3Fj9RfRyW_UMOczykFln8tILFqhtl6Sg58I7WsmubBeY3_WRuGh7ePlQvkMOe_3aLwBUN2MS1JAtURgHeSsLbcY74dspO0/s1600/mpa_webGraphics_oct2014_v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q80ZdKLT00NlI7kWLv2cRnyuLMNJGEC47WNJHQbR2cphv3Fj9RfRyW_UMOczykFln8tILFqhtl6Sg58I7WsmubBeY3_WRuGh7ePlQvkMOe_3aLwBUN2MS1JAtURgHeSsLbcY74dspO0/s1600/mpa_webGraphics_oct2014_v2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
Canada maintains an international commitment through the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect ten percent of our national waters. Yet nationally, only one percent of our oceans and Great Lakes fall within a federally designated MPAs; on Canada’s Pacific coast, slightly more than three percent of the ocean is protected by MPAs.<br />
<br />In 2013 the Green Budget coalition estimated that the Government of Canada needed to invest a minimum of $35 million every year for three years in order to establish MPAs in five percent of Canada’s oceans. In June 2014 the government countered with a one-time investment of $37m to establish MPAs on all three coasts. Clearly there is a significant gap between the funds the federal government is willing to invest in MPAs and what is required to keep our oceans healthy and coastal communities prosperous. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Financing options for MPAs</h3>
Without government funding for MPAs, where will the money come from to support and maintain health oceans? Other countries have experimented with innovative financing mechanisms in support of marine protected areas and with enormous potential benefits at stake, Canada should be open to evaluating alternate financing models too. <br />
<br />Living Oceans evaluated a handful of supplementary or alternate financing options. These alternate models include: <br />• public private partnerships<br />• private donations <br />• user fees<br />• payments for ecosystem services<br />• community-based management <br />• selling offsets<br /><br />All of these alternate funding strategies have potential to contribute to the protection of Canada’s oceans—but many of them have significant costs too. All of them require a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis before being proposed or adopted as financing tools for specific MPAs in Canada. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j_2c27tKLDS5CZj5W-PdnrZLVaJKzJkite7ltIn1256TQayHXXirHsGDQNgTVaKLVvvBsIgn1U1OgDa1vTVw9J3euE6P0PA8xOi3WVfRGhWOYB6XB7u04N8e_5RveG8GqIpE0ldljxE/s1600/sustainable-financing-options-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j_2c27tKLDS5CZj5W-PdnrZLVaJKzJkite7ltIn1256TQayHXXirHsGDQNgTVaKLVvvBsIgn1U1OgDa1vTVw9J3euE6P0PA8xOi3WVfRGhWOYB6XB7u04N8e_5RveG8GqIpE0ldljxE/s1600/sustainable-financing-options-cover.jpg" height="200" width="155" /></a></div>
<br />To find out more about the MPA funding options please download our new report: <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/media/reports-publications/sustainable-financing-options-marine-protected-area-network-british" target="_blank">Sustainable Financing Options for a Marine Protected Area Network in British Columbia</a>.<br />Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-35833933589252483832014-10-15T10:42:00.001-07:002014-10-16T08:41:38.344-07:00Another Swipe at Charities<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
This time it’s the Province of B.C. trying to gag us, with a
new “Societies Act” containing a section that invites anyone to sue us if they
think we’re not acting in the public interest.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Acting in the public interest is not actually my job. Mine
is to advocate for protection for the ocean and for communities that depend on
ocean resources. I happen to think that this is in the broader public interest
as well; but the folks who want to send oil tankers through the 4<sup>th</sup>
most dangerous body of water in the world probably don’t agree. Prime Minister
Harper certainly doesn’t agree. And like it or not, for the moment, he’s the guy
who actually does get to say what the public interest in oil tankers is. Come election time,
we all get to tell him if he was right or not.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pHsHc2v7opPCWNT-ZKYRIKmdjb2-XSRZZlkxX40qX5ZVnSzpE_lU2PE_NiedCO6TyWCw7DAv03lgcmgY3NbmDlkP2ibn_xhqxq267IRqO6qzFBaAbQRf0DcYjQMFeNfCxNpyQjzcuB1a/s1600/PA235351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pHsHc2v7opPCWNT-ZKYRIKmdjb2-XSRZZlkxX40qX5ZVnSzpE_lU2PE_NiedCO6TyWCw7DAv03lgcmgY3NbmDlkP2ibn_xhqxq267IRqO6qzFBaAbQRf0DcYjQMFeNfCxNpyQjzcuB1a/s1600/PA235351.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a> </div>
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The people who definitely don’t get to say what the public
interest is are the ones who are looking to profit from endangering public
resources, like the ocean. But they are the ones most likely to take up this
new invitation to sue.</div>
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<br /></div>
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When I worked as an environmental lawyer, I reviewed dozens
of lawsuits against everyday citizens and non-profit societies who were
speaking out effectively against development proposals or in favour of
regulation of industry. Many of these were clearly what are called “SLAPP suits”:
strategic lawsuits against public participation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Advocacy chill is their purpose; they achieve
this by grinding meritless cases through the courts, costing valuable
charitable dollars and time and usually, along the way, getting a court order
preventing the defendant from continuing to speak out.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One thing that SLAPP suits always suffer from is a shortage
of really good law to hang their hats on—it’s hard to accuse someone of a civil
wrong when all they’re doing is exercising the right of free speech. Most of
the suits allege some kind of slander or libel; some use more complex and
arcane law. This proposed provision of the new Societies Act is like a gift:
here’s your civil wrong and it’s so vaguely worded that you can be in court for
years, grinding away at those nasty activists.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4m9gJhXY8ACAgGdNBTjdzHgLXVlMmfKCiXimNYMVB_pVlmuQaW2RN7DrkQhDIv7_U2-9BYRYsM7AvtdtrDSg43r8n30QLuwBaZSmzDfJrhwfCc-lq66dU348123_d_sqA_iuNJ_keWwn/s1600/DSC_1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4m9gJhXY8ACAgGdNBTjdzHgLXVlMmfKCiXimNYMVB_pVlmuQaW2RN7DrkQhDIv7_U2-9BYRYsM7AvtdtrDSg43r8n30QLuwBaZSmzDfJrhwfCc-lq66dU348123_d_sqA_iuNJ_keWwn/s1600/DSC_1597.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a>The worst thing about the new section, though, is that it
