legacy - january 2014

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Issue 27 January 2014

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Legacy January 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International

2014 Year of Healthy Marine Ecosystems

Wild Game Fish Conservation International (WGFCI): Established to

advocate for wild game fish, their fragile ecosystems and the cultures and economies that rely on their robust populations.

LEGACY The Journal of Wild Game Fish Conservation: Complimentary,

no-nonsense, monthly publication by conservationists for conservationists

LEGACY, the WGFCI Facebook page and the WGFCI website are utilized

to better equip fellow conservationists, elected officials, business owners and others regarding wild game fish, their contributions to society and the varied and complex issues impacting them and those who rely on their sustainability.

LEGACY exposes impacts to wild game fish while featuring wild game fish

conservation projects, fishing adventures, wildlife art, accommodations, equipment and more. Your photos and articles featuring wild game fish from around planet earth are

welcome for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of LEGACY. E-mail them with

captions and credits to Jim ([email protected]).

Successful wild game fish conservation efforts around planet earth will ensure existence of these precious natural resources and their ecosystems for future

generations to enjoy and appreciate. This is our LEGACY.

LLeeggaaccyy

Wild Game Fish Conservation International

Wild Game Fish Conservation International

Founders

Bruce Treichler Jim Wilcox


2014 Year of Healthy Marine Ecosystems Contents WGFCI Outreach via Legacy and Facebook ________________________________________________________ 10

Editorial Opinion _________________________________________________________________________________ 11

Special: _________________________________________________________________________________________ 12

2013 - What We Accomplished Alexandra Morton _____________________________________________________ 12

Position on Open-pen Finfish Aquaculture Canadian Wildlife Federation _______________________________ 13

Beware Marauding Carp ______________________________________________________________________________ 14

Seafood consumption: Public health risks and benefits _____________________________________________ 16

Warning: Eating Farmed Salmon May Affect Your Baby _________________________________________________ 16

Enjoy seasonal wild Pacific salmon dinners at these fine restaurants: ____________________________________ 17

PROUD TO SUPPORT WILD SALMON Original art by Leanne Hodges __________________________________ 18

Wild Salmon Supporters View entire list here _________________________________________________________ 19

Pesticide Residues Committee (UK): Read Entire 2010 Report HERE _____________________________________ 22

What are you eating __________________________________________________________________________________ 23

Watch Salmon Wars video HERE ______________________________________________________________________ 23

Russia threatens with embargo on Norwegian fish ______________________________________________________ 24

Whole Foods shamefully offers Norwegian feedlot-raised Atlantic salmon ________________________________ 26

Can A Fish Farm Be Organic? That's Up For Debate ____________________________________________________ 27

Were seeking truth for wild game fish _____________________________________________________________ 29

Barak Obama ________________________________________________________________________________________ 29

The Honourable Gail Shea ____________________________________________________________________________ 29

Miranda Wecker ______________________________________________________________________________________ 30

Miranda Wecker ______________________________________________________________________________________ 31

Loblaw stores ________________________________________________________________________________________ 32

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq ______________________________________________________________________ 32

Maria Cantwell _______________________________________________________________________________________ 33

Vickie Raines ________________________________________________________________________________________ 33

Rob MacWhorter _____________________________________________________________________________________ 34

Whole Foods Market__________________________________________________________________________________ 35

Billy Frank, Jr. _______________________________________________________________________________________ 35

Maria Cantwell _______________________________________________________________________________________ 35

David Boulet _________________________________________________________________________________________ 36

Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray ______________________________________________________________________ 36

Responses to WGFCI: ____________________________________________________________________________ 38

Yngve Torgersen - re. sea lice _________________________________________________________________________ 38

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq - re. New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project _________________________ 40

Sebastien Houle re: EcoCert Certification ______________________________________________________________ 41

Elizabeth May, O.C., M.P. re. Genetically Modified salmon _____________________________________________ 41

Vickie Raines re. Chehalis River basin flood issues ___________________________________________________ 42

Vince Panesko re. Proposed Chehalis River dam _____________________________________________________ 43

Community Activism, Education and Outreach: ____________________________________________________ 44

Leave this world better than when you found it _________________________________________________________ 44



Sign the petition to Northern Dynasty Minerals _________________________________________________________ 46

Help Wild Steelhead Coalition return wild steelhead to our rivers ________________________________________ 47

Oceana: Aquaculture Overview ________________________________________________________________________ 50

salmonALERT.org ____________________________________________________________________________________ 51

Eddie Gardner: Net-Pen Farmed Salmon Boycotts at Superstores Across BC, Saturday, January 18,

2014 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 52

Farmed Salmon Boycott Rally: Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada November 19, 2013 ________________ 53

Open-net farmed salmon boycott set to expand ________________________________________________________ 56

Day of Action for Wild Salmon and Public Health _______________________________________________________ 59

Atlantic Farmed Salmon Boycott, Real Canadian Superstore ____________________________________________ 60

Supermarkets: Stop sourcing salmon from Wester Ross Fisheries Limited _______________________________ 61

Say No to Scotlands Yes Ministers! ___________________________________________________________________ 62

Supermarket Scamon - Farmed Salmon Belongs in the Trash Bin! _______________________________________ 63

Supermarket Scamon Protest in London (November 19, 3013) ___________________________________________ 64

Diseased feedlot salmon offered in Denmark by shipping, oil and gas giant - Maersk ______________________ 65

BBC Countryfile on Salmon Farming - Complaint by Protect Wild Scotland _______________________________ 66

Protestors urge farmed salmon boycott outside Good Food Ireland awards ______________________________ 67

Welcome to Reality ___________________________________________________________________________________ 68

Petition: Health Canada: we dont want FrankenSalmon on our dinner plates _____________________________ 69

