History Returning for Wild Salmon: Fish Farms Invited to Leave Kingcome Inlet

A Historic Day for Wild Salmon

by Alexandra Morton  - www.voyageforsalmon.com

Aug 19, 2016

On August 18, 2016 the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuwx came together to perform ceremony on the Sir Edmund salmon farm at the entrance to Kingcome Inlet. People came from Alert Bay, Gwayasdums (Gilford Village) to join the Dzawada’enuxw in the second boarding of a salmon farm in the past 72-hours.

The governments of Canada and British Columbia have allowed the Norwegian/Japanese salmon farming industry to put millions of Atlantic salmon into Musgamagw Dzawada’enuwx territory even though this nation has said “No” for almost 30 years.

The federal government of Canada issues transfer permits to the salmon farming industry that allows them to put fish carrying viruses associated with disease into all waters of BC, including Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw territory. I took one of the companies, Marine Harvest, and the government of Canada to stop this and won, but there is no evidence that they are abiding by this ruling.

“The people who are benefiting from these farms are benefiting over the suffering of our people” Dzawada’enuxw hereditary leader Farron Soukochoff .

“We have heard the words of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that honouring the rights of First Nations are a “sacred obligation” to the Liberal Government of Canada,” said Hereditary leader and chief councilor Willie Moon.

“Our people have spoken we want salmon farms out of our territory.”

The rudeness with which the salmon farm employees were told to conduct themselves was in stark contrast to the integrity of the people performing ceremony with cedar bows. It was hard to witness.

If you want to help this brave effort to restore a large part of the BC coast so that it can once again produce wild salmon and herring, please go to their website www.cleansingourwaters.com

Donate money for fuel for the boats, and travel, write to them to offer support, show solidarity in other parts of BC and the world and send pictures. Like the Facebook page musgamagw dzawadaenuxw cleansing our waters Write to the editors of your newspapers, who are ignoring this movement and tell this is news. Write to your MPs and MLAs.

This Nation is on the front lines for all of us and for future generations. The two Norwegian/Japanese companies, one of them owned by Mitsubishi, do not have to destroy these waters, sometime known as the Broughton, to become richer. They do not have to do this.

It is time to stop destroying our planet.