seeks to take the determination of what is in the public interest out of the
public domain, where it belongs. Governments are supposed to make that
determination, based on what they hear from the many voices advocating their
own views of public interest. They are accountable to the electorate for
whatever they deem to be in the public interest. Under this new proposal, a
judge would be asked to decide what is in the public interest, based on
whatever evidence the person who sues chooses to bring forward, and whatever
evidence the non-profit being sued can gather to respond to it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s just sketch that out. Say, for example, Enbridge
decides to sue Living Oceans, saying that its Northern Gateway pipeline is in
the public interest and our advocacy against it offends this new rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enbridge gives the court its deeply flawed
economic analysis and magic job numbers, says “health care and education” about
a thousand times, points out that I drive a car and rests its case. Living
Oceans can’t actually afford to hire an economist to counter the economic
evidence, so we respond with what we have: the scientific evidence that ocean
ecosystems do not recover from oil spills in places where highly toxic oil continues
to enter the environment, as it would do if the weathered, diluted bitumen were
to sink to the ocean floor.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now how is a judge to determine whether or not we were
acting in the public interest based on that evidence? What of the First Nations’
rights and title, the opposition of the labour movement, the views of local
communities, farmers and ranchers; or for that matter, the health care and
education administrators who are apparently going to see all that Enbridge tax
revenue pouring into their coffers? Do we invite them all into the courtroom to
say their piece, or do we just ask the government to say what they deem the
public interest to be in this case?</div>
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<br /></div>
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If we just ask the government to tell the court what’s in
the public interest, then free speech just came to a screaming halt in the
Province of B.C. and no non-profit can ever criticize the government again. If
instead, we invite into the courtroom all of the many players whose rights and
interests must be considered in order to determine what the public interest is,
then we’ve just asked a judge to do the government’s job. The judge is an
appointee, who is not accountable to voters. Either way, it's wrong.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The proposed section 99 of the new Societies Act attacks one
of the fundamental freedoms of democracy, the right of free speech. I expect
that, if tested, it would prove unconstitutional for that reason. The Province’s
rationale for the proposal—that the public needs to be able to hold non-profits
to account for failing to act in the public interest—confuses entirely whose
job is whose. The public needs to be able to hold its governments to account
for failing to act in the public interest. Non-profits are supposed to help
articulate aspects of the public interest that often get overlooked. The public
can listen and support the non-profit, or not. Neither they, nor the
government, need the right to stop us from speaking.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The government will accept comments on the proposed bill until October 15. <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/action/new-attack-free-speech"><br /></a></div>
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Karen Wristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11807077712737068512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-83826153691661675232014-09-29T12:02:00.001-07:002014-09-29T12:02:35.159-07:00The ocean needs a climate leader<i>By Karen Wristen</i><br />
<br />
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s address to the Climate Summit in New York last week was poignant:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Climate change is a defining issue of our age, of our present. Our response will define our future. To ride this storm we need all hands on deck. We need a clear vision. The human, environmental and financial cost of climate change is fast becoming unbearable. We have never faced such a challenge, nor such an opportunity...”</blockquote>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9uu3pMqMC9ZhOt5sGHI0oSWxMaMcynpVURJm_7-7aJXxMRUnN5S6lNe92ZHqctA1wB9C5sWtyAqIpkEZFPugMPdNKN58I-XcBJubLk36BG2Gdn672dD5XlzsDEtWbSR6CmicYaD1qWw/s1600/Leaders+march+in+NYC_Greg+McNevin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9uu3pMqMC9ZhOt5sGHI0oSWxMaMcynpVURJm_7-7aJXxMRUnN5S6lNe92ZHqctA1wB9C5sWtyAqIpkEZFPugMPdNKN58I-XcBJubLk36BG2Gdn672dD5XlzsDEtWbSR6CmicYaD1qWw/s1600/Leaders+march+in+NYC_Greg+McNevin.jpg" height="320" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><i>Laurent Fabius, Jane Goodall, Al Gore, Ban Ki Moon and Ségolène Royal join an initial count of 310,000 people marching in New York city to demand action on global warming ahead of the Ban ki Moon climate summit. Photo: Greg McNevin.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ban brought world leaders together at this Summit to encourage a display of the kind of leadership he speaks of when he calls for “all hands on deck.” And displays there were: the summit is knee-deep in celebrities and former politicians urging a legally binding deal to be struck at the next major UN climate negotiations in Paris in 2015. Days before the Summit, more than 340 global institutional investors representing over $24 trillion in assets called on government leaders to provide stable, reliable and economically meaningful carbon pricing that helps redirect investment, and to end fossil fuel subsidies. Leaders in both developed and developing nations acknowledged the economic loss that inaction will bring and embracing the stimulus of greening the economy.<br />
<br />
Missing from the action was Canada’s Prime Minister. Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq attended in his place, announcing (to a nearly empty room) new regulations to curb emissions from vehicles and the electricity sector. She made no mention of Canada's oil and gas sector, now responsible for one-quarter of the nation’s emissions and two years overdue for the promised announcement of regulations.<br />
<br />
The current federal government pulled Canada out of the Kyoto Protocol in December 2011, shortly before embarking on the most comprehensive dismantling of environmental legislation in the history of the modern world. Meanwhile,<a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/initiatives/ocean-acidification" target="_blank"> the ocean continues to absorb much of the carbon in the atmosphere</a>, but at tremendous cost. By 2100, it will be more acidic than it has been in 20 million years.<br />