Even Mr. Burns won't eat mutant fish __________________________________________________________________ 70

Landers: Canoeists paddle way of Columbia salmon ____________________________________________________ 71

Northern Gateway Too Risky - There is no PLAN B _____________________________________________________ 74

NO PIPELINES _______________________________________________________________________________________ 75

British Columbia Opposed to Exporting US Thermal Coal _______________________________________________ 76

No Coal Ports for British Columbia Members of Parliament, Peter Julian and Fin Donnelly _________________________ 77

Wild Salmon Warrior Radio with Jay Peachy Tuesday Mornings ________________________________________ 78

Impacts of open pen salmon and trout feedlots _____________________________________________________ 79

Alexandra Morton: Salmon farming - looking dodgy on many fronts _____________________________________ 80

It is Official - the CFIA never retested my samples ____________________________________________________________ 81

Offloading ISA-infected, Newfoundland feedlot salmon _________________________________________________ 84

Norwegian Owned Salmon Farming Kills Sea Floor Ecosystems _________________________________________ 86

15 20 young eagles caught in the cages no response! _______________________________________________ 87

ISA confirmed in Chiles Aysen region _________________________________________________________________ 90

Loosen regulatory net, fish farmers say ________________________________________________________________ 91

Fish-farm firm still focused on Atlantic salmon in B.C. despite shift in Chile ______________________________ 93

EU to reopen salmon farm inquiry _____________________________________________________________________ 95

Rolls-Royce Builds a Salmon Tanker __________________________________________________________________ 97

Climate Change __________________________________________________________________________________ 99

Canadas real international shame and its not Ford: Burman _________________________________________ 99

Energy production : Oil, Coal, Hydropower, Natural Gas, Solar, Wind _______________________________ 103

Petroleum Drilled, Refined, Tar Sands _________________________________________________________________ 105



ALL the tarsands money and all the tarsands men _____________________________________________________ 105

Toxic Lakes From Tar-Sand Projects Planned for Alberta ______________________________________________ 106

Oh Canada. _______________________________________________________________________________________ 109

Oil: Leave it in the ground ___________________________________________________________________________ 110

Science Says: Stop Tar Sands and Arctic Drilling Now _________________________________________________ 110

Megaloads Coming To Eastern Oregon Roads _________________________________________________________ 113

This Is What Happens When a Pipeline Bursts in Your Town ___________________________________________ 116

Nigeria Oil Spill Coats River As Hundreds Of Yearly Leaks Continue To Devastate Ecosystem ____________ 118

Oil Pipeline Explodes In China, Killing 35 And Setting The Ocean On Fire _______________________________ 119

Deadly Sinopec pipeline blast in China raises questions in BC _________________________________________ 121

Vancouver asks for thorough oil-terminal study _______________________________________________________ 123

MLA, Mayor turn up heat on Fraser River jet fuel, tanker plan ___________________________________________ 126

Fracking and Earthquakes ___________________________________________________________________________ 129

Fracking the American Dream: Drilling Decreases Property Value _______________________________________ 131

Coal __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 133

Chuck Chiang: Chinas new cap on coal use could hurt viability of proposed local coal terminals _________ 133

Massive coal mine leak damaged fisheries, habitat ____________________________________________________ 137

Hydropower and water retention ________________________________________________________________________ 140

Billy Frank Jr. Commentary: Chehalis River Dam Threatens Treaty Rights _______________________________ 140

Enbridge plans major private power project on fish-bearing river _______________________________________ 142

Site C dam: BC Hydros plan pits need for power against threat to farmland and wildlife __________________ 144

First Nations split over BC Hydro's Site C dam megaproject (with video) ________________________________ 145

Downstream impact of B.C. dam proposal on fish, flooding concern Alberta _____________________________ 148

Chinook Salmon Redds left High & Dry on the Sacramento River _______________________________________ 150

Earthquakes prompt inspection of North Texas dams __________________________________________________ 151

Oroville Dam earthquake investigation may be needed _________________________________________________ 153

PacifiCorp looking to divest the leaky dam that creates Mirror Pond in Bend ____________________________ 156

Main Street dams days are numbered ________________________________________________________________ 157

Liquefied Natural Gas __________________________________________________________________________________ 158

Seizing the LNG Opportunity _______________________________________________________________________ 158

Pollution report on B.C. LNG projects raises alarm ____________________________________________________ 159

China state-owned energy giant draws up plans for massive LNG project in B.C. ________________________ 161

Solar _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 163

First Nations leading Earth's future generations _______________________________________________________ 163

Forest Management _____________________________________________________________________________ 164

Bill aims to help timber counties _____________________________________________________________________ 166

Government action/inaction and wild game fish ___________________________________________________ 168

I have to stop saying How stupid can you be ________________________________________________________ 168

Tell the FDA: We Dont Want Frankenfish _____________________________________________________________ 169

Canadas Approval of GM Fish Eggs Threatens Environment, Groups Say _______________________________ 170

GMO salmon criticisms 'don't merit comment' _________________________________________________________ 172



UPDATE 1-Canada must do more to engage aboriginals on pipelines - report ____________________________ 175

Gateway project would put waters off Kitimat at 'very high' risk of oil spill, study concludes ______________ 177

Engineers poke holes in Enbridge tanker safety _______________________________________________________ 179

Northern Gateway opponents gearing up for legal battle with feds ______________________________________ 183

Vermont: First state to ban fracking __________________________________________________________________ 186

Obama Approves Major Border-Crossing Fracked Gas Pipeline Used to Dilute Tar Sands ________________ 187

Feds spend $40 million to pitch natural resources _____________________________________________________ 189

Harper government's extensive spying on anti-oilsands groups revealed in FOIs ________________________ 192

Senate To Probe Fish Farms _________________________________________________________________________ 197

