Dr Mimi E. Lam is out to prove that for people, some things are more important than money and not just in the philosophical sense. It’s a principle that she thinks should be built into our decision-making and our economy at a structural level, and that if it were, the world would be a better place.
Read MoreJessica’s job is a dream come true for her. Working for the BC Cetacean Sightings Network means she gets to positively impact the environment for cetaceans every day. For government organizations, NGOs and industry groups doing conservation-based research the BCCSN represents a wealth of independent data for them to draw upon. Now the Whale Report Alert System (WRAS) project has launched to automatically relay whale position information to the shipmasters and crew of commercial vessels in real time so that they can take action to minimize their impact and likelihood of striking a whale in BC’s busy waterways.
Read MoreTofino is just close enough to BC’s populous lower mainland to put it in reach for weekend escapes by those living in the province’s major urban centres, yet just far enough away, and just wild enough to make the escape worthwhile. It is home to Surfrider Pacific Rim and to its Chapter Manager Lilly Woodbury, a lifelong environmentalist who plays a key role in the chapters remote beach clean efforts.
Read MoreToday just 3% of the waters of Gwaii Haanas are strictly protected, but the archipelago stands on the brink of massive change. The recently announced and the Gina ’Waadluxan KilGuhlGa (Talking About Everything) Land-Sea-People Management Plan will increase protected marine areas to 40% and shows what can be accomplished when time and care is taken to follow through on a fully inclusive process.
Read MoreIn California, the suburbs reach right down past the Pacific Coast Highway to the ocean’s edge, where sand drifts onto the sidewalks, making them slippery for blocks. Where there are cliffs, concrete stairs descend from paths between people’s driveways to the golden sands and crashing surf below. One of these places is Laguna Beach, where I spent the morning with Project AWARE’s Danna Moore during one of their signature Dive Against Debris debris underwater collection and survey events.
Read MoreBill knows better than most the challenges that some people face when they feel the call to learn how to dive because, as a diving instructor, he has witnessed them more than most. He has trained hundreds of people in his career and can relate stories of getting students in touch with their inner diving “badass.”
Read MoreThe past two centuries have seen Haida Gwaii’s resources exploited, sometimes to the point of extirpation (sea otters) and even extinction (Dawson Caribou). Recent decades, however, have seen the Haida organize to fight for the conservation of their lands and, by extension, their culture. Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson is a lawyer on the front lines for the Haida Nation.
Read MoreIt should be a major concern for the Government of Canada that well-respected members of any coastal Canadian community see the Department of Oceans and Fisheries as being puppets in a concerted effort to destroy the very fisheries and oceans it is supposed to manage.
Read MoreUnlike the product traded by banks, wild animals are not man-made. There is yet to be an example where governments can allay the greed of mankind’s over-harvesting of a species for profit by creating more of that species out of thin air. With money, on the other hand, something out of nothing happens continuously.
Read MoreWhile the majority of fishermen wanted these quota to be doled out in equal portions to each boat, the DFO was persuaded to do so based on boat size. This meant the allocation was heavily skewed to favor a small percentage of the fleet. According to Phil, this was the real reason ITQs were being introduced in the first place, so a small group of individuals could monopolize the industry.
Read MoreWhile in Haida Gwaii, we met Phil Parish, a former fisherman who lives in Massett. We ended up speaking with Phil and another former fisherman about occurrences that have led them down a path that has them thinking the worst of our Canadian federal government's marine department, Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
Read MoreIf a disease takes hold, or if a food source takes a hit, or a pesticide with unforeseen effects is introduced, or a chemical spill occurs, or effects from climate change worsen, just to name a few possibilities, the blow dealt on top of previous over-fishing of herring, in this case, may simply be too much for the population to bounce back from.
Read MoreFor well over 10,000 years, herring and their roe appear to have been a sustained staple of the Haida people’s diets. Then, in 1877, the first commercial catch of Pacific herring was recorded. In typical European management style, the fishery increased its take massively over the following decades.
Read More“Artisinal” has become a cliché. We need a new word, one less freighted with hipsterism. But behind every cliché there is a truth, and the truth here is that localism embodies a kind of authenticity that many crave in a world dominated by the global supply chain.
Read MorePART II: Just like terrestrial land does not only belong to farmers and foresters, neither is the ocean the sole property of those who take fish from it. And it is well worth the fight to make sure policy- and law-makers understand this, and understand that we know it.
Read MoreIn 2008, the very first community-led No Take Zone was created in Lamlash Bay. In 2014, the South Arran Marine Protected Area was designated by the Scottish government as an MPA covering approximately 280 square kilometers. This huge success has led to a great sense of ownership and pride in this island community of just over 5,000.
Read MoreHaving grown up with all the Internet can offer at their fingertips, these young people can make our younger selves seem quaint at best. With university nearing on the horizon, Caysen, if he does see himself coming back to work on Haida Gwaii, sees doing it as a Marine Biologist. What a gift to the archipelago that would be.
Read MoreWhatever else she believes, she acknowledges that First Nations can never get back to what is considered the “Utopian way of life,” due to issues like pollution, the greenhouse effect and the effects of the push to eliminate their entire culture, which has resulted in a dip in their knowledge of the traditional ways of taking care of themselves.
Read MoreBryce asks a reasonable and interesting question, “What is the true value of Gwaii Hanaas? It’s not the weight of the fish that gets sold in the markets. It’s the long-term value of having a functional ecosystem; of having a place where people can go to appreciate the environment. And surely that value is much higher.”
Read MoreMeet Des Nobels, retired fisherman, a director of the North Coast Regional District and long-time spokesperson for the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation. In his time, Des has seen many changes come to the West Coast fishing industry. His experiences are legion and his opinions regarding policies, policymakers, and any number of other factors relating to the fishing industry in Coastal BC contain many important lessons.
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