<br />
The next major UN climate negotiations are scheduled for December 2015. The next federal election is scheduled for October 2015. The ocean needs us to send a climate leader to Paris and it needs us to make a legally binding commitment to carbon reduction.Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-34435643744576199302014-08-27T11:46:00.000-07:002014-08-27T11:47:45.176-07:00Cleaning up Sea Otter Cove<i>By Will Soltau</i><br />
<br />
“Hey Will, there’s a Japanese skiff washed ashore near Cape Palmerston!” That was what my friend Mike called to tell me last March.<br />
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“I know.” I said, “I spotted it in January of 2013. It’s pretty beat up.”<br />
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“No,” Mike replied, “this is another one and it’s in good shape. We could salvage it!” And so we did.<br />
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I <a href="http://livingoceanssociety.blogspot.ca/2014/06/trash-into-treasure_8334.html" target="_blank">blogged</a> about the salvage adventure last June and vowed in that blog to return to Sea Otter Cove for a shoreline cleanup. Sea Otter is a small, shallow cove on the west side of Vancouver Island in Cape Scott Provincial Park. There are a few rough trails to outside beaches from the cove but it is accessible only by water. Rich with wildlife because of its high-value habitat, it is aimed at the open Pacific like a catcher’s mitt so it also collects a substantial amount of marine debris.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5lDaeb_wcfPCzu0puvMaU80hs12Yl9fle-ymzvmuUm7y4gjsRgNZ_w6jEWI0yWDJENigaoNFw5SHLy8XnP2V0j3Ush019SHqWuOij6z-bTUH4DuE7vZbTLsGX4wiYOSrCidfVSPmFOw/s1600/soc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5lDaeb_wcfPCzu0puvMaU80hs12Yl9fle-ymzvmuUm7y4gjsRgNZ_w6jEWI0yWDJENigaoNFw5SHLy8XnP2V0j3Ush019SHqWuOij6z-bTUH4DuE7vZbTLsGX4wiYOSrCidfVSPmFOw/s1600/soc1.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></div>
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We began planning the project and started fundraising. Two week’s worth of food and accommodations would be needed for the team of volunteers and a large skiff to transport them and what they collected from the debris strewn beaches.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJz2pMmlNedAmq8ZJpfufIv3OopOu0THFklSscfyXGwocInwXpTy4GJM5OodC14N5DgmngTTvfVXFgh3R65HwbFCOqqSjTCAeubf85oIXAjq9fMbJWCu9Pqj0y_AiA_DL8RGDRyW1Ky3c/s1600/soc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJz2pMmlNedAmq8ZJpfufIv3OopOu0THFklSscfyXGwocInwXpTy4GJM5OodC14N5DgmngTTvfVXFgh3R65HwbFCOqqSjTCAeubf85oIXAjq9fMbJWCu9Pqj0y_AiA_DL8RGDRyW1Ky3c/s1600/soc2.jpg" height="166" width="400" /></a></div>
Removing the collected debris from the cove would require a landing craft and helicopter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNW7BH7vLVBZhwNqojWD2weza5THjfCloTDF3e7Voq5d42hz6WV45RBBnNcUzVlJihr5oY-aQw10xdj4sXr77dzHP4VGpwqJCebkRgg9ZPJ2gFM7ckQGbuOz8ft_9ys4RN4AjNdEMrak/s1600/soc4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNW7BH7vLVBZhwNqojWD2weza5THjfCloTDF3e7Voq5d42hz6WV45RBBnNcUzVlJihr5oY-aQw10xdj4sXr77dzHP4VGpwqJCebkRgg9ZPJ2gFM7ckQGbuOz8ft_9ys4RN4AjNdEMrak/s1600/soc4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNW7BH7vLVBZhwNqojWD2weza5THjfCloTDF3e7Voq5d42hz6WV45RBBnNcUzVlJihr5oY-aQw10xdj4sXr77dzHP4VGpwqJCebkRgg9ZPJ2gFM7ckQGbuOz8ft_9ys4RN4AjNdEMrak/s1600/soc4.jpg" height="400" width="215" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinERUqSqA-mooIE-j4-6haEpwNRE8X2OehTqPrzOikEa8gbpnsS79JhkWuswAUZDujLli42nFn3CNKBV7x2KiYdaW08N2K3SKg8y45m5azOhYliLQe1U7S_p7QvNyAmPiBVGKC0NWNPUw/s1600/soc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinERUqSqA-mooIE-j4-6haEpwNRE8X2OehTqPrzOikEa8gbpnsS79JhkWuswAUZDujLli42nFn3CNKBV7x2KiYdaW08N2K3SKg8y45m5azOhYliLQe1U7S_p7QvNyAmPiBVGKC0NWNPUw/s1600/soc3.jpg" height="400" width="235" /></a><br />
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It would take a huge effort on the part of the volunteers to clean the cove and surrounding areas and a considerable amount of money to do it safely. Funding for the project came from the generous contribution from the Government of Japan and its people. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of the Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Environment, the Vancouver Aquarium, the BC Parks’ Enhancement Fund and all those individuals and local businesses who donated food, supplies, equipment and time as well as all the individual donors who believe in us and what we do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKuez1l_rHTwE7FEjyq63wie9280fJnIkuKy15oo0Zx3nztzQebrZSCIGSc1Zcov3LPoYbUC-yFBxfqNryEINGP0uTiPbNYdTu1jCec84QyDlB4tNQpO3CrL1J9hLhaAEebJrYM-ti3c/s1600/soc5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKuez1l_rHTwE7FEjyq63wie9280fJnIkuKy15oo0Zx3nztzQebrZSCIGSc1Zcov3LPoYbUC-yFBxfqNryEINGP0uTiPbNYdTu1jCec84QyDlB4tNQpO3CrL1J9hLhaAEebJrYM-ti3c/s1600/soc5.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTKsUUCxAkM0x4bbzxN8ubrpfouHoRUNQKpyfV6rl54GXF9FfC9LVt63X4Lu-UlTngoJHH0Qno7_lwcWnn11pKOFYr9OmrvBESRkfF7nPHM3XCZtS9N7XIZ46wVAZEpj-DryMivG3aeY/s1600/soc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTKsUUCxAkM0x4bbzxN8ubrpfouHoRUNQKpyfV6rl54GXF9FfC9LVt63X4Lu-UlTngoJHH0Qno7_lwcWnn11pKOFYr9OmrvBESRkfF7nPHM3XCZtS9N7XIZ46wVAZEpj-DryMivG3aeY/s1600/soc6.jpg" height="172" width="400" /></a></div>
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Two weeks of cleanup work netted over 2,600 kilograms of debris from Sea Otter Cove and the surrounding beaches. Only 41 percent went to landfill with the rest being either recycled or repurposed.<br />
<br />
I would humbly like to think we made a difference for the better because I’m pretty sure no one has ever tried to tackle a remote cleanup on this scale since plastic was invented - at least not before at Sea Otter Cove. Still, even while we were there, I watched new debris objects washing in with every rising tide. Knowing that the consumption of plastic and the amount of plastic waste is increasing every year, I’m left wondering if what we did was nothing more than a drop in the ocean and how soon we might have to return to Sea Otter Cove to do it all over again.<br />
<br />
Once everyone was home safe and sound and the debris responsibly disposed of, I felt relieved. I checked my voice-mailbox. There was a message from Mike. “Hey Will, there’s a Japanese skiff washed up at the bottom of the Hecht Beach trail. It’s pretty trashed. Not really salvageable but thought you might be interested.”