Canadian taxpayers bail out Norwegian fish farms for diseased fish ____________________________________ 199

Cooke shuts down for about six months ______________________________________________________________ 202

Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission Public Meeting ______________________________________ 204

WDFW Chehalis River Salmon Management Policy ____________________________________________________ 205

B.C. mines minister to lobby for New Prosperity project ________________________________________________ 208

Sechelt (shshlh) First Nation Opposes Hazardous American Coal Shipments __________________________ 211

Greenwashing (aka: Bovine Excrement) ________________________________________________________ 212

Creative Salmon achieves organic certification ________________________________________________________ 212

Enbridge uses anonymity for new hydroelectric projects _______________________________________________ 214

Cooke Aquaculture partnering with Dalhousie _________________________________________________________ 217

Organic fresh salmon fillet Atlantic farmed ____________________________________________________________ 219

Port Metro Vancouver CEO confident coal dust issue thoroughly reviewed ____________________________ 220

Northern Gateway Pipelines A better spill response action plan _______________________________________ 223

Mining and wild game fish _______________________________________________________________________ 224

Taseko wants judicial review into Prosperity Mines harsh assessment _________________________________ 224

Salmon Hatcheries and Wild Salmon _____________________________________________________________ 226

Lawsuits Put NW Fish Hatcheries In The Crosshairs ___________________________________________________ 226

Port Moody salmon hatchery burns 'to the ground,' destroying this year's stock _________________________ 228

Wild fish management ___________________________________________________________________________ 230

Dismantling of Fishery Library 'Like a Book Burning,' Say Scientists ____________________________________ 230

Too many chum salmon to be processed _____________________________________________________________ 233

Underutilized wild Pacific salmon ____________________________________________________________________ 235

Salmon shortages stressing out grizzlies _____________________________________________________________ 236

Wildlife officer spots salmon poachers using night-vision ______________________________________________ 238

Ongoing Conservation Projects __________________________________________________________________ 240

An epic return: Chum returns show that years of hard work have restored habitat throughout

peninsulas __________________________________________________________________________________________ 240

Summer Chum on Path to Recovery __________________________________________________________________ 243

Amazing return of coho to small Campbell River creek _________________________________________________ 245

State Awards $743,000 to Lewis County for Salmon Recovery Projects __________________________________ 247

Conservation-minded businesses please support these fine businesses __________________________ 250

Anissa Reed Designs ________________________________________________________________________________ 250



Gaper Konkoli: fly fishing guiding Slovenia _________________________________________________________ 251

Vital Choice Wild Seafood and Organics ____________________________________________________________ 252

Attention Conservation-minded Business Owners _________________________________________________ 254

WGFCI endorsed conservation organizations: _____________________________________________________ 254

Featured Artists: ________________________________________________________________________________ 255

Jay Peachy: Return _______________________________________________________________________________ 256

Diane Michelin: Team Work (upper) On the Rock (lower) __________________________________________ 257

Dan Wallace: Commissioned engraving strict attention to detail ______________________________________ 258

Leanne Hodges - Tentative title: Orca Celebrate Returning Chinook ___________________________________ 259

Gary Haggquist: "#5 Waterway Series", acrylic on canvas, 12"x 36", 2012__________________________________ 260

Featured Conservationist Walking the Talk ______________________________________________________ 261

Eddie Gardner: Heart and Soul of the International Feedlot Salmon Boycott _____________________________ 261

Featured Fishing Photos: ________________________________________________________________________ 262

Kyle McClelland: Late November wild coho salmon ____________________________________________________ 262

Clarissa Snyder and Bryanna Zimmerman ____________________________________________________________ 263

Serena Malcom: Roosterfish, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico _________________________________________________ 264

Denny Clemons: Fall Salmon Fishing on the Home River _____________________________________________ 265

Rock Wyrsta: Napoleon Wrasse Rainbow Beach Fishing Classic ______________________________________ 266

Black Marlin 1 Fishermen 0 (Panama) _______________________________________________________________ 267

Gone Fishing _______________________________________________________________________________________ 268

Recommended Reading _________________________________________________________________________ 272

Alexandra Morton: Listening to Whales Watch orcas up close HERE ________________________________ 272

Terry Wiest: Float Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead __________________________________________________ 273

Video Library conservation of wild game fish ____________________________________________________ 274

Final Thoughts: _________________________________________________________________________________ 275

Truth _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 275



LLeeggaaccyy

Forward Happy New Year! The January 2014 issue of Legacy marks twenty seven

consecutive months of our web-based publication, the no-holds-barred, watchdog journal published by Wild Game Fish Conservation International.

Legacy is published each month to expose risks to the future of wild game fish and

their ecosystems around planet earth to our growing audience. Legacy is also utilized to promote the many benefits of healthy populations of wild game fish. Please share

this uniquely comprehensive publication with others far and wide as it includes something of interest and importance for everyone.

Our hope is that those who read Legacy will come to understand that what is good for

wild game fish is also good for humans. Similarly, what is bad for our planets wild game fish is really bad for humans!

Its exciting that a growing number of recreational anglers and others around planet earth are passionate about conserving wild game fish and their continued availability for this and future generations to enjoy and appreciate. Just as exciting is that growing

numbers of consumers and retailers are paying close attention to the impacts each of us have on global resources through our daily activities and purchases.

We continue to urge our readers to speak out passionately and to demonstrate

peacefully for wild game fish and their ecosystems; ecosystems that we are but one small component of.

As recreational fishermen, conservation of wild game fish for future generations is our

passion. Publishing Legacy each month is our self imposed responsibility to help ensure the future of these precious gifts that have been entrusted for safekeeping to

our generation.

