I am stepping aboard the Sea Shepherd research vessel Martin Sheen, because as a scientist I have to do what I can to speak up when I see one of Earth’s essential living systems being dismantled. In my view of over 20 years of research, salmon farms are destroying the coast of British Columbia with their careless and dangerous release of disease into BC waters. Without wild salmon this coast will go dim for lack of energy. Wild salmon feed the world around them and I can say it is INCREDIBLY difficult to protect any part of our living planet!
I have used most of my adult life on this one single issue – to protect wild salmon from salmon farms, because this will make an enormous difference to this part of our world. With other scientists I have published ground – breaking scientific papers on sea lice, infectious salmon anemia virus and escaped Atlantic salmon in the Pacific. But every government, seems immobilized and will not step up to defend life on earth. They are trapped in the international trade winds that roar far above our reach destroying everything we need to survive. Everything…. It is a form of insanity!
Salmon farms release plumes of viruses, sea lice and bacteria into our oceans and the natural systems are unable to function to stop them. Once viruses have been released, there is no way to recall them. This is the kind of dangerous, careless, inexcusable behaviour that is robbing our future, putting our children at grave risk. I would prefer to work quietly in the remote reaches of the BC coast, studying whales, but clearly even this new and promising Government of Canada is unable to hear the science, the warning sirens, and the needs of the people and our environment. They can only hear the salmon farming industry. On Canada Day the Trudeau government gifted the salmon farming industry long term licences to pour tonnes of feces, viruses, sea lice, bacteria and more into BC waters, despite legal and scientific warnings and sustained strong public rejection of the industry.
While the new Liberal Government of Canada seems to want to protect the environment and respect First Nations, they appear to have lost their way. Perhaps the bureaucrats are not properly briefing the ministers.
I have science, the law and public opinion on my side, but the industry has our government.
When Paul Watson posted on his facebook page “Sea Shepherd is sending the MARTIN SHEEN to British Columbia this 
summer to work with Dr. Alexandra Morton…” I was a little stunned, hesitant at first, but then very grateful. Finally, help was on the way! Clearly this is not a matter that will be resolved locally. It demands an international audience and participation.
This voyage will be peaceful, no aggression from us. While Sea Shepherd may be best known for their aggressive, bold tactics to save whales in the Antarctic Ocean, they also work with governments and conduct research. I am going to use the boat as a research platform to study piscine reovirus – a salmon heart virus that infects over 80% of farmed salmon in BC and represents a substantial threat to BC wild salmon.
I am also going to use the boat to take a close look at the farms along Canada’s biggest wild salmon migration route from Vancouver to Port Hardy. The dirty practice of releasing tonnes of industrial feces, per farm, per day into Canada’s most important wild salmon habitat, in many cases despite local First Nation opposition, is occurring only because no one is watching. And so we will bear witness and bring this to the attention of Canada, the world and Prime Minister Trudeau.
To all the salmon farmers out there, you have nothing to fear from us. You know better than most the secrets you keep. here is your chance to do the right thing.
Martin Sheen is receiving welcome by First Nations.
We will provide a platform for the many voices of this coast that have seen first hand what is going on here.
Please pitch in the power of one is all we have, but we all have it. Sign, pledge, share – stop eating farmed salmon.
Finally, some support from outside this small group of ours. And it is almost entirely due to your dedication, Alexandra. Much appreciate all of your work and the support of the Sea Shepard Society.
Your steadfast dedication is an example that truth prevals eventually.
I totally support what you are doing and the government needs to open its eyes and ears and step up to stop what havoc these salmon farms are causing before it is too late. Thank you Alexandra Morton for all your hard work.
Maybe the Trudeaus would like to come to a dinner of farmed salmon. While eating the tasteless mush, they could also learn about the other evils of open net sea farms, like the fact that farmed salmon will not eat plant protein. They consume 5 lbs of fish meal for every one pound of weight gained. Small fish stocks like anchovies are being devastated off the Chilean coast, just to be turned into fish meal, leaving coastal birds to starve, including penguins.
I have seen the effects of pit lamping at night. While anchoring up in remote northern inlets waiting out storms, our ship’s lights would attract every living creature in the bay to underneath the boat. Squid, herring, juvenile blackcod are are drawn in by their glow. The same happens with the sea farms with their bright lights drawing in juvenile herring, salmon, sablefish etc, all to be devoured once inside the nets. Pit lamping for herring was banned commercially by DFO years ago because of it’s total effectiveness of attracting fish.
These are just a few of the other inconceivable practices that happens just to raise a substandard product.
Spreading sea lice and disease to our migrating juvenile wild salmon is despicable. Pouring chemicals, that also kills prawns,into the open ocean to combat sea lice is insane. Dumping tons of farm fish excrement daily turns the sea floor into a fetid moonscape.
I can’t believe that this new Liberal government is allowing this environmental nightmare to continue.
Thank God that you Alexandra and Sea Shepard are working together. Maybe now we will get much more press which is so needed to change the course of the history and environment on our coast. YAY!!!