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Cleaning up the remote beaches of northwest Vancouver Island is an ongoing challenge. This summer the Clear the Coast campaign is focusing on a <a href="http://seaottercove.causevox.com/" target="_blank">large expedition to Sea Otter Cove</a> in early August. In addition to this we are also monitoring collector bags at remote beach locations. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQA6URGkwkz3TNlakopiZzq1zPNk0v0bbwFo-EuiqDTwiWyMLMg-n_6FqlrsLIkMWKH8wMvAONrF6zdPfQe4nUYBrNCLjTZFjuOln1SCszoCCo0YBb_lmp8faSR4RRNjSuYooBTCu-A0/s1600/Carmen+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQA6URGkwkz3TNlakopiZzq1zPNk0v0bbwFo-EuiqDTwiWyMLMg-n_6FqlrsLIkMWKH8wMvAONrF6zdPfQe4nUYBrNCLjTZFjuOln1SCszoCCo0YBb_lmp8faSR4RRNjSuYooBTCu-A0/s1600/Carmen+007.JPG" height="320" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clear the Coast's Will Soltau lowers a <br />
collector bag from a tree at Cape Palmerston.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Collector bags are made of retired fishing net that is sewn into a large sack. A rebar hoop is threaded through the top of the bag and they are hung from trees at remote beaches. We knew that there were at least three full collector bags at the Cape Palmerston recreation area that needed to be removed. As luck would have it the Vancouver Island chapter of the <a href="http://vancouverisland.surfrider.org/" target="_blank">Surfrider Foundation</a> was also doing a remote beach cleanup nearby at Raft Cove and agreed to share helicopter time. This is an area where we had maintained collector bags last summer so we were interested to see the condition of that beach this summer. <br />
<br />
We set off on the first ferry Monday morning and, after a short stop in Port McNeill for supplies and radios, we were headed to the west coast. On the way we also stopped at the local landfill to drop off 20 kilograms of Styrofoam from our last cleanup on Malcolm Island. I know it doesn’t sound like much but it was a full truckload! Shortly after the landfill, we hit the logging roads. About 70 bumpy kilometers later we made it to the Raft Cove parking lot for our first hike of the day!<br />
<br />
A hike of about 40 minutes through mud and tree roots brought us to the long sandy expanse of Raft Cove. It was another 20 minutes walk along the beach to where the Surfrider group had piled some of their debris. After dropping off a radio we chatted with them about data collection, debris and how their trip had gone. They mentioned that the area around where our collector bags were placed last year had been fairly clean and they had focused their attention on other areas, which was great to hear. After a well deserved lunch break we were back on the trail and hiking up to the truck to drive over to Cape Palmerston.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSXaDqJ7sDyAB4p6wMKQyj_w4STIUGpVAkg6dGpzTeWAmZaAA-zUaHFw1691tS6Mi63dAJfelYTR2T9H3-oIKUvRJxcORmgHNBD9IHM_6e3kFCMsHV8vCY2zdRh9doSNG4bFfjMUnHmw/s1600/Carmen+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSXaDqJ7sDyAB4p6wMKQyj_w4STIUGpVAkg6dGpzTeWAmZaAA-zUaHFw1691tS6Mi63dAJfelYTR2T9H3-oIKUvRJxcORmgHNBD9IHM_6e3kFCMsHV8vCY2zdRh9doSNG4bFfjMUnHmw/s1600/Carmen+012.JPG" height="186" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A helpful kayaker helped Carmen Pendleton and Will Soltau move<br />
the third collector bag of marine debris to the pick up point.</td></tr>
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The short drive and hike to the beach at Cape Palmerston was followed by a longer hike to the cabin, where we had been told there were three full collector bags. When we arrived at the cabin, however, we could only see two bags. This lead to a search along the beach where we found the third bag about 500 metres from the cabin, where we needed it to be for the helicopter lift the following morning. Luckily, a kayaker had just arrived at the beach and volunteered to help us move the bag which was so full it took the three of us about 45 minutes to move it to the cabin. <br />
<br />
We spent the night camped at Cape Palmerston and after a good rest were ready for the excitement of the helicopter. Tuesday morning was perfect weather for the helicopter and after a short delay, the three bags of debris were picked up and deposited about a metre from our truck. Nice aim! There was too much debris to fit in the truck so we’ll be back later to load up the rest of it as well as the collector bag from the campsite. Thanks to all of the volunteers who pitched in to help Clear the Coast!<br />
<br />
To stay up to date with the adventures of the Clear the Coast team <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clear-The-Coast/498805150183438?ref=br_tf" target="_blank">follow us on Facebook</a>.Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0Cape Palmerston50.609330282078155 -128.3068801640624850.528749782078151 -128.46824166406248 50.689910782078158 -128.14551866406248tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-5518325855370753802014-07-02T11:49:00.000-07:002014-07-02T11:51:19.873-07:00Chilcotin is Tsilhqot'in<i>By guest blogger Tim Lash</i>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxtl_Zhj11lzmGJ0oMUepEEG2h-BhlPcYfmyqOXK6s7N9Nh37Q55SzLQWQfAiNNHsTmvFK0LRMzUVMx1yzVt6euTBoTYtuTLE7I-G1jLMI_5zfl4Q5O31z7i1_O8ORVxivCVkQtwrXgg/s1600/TJFL-fb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tim Lash" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxtl_Zhj11lzmGJ0oMUepEEG2h-BhlPcYfmyqOXK6s7N9Nh37Q55SzLQWQfAiNNHsTmvFK0LRMzUVMx1yzVt6euTBoTYtuTLE7I-G1jLMI_5zfl4Q5O31z7i1_O8ORVxivCVkQtwrXgg/s1600/TJFL-fb.jpg" height="100" title="" width="76" /></a><br />
<br />
The unanimous Supreme Court of Canada ruling on the Tsilhqot'in case from 1983 is good news. Here's my ridiculous opinion. <br />
<br />