Bruce Treichler

James E. Wilcox Wild Game Fish Conservation International


2014 Year of Healthy Marine Ecosystems WGFCI Outreach via Legacy and Facebook

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4,500+ WGFCI Faceb

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Editorial Opinion

Jim Wilcox, Wild Game Fish Conservation International

We at Wild Game Fish Conservation International strive month in and month out to expose risks to

the worlds wild game fish to those who could help society conserve these magnificent creations. We

utilize Legacy, our monthly, web-based magazine as our primary communications tool to reach out to

our global audience.

In addition, we feature recent work of wildlife artists, photos of recent fishing trips and businesses

that rely on clients who often travel great distance at considerable expense to fish for wild wish in wild

habitats.

Unfortunately, these wild game fish and their fragile ecosystems are often in harms way of one or

more development projects that are undertaken to improve our lifestyles and create family-wage

jobs. Many of these projects involve extraction, transportation and utilization of natural resources

including oil, natural gas, coal, minerals and more. We also see risks to wild game fish due to dam

construction, open pen salmon feedlots, over allocation of water, land use practices the list

continues.

Now is the time for society to do a reality check what is truly worth restoring and conserving?

Human dignity, civil rights, basic freedoms Public health Breathable air, drinkable water, safe food Comfortable housing Efficient transportation Quality education

These very basic needs require conservation (wise use) of the very resources we have enjoyed for

thousands of years. Today, many of these resources are over-exploited others are trashed in the

name of progress this under-regulated implementation of outdated techniques and technologies is

not sustainable, it must end sooner than later if we are to leave a better place for our heirs.

Now, more than ever before, conservation of the worlds finite resources must become a way of life

we must develop and embrace new technologies that also protect our natural, life-sustaining

resources (air, water, food).

Now is not the time to make international trade deals to further enrich a few corporate leaders and

government officials at the expense of public health, wild ecosystems, cultures, communities and

economies now is the time to re-think what we must work toward for the betterment of our global

society Lets not put this difficult task off until tomorrow Lets not rely on our governments to meet

our basic needs Lets get to work together today we have no other reasonable alternative its

our responsibility!.



Special: 2013 - What We Accomplished Alexandra Morton

December 5, 2013

This video is a summary of battles fought and won in the 2013 effort to protect wild Pacific salmon from the many risks of open pen salmon feedlots sited in wild salmon migration routes along British Columbias uniquely productive coast. To continue this important research will require each of us to contribute what money we can. All contributions will be greatly appreciated and will be used wisely. 2014 is the year to permanently rid our wild oceans of open pen salmon feedlots it will only take place if much needed funding is available for sample testing and community outreach. Please join this worthy fight to protect British Columbias Iconic, wild Pacific salmon and steelhead.

Watch, Listen, Learn HERE

Then take action by doing the right thing for our wild salmon and steelhead.



Position on Open-pen Finfish Aquaculture Canadian Wildlife Federation Read Entire Paper HERE

The Canadian Wildlife Federations Position on Open-pen Finfish Aquaculture

Open-pen finfish aquaculture alters important aquatic habitats and significantly affects native populations of wild salmon and other wildlife.

These effects may put the survival of both Pacific and Atlantic salmon species at risk.

Although the aquaculture industry creates economic benefits, because of its significant impact on wildlife, CWF would like to see the practice of OPFA in

Canada phased out over the next 10 years.

In the meantime, CWF believes it imperative that no more OPFA operations be established in Canada.



Beware Marauding Carp

November 19, 2013

EARLIER this month, researchers

demonstrated that a Eurasian species of fish,

the grass carp, had begun reproducing in Lake

Erie. This may not sound like alarming news,

but unless we take steps to prevent its spread,

this animal is poised to disrupt the ecology of

the Hudson River and New Yorks other inland

waters.

Grass carp are like underwater lawn mowers.

They reach nearly five feet in length and 100

pounds in weight and are so efficient at

consuming vegetation that they have been

stocked all over the world as biocontrols for

problematic weeds. But as with so many

misguided introductions, the grass carp will

spread out of control. Now that they are in

Lake Erie, it is just a matter of time before they

swim east to the Hudson River along the Erie

Canal.

In the Hudson River, aquatic vegetation helps

underpin the food chain and provides essential

habitat to fish and wildlife. About half of the

rivers original aquatic vegetation was

destroyed during the 19th and early 20th

centuries by dredging and filling to improve the

shipping channel, and the vegetation that

remains faces serious threats from storms and

the rising sea level.

The establishment of a large population of grass carp, a fish that flourishes in large, turbid rivers like the Hudson, could further endanger this habitat and decimate the rivers already embattled native fishes.



More than just the Hudson is threatened. Similar problems could occur in other waters along the

course of the Erie Canal, including the Finger Lakes and Oneida Lake, which also contain valuable

beds of aquatic plants.

This has happened before. In 1986, Eurasian zebra mussels first appeared in the United States, in

Lake Erie, having been transported inadvertently in the ballast water of commercial vessels. The

zebra mussels spread quickly, and in 1991, they were discovered in the Hudson. Just one year later

it was estimated that 550 billion zebra mussels inhabited the river. This eruption of zebra mussels

disrupted the workings of the rivers ecosystem, depleting the phytoplankton at the base of the food

chain by more than 75 percent and cutting populations of its fish by as much as 60 percent.

The grass carp is not the only new invader waiting to use the Erie Canal. Two other Asian carp

species now swimming into the Great Lakes through the Chicago Canal are likely to use the Erie

Canal as they move east to the Hudson, where their appetite for plankton will threaten the food

supply of what remains of the once huge shad population in the river.

In coming decades, many other potentially harmful species that have arrived through purposeful or accidental introduction are positioned to use the Erie Canal and cause problems for New Yorks lakes and rivers.

Fortunately, there still is time to stop the grass carp from invading the inland waters of New York.

