WILD SALMON NARROWS

Surge Narrows welcome for Alexandra Morton

The wild salmon narrows are a corridor of constricted waterways in the Inside Passage, between Kelsey Bay and Campbell River on Vancouver Island and the large islands adjacent. A large percentage of the young salmon fry population must travel through here on their way out to the open Pacific. These waters are heavily infested with fish farms
Here is a link to the map showing fish farm locations in the wild Salmon narrows:
http://www.salmonaresacred.org/checkpoint-sayward-quadra-island-wild-salmon-narrows

We decided to take La Sonrisa to join the flotilla of boats meeting Alexandra Morton and her “Get Out” Migration as they came through Surge Narrows. On Alex’s walk from Sointula to Victoria (May 8), the journey from Sayward to Quadra Island was on the water. Here they passed many of the fish farms that are so dangerous to the salmon fry.

Quadra Island open net fish farm

Here’s a link to a video about this part of the journey:
http://www.vimeo.com/11303083?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Alex%27s%20Migration%20in%20Campbell%20River&utm_medium=email

To get ready for this event we decided to paint our stays’l



We invited people to join us on a sail from Whaletown on Cortes Island into Hoskin Channel and up to Surge Narrows, between Quadra and Sonora Islands.

young protesters
Sailing to the narrows

Waiting at the mouth of Surge Narrows, we met boats of every shape and description.

All ages

All sorts

When Alex and crew came through the Narrows, they were accompanied by a filming helicopter.

Filming thru Surge Narrows

One of the goals of this walk for wild salmon is to publicize the story – so that voices can be heard from all people who believe we can live, and EAT, in harmony with nature. What a story this is, from our perspective! We wonder if news media are able to tell it. Or do we, the people, have to tell it ourselves? Did you see us on TV? Hear about this day on CBC radio? Anywhere?

In the midst of all our boats, Alexandra moved from the tour boat, Aboriginal Journeys, to the Columbia III.

Columbia III

The Columbia III was once an Anglican Columbia Coast Mission Boat. Now she is a mother ship to kayakers, and she brought Alexandra Morton to the welcome in Heriot Bay, Quadra Island.

Our boats arrived at Heriot Bay to a grand welcome from local people, including the First Nations. We talked to 14 year old Melita Dawson, an Ogwila'ogwa from Kingcome Village who is walking with Alex all the way to Victoria.

Chief Frank Nelson welcomed us

While we were gathered with the boats at the mouth of Surge, we were given lice tattoos to apply to our faces.

Chief Bob Chamberlain of Gilford Village wears a lice tatoo

At first we wondered about the people with the dirty faces. Then we realized the tattoos made us think about what happens to the salmon fry. When we catch adult salmon there are often a few lice around their anuses. This is a natural occurrence and may even be beneficial to the fish. But when the young fry pass by open net salmon farms, the lice that attach to their small bodies are often fatal. (Many of the farms are positioned in natural “resting” places in the salmon smolts' journey to the sea.)

Here is a flag that reminds us of this side of the story.

That evening the Quadra Community Hall was packed with supporters. There was a long standing ovation for Alex before she began to speak. Chief Bob Chamberlain spoke to us in his own language, and in down to earth terms about the problems and places of hope - the impacts that are within reach. Then he sang and drummed a powerful song he wrote on the day’s journey, a song about salmon and courage.

Alex listens

The organizers thanked us for being a peaceful group as there had been some concern about conflict and people getting out of hand. Alex models a different way of dealing with conflicting interests. Quadra coordinator Leanne Hodges quotes Ghandi “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Here is a quote from an email we received as we headed up to join the flotilla:
"Tomorrow on the water"
"On the road, every morning, we take a pledge. This pledge assures everyone is aware and acts in a safe and appropriate manner. Part of that pledge also includes honour and respect, to refrain from hostility and to walk in harmony and encourage it in others. We also pledge to respect that others may have a different opinion. It is very important to Alex and the core group on the road right now that people understand that this Migration is about how we feel about our wild salmon. It is a platform for communities to have a voice. This Migration facilitates people coming together. In no instance will Alex and the Migrators tolerate hostile or aggressive behaviour, or disrespectful events."

To keep up with the journey follow the postings at http://www.salmonaresacred.org
Don’t forget

Victoria, May 8 - Be there if you can!!

La Sonrisa to join Alexandra Morton

drying firewood

La Sonrisa spent the winter keeping warm, visiting family and friends, foraging and eating from winter gardens.
Now it's time to take the sail covers off and start sailing north.
But the first thing we're going to do as we head north is join Alexandra Morton's walk for the wild salmon. PLEASE take a look at the website for the "Get Out" Migration and Alex's walk from Sointula (April 22) to Victoria (May 8/9). And see what you might do be of support.

http://www.salmonaresacred.org

We plan to join Alex's walk for the wild salmon on April 27. We will meet the flotilla coming through the "Wild Salmon Narrows" arriving at Heriot Bay, and then walk to the Quadra Community Centre at 7 pm. We hope to pick up people at the Whaletown dock on Cortes Island around midday and head up to Surge Narrows to accompany the flotilla down to to Heriot Bay. If anyone is interested in coming aboard call us on the boat at 604 341-1586.