1. For us to realize a diverse and fair society in Canada, each culture needs its own sources of authority and legitimacy affirmed in Canada-wide institutions we all share. Reconciliation requires respect (if not, the reconciled co-existence won't spring back when there's occasional or mid-term subordination of some by others). Our society evolves, under pressures. The Supreme Court of Canada, and Parliament when it's working right, are our best institutions for marrying human respect with the authority of Canadian law.<br />
<br />
2. Our mainstream civil law culture, so far, mostly respects property and exclusive ownership (rather than say, community, or ecological dependence). So affirming Tsilhqot'in title—not just hunting and fishing rights—gives the Tsilhqot'in a new deep source of respect in our culture. With title, they don't just have opinions about the resources they depend on. They make decisions about the land they own.<br />
<br />
3. This Supreme Court decision is primarily about First Nations who haven't signed things over in treaties. But I imagine its long run effects will support respect and reconciliation Canada-wide.<br />
<br />
4. The Court recognizes nomadic use as a valid human relation to natural resources, as an entitling relationship that confers legal standing. This is elevating. It raises legal eyes up from "fenced farm, fixed frontiers" cultures, to cultures that are more attuned and responsive to larger-scale shifting patterns of living nature. Like climate, weather, geographic range of animals and plants, forest succession, natural 'disasters.' We're going to need this legal shift.<br />
<br />
5. I don't see exactly how, yet, but this decision is going to give more legal value to "the commons." The timing of this SCC decision, at the same time as the<a href="http://www.globaloceancommission.org/" target="_blank"> Global Ocean Commission's report "Mission Ocean"</a> calling for new UN and national action for the commons of the High Seas is fortunate, in a conservation and sustainability worldview.<br />
<br />
6. Next evolution: This Tsilhqot'in decision still gives a lot of weight to geographic exclusion of others as a test for their own legitimate decision powers about natural resources. Two potential paths for strengthening the roles of nature and of community inclusion in our individual-based decision rules are by elaborating
<br />
<ul>
<li>The rights of nature (see the <a href="http://www.pachamama.org/advocacy/rights-of-nature" target="_blank">South American pachamama</a>, and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O31h-MPOj84" target="_blank">Do Trees Have Standing</a>"); and</li>
<li>New facts and insights about governance of the commons<a href="http://onthecommons.org/magazine/elinor-ostroms-8-principles-managing-commmons" target="_blank">facts and insights about governance of the commons</a> that flow from research in behavioural economics and writing on the evolution of governance of the commons, by Elinor Ostrom and others.</li>
</ul>
7. Like other best decisions by the Supreme Court, this one is beautifully and clearly written. The opening section, pp 5 to 11, explains the reasoning in easy-to-understand human terms.
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/documentcloud/?dcID=1209518-supreme-court-ruling-william.html" target="_blank">Text of the ruling</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tsilhqot-in-first-nation-granted-b-c-title-claim-in-supreme-court-ruling-1.2688332?cmp=fbtl" target="_blank">CBC article</a> </li>
</ul>
Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-55875062611901880352014-06-25T12:32:00.000-07:002014-06-27T12:27:19.755-07:00Pipelines and Temporary Foreign Workers<i>by Karen Wristen </i><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P5Fz4InamVIzSgMLik8ZopyPeEOu_NBIettk3C8u1f_Un9mxl9Ziazm5yjH8B553mFvY7songeumR7FB5_H3nHQA2ZR8lQi0fKRWf8M3YBzMNEnzXrSpA6CXsHmcTQTpsar5EPte6wY/s1600/Canada-wants-more-Pinoy-skilled-workers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P5Fz4InamVIzSgMLik8ZopyPeEOu_NBIettk3C8u1f_Un9mxl9Ziazm5yjH8B553mFvY7songeumR7FB5_H3nHQA2ZR8lQi0fKRWf8M3YBzMNEnzXrSpA6CXsHmcTQTpsar5EPte6wY/s1600/Canada-wants-more-Pinoy-skilled-workers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Canada wants more Pinoy skilled workers. <br />Photo: The Filipino Post</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A blogger friend
of mine put me on to an interesting story about temporary foreign workers that
surprised me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not that it’s a
surprise that foreign pipeline workers are being recruited; it’s just that I
thought they’d be coming from China, not the Philippines. And I didn’t know
just how active a role Canadian institutions were playing in training and
certifying them.<br />
<br />
In July, 2012,
school started in Cebu City, Philippines, with the Canadian Consul to the Philippines,
Robert Lee, gracing the opening ceremony. It was the first Canadian Welding
Bureau school to be set up outside of Canada, enrolling 120 students who would
go on to be certified according to Canadian standards, eight months later. Consul Lee was reported to have said, “I want
to make it my legacy sending world class Filipino welders to Canada before my
retirement few years from now.”
<br />
<br />
By January, 2014,
there were three centers accredited by the Canadian Welding Bureau operating in
Cebu: Brilliant Metal Works, Zoie Training Center and Primary Structures
Educational Foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The welders
that we are training in Canada right now are not sufficient to fill that vacuum
that’s why the Canadian government is looking of hiring temporary workers from
outside, and right now, the Philippines is a very favorable place to hire the
welders,” said Bob Montes, according to an article reported in the Filipino
Post.