One solution would be to recreate the natural barrier between Lake Erie and the Hudson River by

building a barricade along the Erie Canal that would allow essential canal operations like recreational

boat passage while impeding the movement of invaders.

Various types of such barriers have been proposed or installed on canals around the world. This has

involved replacing traditional canal locks with hoist or rail systems, chemical or electric barriers, or

bubble screens (which deploy a thick wall of air bubbles that impede the movement of mobile

creatures). The barrier best suited to the Erie Canal should be determined by a study of alternatives

that considers their costs, compatibility with canal operations and effectiveness against invasive

species.

Now is the time to perform such a study. Too often, people consider canal barriers only in a crisis,

when an invader is already in the process of moving through the canal. Such delayed crisis planning

often leads to hurried and flawed designs, wasteful spending and ineffective control of invaders.

Led by groups like the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the United

States Army Corps of Engineers, and with the assistance of other conservation organizations and

scientists, we need to develop and implement a plan that maximizes the benefits that the Erie Canal

can provide to New York, while minimizing the risks from the spread of the grass carp and other

harmful invaders. The zebra mussel has demonstrated how much ecological damage one species

can cause, and the growing international record shows that invasive species are rarely eradicated

once established.

We must do this now, before the carp take this decision out of our hands.



Seafood consumption: Public health risks and benefits

Warning: Eating Farmed Salmon May Affect Your Baby Read related article HERE



Enjoy seasonal wild Pacific salmon dinners at these fine restaurants:



PROUD TO SUPPORT WILD SALMON Original art by Leanne Hodges

Editorial Comment:

When making your next dining reservations for yourself, you and

your loved one or a party, please be sure to look first at the

restaurants that do not offer open pen feedlot salmon on their

menu.

This is a simple way that we can thank these businesses for their

significant dedication and commitment to our iconic wild Pacific

salmon.



Wild Salmon Supporters View entire list here

Eddie Gardner:

BAD CHOICE!

So called Fresh Farmed

Atlantic Salmon Steak Tip" is

very fatty and this absorbs high

concentrations of PCBs. For

your health and for the well

being of the marine habitat, do

not purchase this product.

Nikki Lamarre:

They couldn't pay me to eat

that!



Pesticide Residues Committee (UK): Read Entire 2010 Report HERE



What are you eating

Watch video trailer HERE

Watch Salmon Wars video HERE



Russia threatens with embargo on Norwegian fish

December 13, 2013



A Russian ban on import of fish from Norway will lead to a 20 percent price increase for consumers.

Russian veterinarians who recently returned from a visit to Norway are unsatisfied with the

Norwegian state system of food safety control and want to stop all import of fresh fish and fish

products from the country.

The Federal Service for Veterinarian and Vegetation Sanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) wants

to put a total embargo on salmon from Norway from January 1 or even earlier, Aleksey Alekseyenko

from the organ says to Izvestia. According to him, Norway has a lousy system for quality control and

food safety, which has allowed for low-quality fish to enter the Russian market.

Commenting on a similar threat from Russian authorities in July, a regional representative of the

Norwegian Food Safety Authority said that:

Norway exports salmon to 120 different markets, but it is only the Russian market which presents

this kind of characteristics of the Norwegian fish.

Rosselkhoznadzor and representatives from the fisheries sector in Russian are going to have a

closed meeting on Friday where they will discuss a possible total embargo on fish from Norway.

A total embargo on Norwegian fish will have huge consequences for Russian fish industry, which is

heavily dependent on raw material from Norway.

That would be a blow to our production and to consumers, says head of the Fish Union Sergey

Gudkov to Izvestia. We will take all possible measures for ensure that the limitation will not affect all

sorts of fish.

A stop on imports from Norway will lead to a deficit of raw material at processing factories and bring

production down, says General Director of the Union of Fishery Managers of the North Gennady

Stepakhno. Consumers will have to pay 20% more for trout and salmon if import of these species is

to be banned, he says.

Norway is the largest exporter of salmon and trout to Russia, with 78 percent of the market. On

second place is Chile with 7 percent.

Norway in 2012 exported 320.000 tons of fish and fish products to Russia. The export had a value of

820 million.

The new Russian boycott threats to the Norwegian fish industry are far from the first. In 2005-2006,

the country introduced a full import ban on Norwegian frozen fish and a number of salmon export

companies have later been blocked from entering the Russian market. Several experts believe the

Russian fish import market is strictly controlled by state-supported cartels which efficiently block

access of independent structures.



Whole Foods shamefully offers Norwegian feedlot-raised Atlantic salmon

Alexandra Morton:

Dear Whole Foods - I can't believe you are selling Norwegian farmed salmon - do you know the

levels of dioxins allowed by the EU, that a Norwegian pediatrician is warning mothers to limit

consumption, that Norway lobbied the European Union to allow 10xs more endosulfan in farmed

salmon feed - a pesticide recommended for a worldwide ban in 2010.

I thought you were a safe place to shop, that you had researched your products. I will not be

returning to your stores until you make it clear you are not selling farmed salmon. I don't trust your

judgment anymore.

Claudette Bethune:

If anyone does "eat at least 12 ounces" of this Norwegian farmed salmon a week, this equates to a

toxic level of intake of nearly 2-times that of the EU tolerable weekly intake for methyl mercury and

over 3-times the EU tolerable daily intake, and over 6-times the WHO tolerable daily intake, for

dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs.

With over 15-times the dioxins and dioxin like PCBs than allowed in chicken, and over 33-times that

allowed in pork, Norwegian farmed salmon has no business being on any 'food' shelf.



Can A Fish Farm Be Organic? That's Up For Debate November 20, 2013

This year, Americans are expected to buy

more than $30 billion worth of organic grains,

produce, coffee, wine and meats.