I am so relieved you are doing this journey as up until now I thought common sense would prevail with our federal and provincial governments, yet they keep allowing all this harm to continue. Out of sight, out of mind, obfuscate and deny science, etc. I remember Christy Clark on CKNW when she was a host speaking on salmon farming and how the science is just not there regarding harm to the environment. Wow. I remember writing to the provincial minister in approximately 2002 or so stating the harm of the oceans off of Chile in that the fishing industry was being decimated to feed the salmon farms and the minister at the time stated, I kid you not, “the fish for the salmon pens are not food fish”, whaaaat? Like the fish that they kill for salmon farming is not part of the food chain that eventually becomes human fish so they don’t matter. Crazy and insane obfuscation and denial, your tax dollars at work.
Alexandra Morton, you are and have been for so, so many years now a hero of mine and your work is very valued by so many of us. (David Suzuki, too).
Congratulations finally you are getting the help/support you need after decades of work in almost total isolation hope Canada and rest of world will see what you’re doing and spread the word and help w/$ and pressure on Canadian govt especially BC Libs who will hopefully be out of here soon.
It was extremely disappointing to learn that the Trudeau government, once touted as a government that would make decisions based on scientific fact, is doing exactly the opposite by extending salmon farm licenses to pollute even more than they already have. . One can now legitimately ask: “So why did we bother changing the government if they are nothing more than the same?” However, since a centralist government cannot possibly understand anything about either coast in this great country, hopefully the additional power of the Sea Shepherd Society will give Alexandra Morton the support that she so badly needs in her heroic and selfless fight to save our Wild Salmon stocks. I also hope that those who know far more about the procedures involved than I, are working towards nominating Dr. Morton for the Order of Canada. No one deserves it more.
It is a shame seeing that given compilation of sound and evident scientific data, by you Alexandra, and all your staff and volunteers, is being almost completey ignored by key responsible federal employees, etc. Obviously, our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, knows nothing of the deadly threat of the British Columbia Echo System. Not to mention our First Nations people who are depending so much on such a vital food for survival???
So happy to hear Sea Shepherd is involved. Very best wishes to you all…loved the press conference today July18th. Can’t wait for update. More power to you all for fighting the good fight.
Jackie
As a long-time visiting salmon sport fisherman, I’m very happy to see this new team approach for investigating piscine viruses introduced by fish farmers. After many attempts to reason in writing with DFO about the deficiencies of this “industry”, poorly managed environmentally as it is, I’m convinced DFO bureaucrats are at least as culpable as their government masters in deflecting criticism and baseline facts about the marine fish farming industry from public scrutiny. Based on my recent correspondence the new Liberal govt. appears to have fallen into the same old behaviour pattern of blanket denial.
Jack Elliott
I find it funny that the federal government ( fisheries is federal jurisdiction) is forcing Victoria into spend over 1 billion dollars, to treat our sewage systems, despite lots of scientific evidence that says it’s not needed at this time. Yet ! The federal (despite the party change) government is still allowing this “Industry” to impact everything in its path environmentally. Everything that this industry takes from the oceans to “feed” their bottom line regardless of the environmental impact effects the survival of everything else along the food chain. We have a natural balance on our coast that has been doing fine for the most part for generations. Fish Farms have no reason to be here, except to line the pockets of shareholders. These same shareholders, they have all read the the same things we have about this industry. They have no conscience, they don’t care about anything that their industry does to our coast, to our Wild Salomn, and every other animal that depends on those same fish for survival. Blinded by Gluttony.
The passed Liberal government are the ones that allowed this industry to flourish in this country,I knew when they got elected absolutely nothing would change Trudeau is as full of it as our Provincial Lieberals are
It makes me so happy to hear yourself and Sea Shepherd have joined forces! Thankyou so much for what you are both doing. Much appreciated xx
Best wishes for a successful #OperationVirusHunter!
I believe it was Pearl Buck (author) who wrote that it doesn’t take a lot of people to make a difference–in fact it really only takes one dedicated soul. Alexandra, I have been following and admiring you for years and am one of the many thankful people that truly appreciates your dedication. Good luck with your latest adventure. And a BIG thank you to Sea Shepherd for making it possible.
With you on board this will be a truly historic journey. So glad Sea Shepherd has taken on this horrible unhealthy industry.
Thank you! As a resident of Tofino, I am so very excited we are getting help to get these things out of our waters! <3
Wild Salmon are a biological mechanism that for millions of years have nourished the Earth with their bodies, feeding on the wealth of the oceans and caring that bounty up to the highest areas on this our only Home, they can manage to get to. They offset the effects of erosion, Let’s move farm salmon inland, it’s smart and only safe move.
It is encouraging to see that you are fighting on in this epic and important struggle. History shows that a few determined people can really make a difference in the world — David DID beat Goliath.
Alexandra! Our earth angel!
I, like everyone else here, am overjoyed that the Sea Shepherd is now involved! I wanted to wish you all of the very best in this venture. Hopefully?,,,others will begin to listen and to react in the way we all need them to! Keeps safe……all of you.
Alex……many thanks from a grateful Nanaimo citizen!
This warms my heart. So happy to see both Alexandra and SSCS teaming up to bring more awareness to the perils of aquaculture as it relates to salmon. Deep respect for both Alexandra and SSCS.
It is deeply disappointing to know that the Trudeau government is NOT following the facts, and extending salmon farm licenses which pollute and cause damage.