<br />
<br />
The following
notice was published April 28, 2014 by the Canadian Welding Bureau on the
website of the UA (The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the
Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada or
"UA" as it is commonly known is a multi-craft union whose members are
engaged in the fabrication, installation and servicing of piping systems.)<br />
<br />
"There have
recently been publicized reports that the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) is
recruiting Filipino welders to fill welding jobs here in Canada, and in
particular, to fill vacancies in the BC shipbuilding industry. These statements
are incorrect. For the record, the CWB is not in the business of recruiting
welders, either from the Philippines or elsewhere, or involved in any job
placement schemes, contracts or agreements to enter Canada."
<br />
<br />
A search of the
CWB website today reveals that it operates test centres in China, Vietnam,
Egypt, Suriname, Philippines and the USA--as well as in Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no indication on its website that it is actively involved in
<i>recruiting</i> workers; its business is training and certifying them to Canadian
standards.
<br />
<br />
With all the
pipeline building going on in the world today, it has been apparent for some
time that there is a shortage of the types of skilled trades required. Clearly,
that shortage is going to be filled by foreign workers, rather than by an intensive recruitment of Canadian trainees. This fact calls into question yet again the benefits claimed by
pipeline proponents for Canada as a whole.
<br />
<br />
A portion of the benefits case for the Northern Gateway Pipeline was based on the tax revenues Canada would gain from direct employment, plus the employment created when those employees spend their money--known as induced and indirect employment. With temporary foreign workers in the mix, what proportion
of the labour force will be resident—and paying taxes—outside Canada?
Does the induced and indirect job creation calculation differ for workers whose
home and assets are located elsewhere? Do temporary workers spend their money
in Canada at the same rate and for the same goods and services as resident
workers? The case for income tax revenues begins to look pretty soft.
Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-14920224312610763732014-06-06T12:05:00.000-07:002014-06-06T12:05:14.306-07:00Trash into treasure<i>By Will Soltau</i><br />
<br />
Last fall Kerri, our Office Administrator blogged about how her husband Tyler found <a href="http://livingoceanssociety.blogspot.ca/2013/11/treasures-amongst-trash.html" target="_blank">treasures amongst the trash</a> while taking part in a shoreline cleanup. The two treasures—a glass ball and a bottle with a message inside—found on the same day is a rare occurrence indeed. Finding either one evokes an uncommon combination of feelings mixing amazement at finding such a rarity with awe that such fragile beauty could survive the turbulent elements of the beach. Toss in a dash of wonder over from where it came and how it ended up in front of you. I say this from personal experience having myself found a few glass balls. That is the lure that hooks a person on beachcombing.<br />
<br />
The problem these days is that beachcombing means wading through tonnes of trash to find a treasure. If only that trash could be turned into treasure, an incentive like that would make our work a little easier. Refining the ocean plastic into useable oil, using it as raw material in 3D printers and certifying it as an ocean-friendly ingredient in packaging material are a few potential global solutions that we have been involved with. All are still in their infancy and none have really gotten very far off the ground yet. But then there are the home-made solutions at the local level. Repurposing is a popular incentive to beachcombers and artists. Colorful crab buoys and plastic balls are ubiquitous yard art in many coastal towns. In really remote communities anything useable is snatched up quickly. Large plastic oyster floats get repurposed as flotation in docks.<br />
<br />
A recent example of turning what could have easily become trash into treasure is this (obvious) Japanese skiff that was found recently by a surfer friend of mine on the rocks at a very remote part of Vancouver Island’s west coast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mR860BjQFr7GjP51csLIonQXVjeulqHAVL41xuPW_3AJOrZFVmWFcLiBrzURz2O3UHKRFpv3uJCSIyJ2RRvse1BvBbbda4MoTP85X0QnXdWIiykfFsB_Do8xPUAPBlMu7CNNZicGCjI/s1600/skiff1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mR860BjQFr7GjP51csLIonQXVjeulqHAVL41xuPW_3AJOrZFVmWFcLiBrzURz2O3UHKRFpv3uJCSIyJ2RRvse1BvBbbda4MoTP85X0QnXdWIiykfFsB_Do8xPUAPBlMu7CNNZicGCjI/s1600/skiff1.jpg" height="90" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was a little beat up but not broken beyond repair. He knew if he left it where it was, the skiff would soon get pounded to pieces by the tide and surf. So my surfer friend floated it a few miles to a nearby sand beach where it was less exposed to the elements and tied it up to a tree. Later, other friends of mine stumbled upon it while beachcombing large oyster floats and sent me some photos and a report for our interactive <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/clear-the-coast" target="_blank">Clear the Coast map</a>. Already knowing how it had gotten to where it was, I made introductions all around and we went back to gather more identification so we could report it to the powers-that-be. A third trip out for patching made it seaworthy enough for salvage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsA0_U1Y6NPcWow6yugvAriKd0zNSokn31ov7KlwGZxCbHpZ8_RZq9EMB_prDZsZY7Y1PFGvb9NisOAlvymHrSn52Qhul3HQ538wWF8eLus3oO3G4lADg279k9HDuMGIWyKnu0ki2jWEI/s1600/skiff2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsA0_U1Y6NPcWow6yugvAriKd0zNSokn31ov7KlwGZxCbHpZ8_RZq9EMB_prDZsZY7Y1PFGvb9NisOAlvymHrSn52Qhul3HQ538wWF8eLus3oO3G4lADg279k9HDuMGIWyKnu0ki2jWEI/s1600/skiff2.jpg" height="102" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Now ready for removal, I brought in a third friend of mine to tow the little skiff off the beach with his fishing boat. The first attempt had to be scuttled when the seas wouldn’t cooperate and we returned to town empty handed. But while waiting out the weather we came across huge accumulations of trash while beachcombing in Sea Otter Cove. We vowed to return for a cleanup there but that’s another story.<br />
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<br />
Eventually the weather improved enough to launch the skiff and it was moved to a more secure location where it sits today while the search for its owner in Japan continues.<br />
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<br />
Who knows what will become of this so-called treasure. The point is that even though the Japanese skiff was found in a very inaccessible location, it was worth our time and effort to remove it before it got trashed. If only the same were true with all the other trash on our shores.<br />
<br />
Reducing the amount of debris entering the ocean is a key objective of our Clear the Coast Campaign. It’s a no-brainer. Cleaning up what’s already out there to restore our shores is number two. It’s also the right thing to do but it’s a huge job. Lots of folks are interested in volunteering their time to help clean up a beach (and maybe find a glass ball). Getting them out to remote shorelines where debris accumulates, then safely bringing them and what they collect back again takes a healthy dose of vitamin M. We need your support. That’s why we are <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/clear-sea-otter-cove" target="_blank">actively fundraising</a> to clean up Sea Otter Cove—a habitat rich area of northwestern Vancouver Island. Please check it out. There are some cool perks available if you donate.<br />