Some producers of farmed fish want the

chance to get a cut of those profits,

and retailers, who can charge a premium price

for organic farmed fish, are with them.

But an organic label for aquaculture is not coming easy.

For more than 10 years, the issue has been on the agenda of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's

National Organic Program. But a planned meeting to discuss the matter in October was canceled by

the federal government shutdown. Now federal officials are saying the final determination on the

issue is at least six months away.

Among the groups closely eyeing the proceedings are environmentalists, who say fish farms

shouldn't quality for an organic label if they rely heavily on feed that can't be verified as organic. And

they cite other problems on fish farms, including pollution and disease that make them less

sustainable than the typical organic farm.

"The problem is, organic rules are based on how you treat the soil. So how do you apply that to

things like seafood?" says Patty Lovera, with Food and Water Watch.

"The NOP wants to grow the organic sector, and to do that they're just lowering the standards rather than require that producers meet them."



To solve the problem of fitting fish farms into the same policy as land-based farms, federal regulators

are simply rewriting the rules. The NOP with help from the National Organic Standards Board, or

NOSB, and its own Aquaculture Working Group is now developing a set of guidelines that

specifically address aquaculture. They would allow up to 25 percent conventionally grown material

specifically fishmeal in the diets of farmed fish certified as organic. The plan would be to slowly

scale this amount down over the years, though critics say they doubt this process would occur.

But this seems like too much to some consumer advocates.

"They're totally compromising the current United States standards [on organic certification],"

says Urvashi Rangan, with the watchdog group Consumers Union.

Farmed salmon are typically fed fishmeal, a ground-up paste of anchovies, menhaden and other

wild-caught species, some of which come from stocks that are rapidly declining. Under existing

organic laws in the U.S., there is no way to certify these wild fish as organic.

To solve this, the federal government is proposing to allow fish farms to use meal only from

"sustainable" fish species.

How To Clean Up Fish Farms And Raise More Seafood At The Same Time

So what exactly does that mean? Miles McEvoy, the deputy administrator of the National Organic

Program, tells The Salt that for now, the term "sustainable" remains undefined and unregulated.

Can Salmon Farming Be Sustainable? Maybe, If You Head Inland

The fishmeal question is likely to continue to be contentious for open-ocean fish farms. But inland fish

farms could potentially be in a better position to abide by organic laws, says Zeke Grader, of the

Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations in San Francisco. "I think it's possible for there

to be organically farmed fish, but they would have to be raised in completely closed, recirculating

systems that don't touch the ocean," Grader says.

That's because some salmon farms with open-ocean pens have been infested with a marine parasite

called sea lice, which scientists say has devastated certain wild salmon populations in British

Columbia. (Representatives of Canada's salmon farming industry have disputed this claim.)

George Lockwood, chairman of the NOP Aquaculture Working Group, says the sea lice issue "is an

unsubstantiated claim" against salmon farming.

Still, Lockwood says his group has recommended to federal regulators that organic salmon farms be

required to undergo rigid environmental assessment to earn the USDA organic stamp a more rigid

assessment, he says, than the current standards for organic land-based livestock farms. Lockwood

also points out that the European Union is already certifying some farmed salmon from countries like

Ireland as organic.

Rangan at Consumers Union sees these moves as watering down the principles of organic

agriculture.

"The NOP wants to grow the organic sector, and to do that they're just lowering the standards rather

than require that producers meet them."



Were seeking truth for wild game fish

Barak Obama President United States of America

We at Wild Game Fish Conservation International respectfully urge you and your administration to oppose efforts associated with Cochin, Kinder Morgan's 1,900-mile proposed pipeline, to transport condensate obtained from fracking in the United States to the tarsands in Alberta, Canada.

The risks to public health at home and abroad and to our precious wild ecosystems far outweigh any purported benefits of this irresponsible project.

The Honourable Gail Shea Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada

I am writing on behalf of Wild Game Fish Conservation International regarding comments made by Grant Warkentin (communication officer, Mainstream Canada). in the November 18, 2013 edition of the. Chilliwack Progress

Grant Warkentin, like other open pen salmon feedlot industry marketing professionals is once again spinning the message as directed by his corporate leadership -Unfortunately this message could not be further from the truth when it comes to the undeniable risks directly associated with open pen salmon feedlots; public health, wild ecosystems, cultures, communities and economies.

For Grant Warkentin to say that salmon farmers care for their products like other farmers do is really stretching the truth.

Ranchers certainly don't crowd their animals into disease-laden, parasite-infested cages where they live in a cocktail mix of feces, excess feed and chemicals. Those who care about their products don't feed them PCB-laden wild animals, chicken feathers and GMO plants.

Like the open pen salmon feedlot industry and the government that enables it, Mainstream Canada / Cermaq is guilty of significant harm to public health and to our wild ecosystems.

We at Wild Game Fish Conservation International respectfully request the immediate and permanent removal of all open pen salmon feedlots from wild salmon migration routes as wild salmon and the open pen salmon feedlot industry are not compatible - they simply cannot co-exist.

Gail Shea

Barak Obama


2014 Year of Healthy Marine Ecosystems Your courageous leadership on this challenging matter will result in a healthier Canada and will be appreciated for decades to come.

Adreanne Nolette Communications Coordinator. EcoCert Canada.

Wild Game Fish Conservation International and our associates around planet earth have recently learned of the Ecocert certification program in Canada and elsewhere.

We find it odd that the Ecocert Canada label is appearing in British Columbia, Canada on Organic Atlantic salmon raised in open pen feedlots located in Norway.

Given the documented risks of the open pen salmon feedlot industry around the world to public health, wild ecosystems, cultures, communities and economies, it seems unreasonable that a credible certification program would in fact certify these problematic practices and products.

As the Certification Coordinator for Ecocert, please provide the requirements essential for Atlantic salmon raised in Norway and sold in Canada to receive the Ecocert Canada label.