Elizabeth hopes to join Alex on Gabriola Island on May 4. We'll meet the 5:55 ferry and continue to Agi Hall for a presentation at 7pm. The next morning Alex will meet with students at the elementary school, and at 9:45am begin a walk in the village area. The walk continues at Silva Bay at 11:00am and launches a flotilla of boats on to Ladysmith between 12 and 1pm.

This walk is part of an ongoing journey for us. We have been learning from Alexandra Morton for years. We met her through Billy Proctor, a fisherman we've come to see as coastal elder.
Alex wrote the first book we read about Billy, and was his neighbour in Echo Bay. We cherish our life on the BC coast. And so much of our knowledge and respect has come from fishers.

Son Cosmo working on salmon seiner "Tzoonie River" with skipper Billy Griffith

Billy Proctor's troller, Ocean Dawn

Salmon are the lifeblood of the coast, food for so many of us coastal neighbours.

Black bear fishing, salmon jumping in Verny Falls

Salmon on the fire. The cedars, too, are nourished by salmon.

Sailboat trolling takes part in the abundance of this coast.

Salmon are sacred.

The "Get Out" Migration arrives in Victoria on May 8. Let's hope there are so many people gathered that the message can't be missed! A good friend of La Sonrisa, singer-songwriter Linnea Good will be part of the celebration in Sidney, Friday May 7, and walk with Alex to Victoria on Saturday, May 8.

Linnea Good and David Jonssen on La Sonrisa

Linnea and son Isaac - a sailboat picnic without salmon

Linnea will join the people walking to Victoria for the Sidney celebration on Friday, May 7, 7:30 pm at the Bodine Hall in the Mary Winspear Centre. For info contact Wally du Temple, email: esperanto@shaw.ca tel:250 812-0925

Then, Saturday morning, join Linnea, Alex and those who believe in the future of wild salmon for the final leg of the walk to Victoria, May 8!

For more information, here is one of Alex's updates:

Alexandra Morton

Weekly update March 28

Our migration down the length of Vancouver Island from April 23 – May 9 to give people the opportunity to tell Ottawa wild salmon are essential is building. People have contacted me to plan events in communities far beyond those that we are passing through. Hundreds have said they will walk portion of the trip with us and have signed the new petition at www.salmonaresacred.org

Unless every person who cares about wild salmon stands up and becomes visible to Ottawa this will not succeed in bringing reason to this situation. You can download posters on the website. This is not about getting rid of aquaculture, this is about bringing three runaway Norwegian companies into compliance with the laws every other fishery in Canada respects.

Salmon farms were exempted from the fishing regulations of Canada in 1993 and these Norwegian companies are lobbying our Members of Parliament to continue these exemptions when they become federally regulated in December. If they succeed we can give up, they will once again be outside the law.

We cannot possibly manage Canada’s wild fish sustainably, if one group is allowed unlimited by-catch of wild herring, wild salmon, rock cod, black cod and other species in their nets. We cannot have one set of rules that says no fishing with bright lights and then allow fish farms on every major migration route to use these lights, attracting millions of wild fish to their farms. Scientists studying sockeye don’t know what is causing our Fraser sockeye to inexplicably crash, even when cutting back fishing to near zero has not helped. Only the south coast sockeye that migrate past 60 salmon farm sites vanished. These Norwegian fish farmers cannot be allowed to keep their disease outbreaks on the Fraser migration route secret any longer. Highly mechanized fish farms will never replace the wild salmon jobs in fishing and tourism, nor can they feed us as wild salmon do.

The tide is turning because of all of you. We will support the small communities we live in to build land-based aquaculture. Small independent businesses are much more stable than large foreign operators that come and go based on world markets. – please read the good news below and thank you. http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/

And here is info from article in the Times Colonist

Fish-Farm Foe To Walk The Talk

Biologist Alexandra Morton aims to raise opposition to open-net pens

Article by Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist, March 19, 2010

One of the most ferocious opponents of salmon farms in areas used by migrating wild fish is hoping to mobilize support by walking from Sointula to Victoria.

Biologist Alexandra Morton, who has fought for years against open-net salmon pens in the Broughton Archipelago, is planning to start the walk on Earth Day, April 22, and

finish on Mother's Day, May 9. Along the route, Morton plans to speak to interested groups and collect signatures on a petition asking the federal government to use the Fisheries Act to protect wild fish.

"We cannot match the corporate fish-farm PR machine, nor their lobbying power. So I am simply inviting people to make themselves visible by joining us on foot, electronically and by mail," she said.

Morton, who was told yesterday she will receive an honorary degree from Simon Fraser University for her work linking sea-lice infestation in wild salmon to fish farming, says she has evidence sea lice at fish farms are becoming drug-resistant.

Morton is also increasingly worried that viruses, which have wiped out salmon farms in other countries, will be imported to Canada and spread to wild fish.

http://www.salmonaresacred.org