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Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-16508751732428514982014-06-04T13:54:00.000-07:002014-06-04T15:58:25.600-07:00Humpbacks and humans deserve betterIt just gets worse, the deeper you dig.<br />
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Bad enough that the government’s down-listing of humpback whales was accomplished just in time to make way for the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. Now it appears that the ‘independent scientist’ retained to write the science advice for the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was in fact the same person retained by Enbridge, and now Kinder Morgan, to provide evidence in support of their pipeline and tanker projects.<br />
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Just say you’re the government and you’re looking for a humpback whale expert to write an opinion about the state of their recovery for COSEWIC. Do you ask one of the 19 researchers who just last year completed and published a comprehensive investigation of the North Pacific humpback populations? Or do you ask Andrea Ahrens, a Stantec employee with a M.Sc., living in Gainsville, Florida, whose sole contribution to humpback literature is a paper, published in 2008, that analyzes humpback whale population numbers using photographs? And who happens to have been retained by both Enbridge and Kinder Morgan.<br />
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From Ms. Ahrens’ Linked In profile: “She serves as an advisor for the Canadian North Pacific Humpback Whale Recovery Team, co-authored the Draft Recovery Strategy, and wrote the COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Humpback Whale in Canada.” You guessed correctly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/maps/proposed-tanker-routes-pose-risk-critical-habitat-humpback-whales" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/tankers_proposed_routes_HW_Apr2014_noBorder_0.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>Vital feeding areas for Humpback Whales around Gill Island are
designated as critical habitat. This area is also part of the proposed
tanker route. Humpbacks are the species of whale most commonly reported
to be struck by ships in B.C.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Odd that she didn’t mention her retainers when writing an <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/opinion/op-ed/Opinion+Humpback+whales+pawns/9793730/story.html" target="_blank">opinion piece for the <i>Vancouver Sun</i></a> defending the humpback decision. Equally odd that Andrew Trites’ spirited but not especially scientific <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/5/15/big-mammals-v-bigoilnewcanadianpipelineputshumpbackwhalesatrisk.html" target="_blank">defence of the COSEWIC decision</a> and his former student (“Let’s say every whale in the Douglas Channel is run over; you would probably never even notice it in terms of the recovery of whales on this coast.”) refers repeatedly to the independence of COSEWIC.<br />
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Trites and Ahrens may insist that there is no conflict in working for both the government that is supposed to protect whales and the companies whose ambitions will harm them. And perhaps there is none: the government has repeatedly signaled an overriding ambition of its own, to approve pipeline and tanker projects that will impact whale habitat. You would expect them to be a little more forthcoming about the author behind the downlisting recommendation, though, if it were truly so innocuous.<br />
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At Living Oceans we believe the public—and the whales—deserve better. Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-33301942574756785902014-05-07T11:37:00.000-07:002014-05-07T11:37:01.751-07:00Everything is Connected<i>By Morag Carter</i><br />
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It’s my first week on the new job. I’m thrilled to join <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/" target="_blank">Living Oceans Society</a> as the new Marine Planning Director. I’m really excited to learn a whole new environmental issue. But, as we say frequently in the trade—everything is connected, and today my immediate past as a climate and energy activist collided with my new role at Living Oceans.<br />
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The third <a href="http://www.globalchange.gov/" target="_blank">National Climate Change Assessment</a> (NCA) was released in the U.S. yesterday. The findings are stark, but predictable. Climate change is not some far off ephemeral thing that we have the luxury of planning for. According to this new report Americans are feeling the impact of climate change now with the likelihood that there is worse to come.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><span style="color: #666666;">Arctic ice is melting much faster than earlier predicted.</span></i></div>
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The report is a comprehensive assessment of the state of the climate in the U.S. Drawing on the work of more than 300 experts and a 60 member federal advisory committee, the report was extensively reviewed.<br />
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Not surprisingly the NCA confirms the earlier predictions for the impacts of climate change and notes that the only real surprise is that some changes, including sea-level rise and the decline in Arctic sea ice have outpaced earlier predictions.<br />
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The report looks at various regions and sectors including oceans and coastal zones. <br />
The overall finding of the oceans analysis is that "ocean waters are becoming warmer and more acidic, broadly affecting ocean circulation, chemistry, ecosystems, and marine life. Rising sea surface temperatures have been linked with increasing levels and ranges of disease in people and marine life."<br />
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There are six key ocean and marine findings in the report;<br />
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<li>The rise in ocean temperatures over the last century will persist into the future, with continued large impacts on climate, ocean circulation, chemistry and ecosystems.</li>
<li>The ocean currently absorbs about a quarter of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, leading to ocean acidification that will alter marine ecosystems in dramatic, yet uncertain ways. </li>
<li>Significant habitat loss will continue to occur due to climate change for many species and areas. </li>
<li>Rising sea surface temperatures have been linked with increasing levels and ranges of diseases in humans and marine life including corals, abalones, oysters, fishes and marine mammals. </li>
<li>Climate changes that result in conditions substantially different than recent history may significantly increase costs to business as well as disrupt public access and enjoyment of ocean areas.</li>
<li>In response to observed and projected climate impacts, some existing oceans policies, practices and management efforts are incorporating climate change impacts. These initiatives can serve as models for other efforts and ultimately enable people and communities to adapt to changing ocean conditions. </li>
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According to the NCA, more than 50% of Americans now live in coastal zones. Yet coastal communities are incredibly vulnerable to climate change. Again the report is clear. “Coastal lifelines, such as water and energy infrastructure, and nationally important assets, such as ports, tourism and fishing sites are increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise, storm surge, erosion, flooding and related hazards.”<br />