We look forward to your response in the not too distant future

.

Miranda Wecker Chair Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission

I'm writing on behalf of Wild Game Fish Conservation International and our associates around planet earth regarding ongoing efforts to rectify the ineffectiveness of the Grays Harbor Salmon Management Plan

This plan must be developed to emphasize the conservation (aka wise use) of the Chehalis River basin's wild salmon, steelhead, trout and other native game fish . Conservation of these species is becoming more and more important as demands increase for them and their fragile ecosystems.

Continued development in the Chehalis River floodway, under-regulated logging in the basin's forests and riparian areas, concerns regarding climate change and the likely possibility that a major dam will be constructed in the headwaters of the Chehalis River (prime spawning and rearing habitat) are all reasons to ensure sustainable runs of these irreplaceable, natural resources.

This is the message that has been delivered loud and clear during recent public hearings on this matter. Conservation of these is fish is the top priority within the Chehalis River basin as such, their conservation must be your highest priority.

Certification body for sustainable development in Canada

Miranda Wecker Miranda Wecker



Miranda Wecker Chair Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission

The following are a few questions and comments after reviewing WDFW's PowerPoint presentation from Saturday's Commission meeting (December 7, 2013):

Keeping the focus on conservation (wise use) of Chehalis River basin salmon and steelhead is key

Regarding the Chehalis River Fall Chinook graph:

It seems as though the red line (Natural Spawners), not the blue line (Actual Run size), should be regarded as the actual escapement - if so, there are very few years when the artificial escapement goal is achieved. In conservation-based management, this will need to be changed to have sustainable wild populations

Given the general inability year in and year out to achieve escapement, it seems: o Harvest should be curtailed in most years o Escapement goal should be increased to produce more wild chinook when opportunities

arise

Regarding the Humptulips Fall Chinook graph:

Appears that the escapement goal is being utilized as a goal for escapement to the hatchery and not a goal for natural spawners - even at that, there are years where natural spawners don't meet the escapement goal

Regarding the graphs associated with the values for recreational and commercial Chehalis River salmon fisheries

Although the administrative note says that these two values cannot be compared, it seems that WDFW managers and economists would greatly benefit from comparing apples and oranges when attempting to manage public resources for the greatest return on investment

Doing so would clearly document the financial benefit of viable recreational salmon fisheries over a outdated commercial fisheries

Continued maintenance and reliance of ineffective hatchery programs in support of questionable commercial fisheries in the Chehalis River makes no economic or environmental sense.

Restoring and conserving the Chehalis River basin's wild salmon is what will provide the greatest return on investment for Washington citizens.

Without a wild salmon conservation-based mentality, Washington citizens are being shamefully led down a very expensive, unsustainable garden path.

Miranda Wecker



Loblaw stores

Wild Game Fish Conservation International respectfully recommends that Loblaw's and your associated grocers comply with the respected SeaChoice.org, science-based, seafood standard that urges customers to avoid buying and eating farm raised Atlantic salmon. In this day and age, it is absolutely irresponsible and unethical for otherwise legitimate grocers to poison their customers with products laden with harmful chemicals. Similarly, it is shameful that Loblaws condones the risks associated with open pen salmon feedlots, including risks to public health, wild ecosystems, cultures, communities and economies. Now, like no other time in history, retail leaders like Loblaw, should be offering the best quality product for fair prices to your customers - offering them open pen feedlot salmon when wild Pacific salmon are available is wrong thinking and a very large Public Relations error. Please be a responsible company and remove farmed Atlantic salmon from your shelves at your earliest opportunity. We look forward to your response in the not too distant future.

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq Minister of the Environment, Canada

Courtesy copy:

Hon. Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Robert Chisholm, NDP Fisheries Critic Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal Party Fisheries Critic Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party

We are writing to respectfully express our opposition to your decision to allow the production of genetically modified (GM) fish eggs in Prince Edward Island. The small US company, AquaBounty will send all of its GM salmon eggs from Prince Edward Island to Panama for growing out and processing, to send the fish into the US consumer market. This plan is extremely risky for Canada and the rest of the world. Its unacceptable that the entire process for assessing the environmental risk was secret and that the public had no chance to be involved or be consulted. Canada has an international responsibility to stop this living pollution. Please reverse this decision and make sure that Environment Canada does not approve production of GM salmon or any other GM fish in Canada. The risk to Atlantic salmon and our environment is too great.

Leona Aglukkaq


2014 Year of Healthy Marine Ecosystems We respectfully urge you to take immediate action to stop GM salmon in order to protect endangered wild salmon and trout.

Maria Cantwell Senator (Washington State) US Congress

Wild Game Fish Conservation International, on behalf of our associates around planet earth, respectfully request that you do all you can to oppose the sale and possible production of genetically engineered salmon in the United States of America.

This week Environment Canada approved AquaBounty's request to commercially produce and raise genetically engineered Atlantic salmon: http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2013/2013-11-23/html/notice-avis-eng.html#d106 A similar request by AquaBounty is being considered by the US FDA. This must never be approved given the many risks to public health, wild ecosystems, cultures, communities and economies.

We know from AquaBounty that not all of these GE Atlantic salmon will be sterile and that AquaBounty will not be able to control where these fish will be reared, These two facts alone are reason enough for you and your colleagues in Congress to oppose the insanity of genetically engineered Atlantic salmon.

Vickie Raines Chair Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority Washington State

The issues surrounding the ongoing efforts to reduce damage associated with Chehalis Basin floods continue to get more and more murky over time.