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When the science is this clear, it demands a response that is equally assertive. If we are to protect our oceans and coastal communities we need to reduce our carbon footprints and to support government and industry action to lower carbon emissions, and we also clearly need to build a solid adaptation framework for affected regions and sectors.<br />
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With the IPCC telling us we have 15 years to act to prevent catastrophic acceleration of climate change, the very last thing we should be doing is building 50-year infrastructure to carry oil across an already stressed ocean. Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1682287066448562754.post-6973377664356103562014-04-24T10:11:00.001-07:002014-04-25T12:54:48.265-07:00Humpback recovery at riskBy Karen Wristen<br />
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I’ve long wondered why, amid the carnage of the omnibus bills we’ve seen since the current federal government took office, the Species at Risk Act was spared. “No appetite to tackle that one,” is the only answer I’ve heard from those who are on speaking terms with Cabinet. Is it the sting we feel when Canada is cited as an international pariah for failing to meet its commitments; or are there a lot of animal enthusiasts among the Conservative support base? I don’t know, but I have been grateful that at least one piece of environmental legislation stood intact.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HrZew06pmhijEGEQN7mKaU7HlPo3GYcMSFIiWW917Tft_zo9Fchm38y1JdEJt6trZxRjiiopXmC0ECTLgl2ipOg64WSG4Ecx1SolvE7w9LoaZaEjIfGanOu9pUfo3_r3PWg6_ke-fEY/s1600/Humpback-Breach_Barkley-Sound_Jeff-Reynolds.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HrZew06pmhijEGEQN7mKaU7HlPo3GYcMSFIiWW917Tft_zo9Fchm38y1JdEJt6trZxRjiiopXmC0ECTLgl2ipOg64WSG4Ecx1SolvE7w9LoaZaEjIfGanOu9pUfo3_r3PWg6_ke-fEY/s1600/Humpback-Breach_Barkley-Sound_Jeff-Reynolds.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>A humpback breaching in Barclay Sound. Photo: Jeff Reynolds</i></span></td></tr>
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My gratitude in the case of humpbacks was especially poignant. The need to protect them while their numbers recover from the ravages of whaling had them listed as a “threatened” species and that presented a major legal hurdle to the approval of the <a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/initiatives/tankers/issues/enbridge-northern-gateway-project" target="_blank">Enbridge Northern Gateway</a> pipeline. So long as they were “threatened”, the government had a legal obligation to identify and protect the habitat that is critical to their survival. And part of that habitat just happens to lie among the network of narrow channels leading to Kitimat.<br />
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The Act required a Recovery Plan for humpbacks, due in 2010. When it still hadn’t materialized in 2012, several of our colleagues took the government to court. Long after the Enbridge hearings had closed, in October of 2013, the government issued the Recovery Plan. I was pleased to see that, in the final draft, it continued to identify the approach to Kitimat as the whales’ critical habitat and the tanker traffic as a major threat to their continued recovery.<br />
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During the Enbridge hearings, the Joint Review Panel had been spared the impossible task of reconciling the legal protection due to critical habitat with the company’s plans to send hundreds of tankers and tugs through that habitat every year. The habitat had not yet been legally designated as “critical habitat”, so there was no need to address the protection provisions of the Act. Enbridge got away with the suggestion that it would ‘monitor’ the whales, send spotters out to look for them and come up with a ‘marine mammal protection plan.’ The JRP applauded this voluntary undertaking, noting that it was inevitable that some whales would still be struck by tankers; they just couldn’t say how many and didn’t seem to think it would be a problem.<br />
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If you’ve ever watched whales or seen a supertanker maneuver, you’ll likely know how unlikely that scheme was to work. Sure, you can send out spotters; but the fact that they see whales in Whale Channel doesn’t mean they won’t pop up in Lewis Pass just after the captain’s altered course. And there’s precious little room up there to change your mind once committed to a course, anyway. The interests of whales and big oil were literally on a collision course.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/tankers_proposed_routes_HW_Apr2014_noBorder_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/default/files/tankers_proposed_routes_HW_Apr2014_noBorder_0.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>Vital feeding areas for Humpback Whales around Gill Island are
designated as critical habitat. This area is also part of the proposed
tanker route. Humpbacks are the species of whale most commonly reported
to be struck by ships in B.C.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The solution, for the Canadian government, has just become evident: on Saturday, April 19 it published notice of its intention to change the status of Northern Pacific humpbacks from ‘threatened’ to ‘species of special concern.’ This eliminates the need to protect the richly productive habitat that these whales depend on throughout the summer, to build the reserves of energy that will carry them through their long winter migrations. It puts at particular risk the young whales, whose smaller lungs require them to surface more frequently for air.<br />
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To be fair, it is true that humpback recovery is a success story. Hunted nearly to extinction, over the last 50 years they have slowly but steadily rebounded to about half of their estimated pre-hunt population. To be clear, we know so little about them that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans was unable to set a recovery target for them in its Recovery Plan, so we have no idea if their recovery to date is adequate to ensure resilience to future threats and keep the population growing. We cannot say, with any certainty, how many humpback whales is ‘enough.’<br />
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If the government thought that releasing this decision on the Easter long weekend would minimize the media coverage it received, it was sorely mistaken. I hadn’t quite finished my breakfast on the Tuesday morning following, when media began calling; it didn’t stop all day long. By Wednesday morning, we found that news of this decision had been reported in the U.S., England, Italy, Germany, Russia, India and Pakistan. Reuters picked up the story, so it’s probable that it was reported elsewhere as well.<br />
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The reasons for international interest are no doubt diverse; the politics of whales and whaling on the international stage are byzantine. Most developed-world countries continue to oppose whaling and support the International Whaling Commission ban, so seeing Canada move to reduce protection for humpbacks would be newsworthy in that context. Our lackluster progress on our commitments under the Convention on Biodiversity is also getting the spotlight, so a decision that appears contrary to the purpose of the Species at Risk Act, the main vehicle for delivering our CBD commitments, is bound to attract attention—just not the sort of attention Canada has historically attracted.Living Oceanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12892496464168293676noreply@blogger.com0