It's not at all clear why the Quinault Indian Nation is not included in Flood Authority and Governor's Group decisions

that impact their treaty rights to fish, hunt and gather

It's not at all clear why the Flood Authority is now involved in proposing a capital project to protect I-5 using transportation

dollars - It's been presented in public that the Flood Authority

would focus on smaller scale projects throughout the basin

Will the proposal to protect I-5 incorporate assumed benefits of the proposed Chehalis River dam or will it be proposed as if there is no dam as this is what is expected by many.

When would the work to protect I-5 begin and end Would the I-5 project involve federal dollars.

Maria Cantwell

Vickie Raines



Rob MacWhorter Forest Supervisor

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Service Office

Wild Game Fish Conservation International is concerned about the

proposal by the Red Flat Nickel Corporation (RFNC) to develop on

approximately 1,100 acres of the Rogue River-Siskiyou Nation

Forest at the Red Flat area. We believe that the cumulative effects

of this development will threaten water quality and essential habitat

for the wild, native fish in the free flowing watersheds of Hunter

Creek and the Pistol River.

While the full extent of RFNCs plans have not been revealed to the public, the implications of large

blocks of nickel laterite development in Red Flat would be disastrous to the homewaters of its native

fish populations. The Forest Service has recognized three Endangered Species Act (ESA)

threatened fish species adjacent to the RF 38 Test Drilling site, including the Southern Oregon

Northern California Coasts (SONCC) Coho salmon, Southern DPS Pacific eulachon, and the

Southern DPS Green sturgeon. Additionally, the Hunter Creek and Pistol River watersheds are

home to wild, native SONCC Chinook salmon, Klamath Mountain Province (KMP) steelhead trout,

coastal cutthroat trout, and white sturgeon.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency the metal mining industry is the largest toxic

polluter in the United States, and development of this mine will threaten efforts currently underway to

restore the vulnerable population of ESA threatened Coho salmon. Similarly, a nickel mine in this

watershed would be a major limiting factor for these fish, whose free flowing freshwater habitat has

already been greatly altered by a history of anthropogenic disturbances including logging,

urbanization, and mining that has yet to be reclaimed.

We are writing to ask that the Forest Service prepare an environmental assessment (EA) under the

National Environmental Policy Act to analyze and determine the cumulative effects of the past mining

claim block, including but not limited to bulk sampling, construction of a pilot processing plant and full

scale mining if appropriate. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest must prepare an EA because

of the extraordinary circumstances with the presence and probable impacts to threatened native fish

populations, fragile soils, rare plants and rare plant wetlands and springs in the Red Flat area.

In order to provide long-term protection of the rich botanical values and native fish populations near

Red Flat, I am also asking that you establish the 7,172 acre Red Flat Botanical Area through a forest

plan amendment that was initially proposed in the 1989 Siskiyou National Forest Land Management

Plan, and submit an application to withdraw the area from mining under the 1872 Mining Law.

The lasting effects of nickel mining can be devastating and irreversible. I am asking that you make

the future of the coastal communities based on the protection of its public lands and preservation of

its unique plant and wildlife, and not based on the short-term limited gains from laterite nickel mining.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the RF 38 Preliminary Categorical Exclusion.

Rob MacWhorter



Whole Foods Market

Ongoing, open pen salmon feedlot practices in Norway don't

come close to meeting the Whole Foods Market seafood

standard presented at

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/new-

responsibly-farmed-seafood-logo, yet Whole Foods Market

continues to offer feedlot-raised Atlantic salmon from Norway.

Given the risks of open pen salmon feedlots and their products to public health, wild ecosystems,

cultures, communities and economies, we will advise our associates to avoid shopping at Whole

Foods Market until we have assurance that your stores no longer offer salmon raised in open pen

feedlots.

Billy Frank, Jr. Chairman

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Thank you so very much for your editorial opinion published

December 6, 2013 in The Chronicle regarding the ongoing efforts

associated with the proposed dam on the Chehalis River and the

disrespect to the Quinault Indian Nation repeatedly demonstrated

by Washington state.

We at Wild Game Fish Conservation International have repeatedly

raised these same concerns to the Chehalis River Basin Flood

Authority, key state legislators, Washington governors Gregoire

and Inslee, Washington's US Congressional delegation and others

for years with no avail.

Hopefully your words of wisdom will sink in sooner than later as we continue to work to recover and

conserve the Chehalis River basin's wild salmon, trout and other important fish and wildlife species.

Maria Cantwell Senator (Washington State) US Congress

The link below to the nine-minute video by Alexandra Morton

(Marine Biologist) summarizes the ongoing risks of open pen salmon

feedlots to public health and wild ecosystems. https://vimeo.com/80672625 Clearly, the open pen salmon feedlot industry and their products impact Washington state's wild salmon and anadromous trout, including steelhead, as well as the health of those living in and visiting Washington state who consume impacted fish. Your leadership to correct this growing problem is respectfully requested and will be appreciated.

Maria Cantwell

Billy Frank, Jr.



David Boulet Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Officer Fisheries and Oceans Canada

I'm writing on behalf of Wild Game Fish

Conservation International regarding Canada's

proposed changes to aquaculture license

fees, specifically those directly associated with

the open pen salmon feedlot industry.

Clearly, the open pen salmon feedlot industry is controversial, at the very least. Its risks to public

health, wild ecosystems, cultures, communities and economies are well documented - As such, this

industry must be transitioned to land-based facilities where thier risks would be significantly

minimized.

In the mean time, this controversial industry should no longer be subsidized by Canada's hard

working taxpayers - the industry must be responsible for paying all costs associated with its

continuation in Canada via adequate license fees

The cost of open pen salmon feedlots to Canada are tremendous - some of these include the

irreplaceable loss of wild ecosystems and cultures that rely on them - all due to irresponsible and

unethical practices associated with open pen salmon feedlots.

As other countries around the world recognize, the open pen salmon feedlot industry is expensive.

There are no free lunches - License fees and fines must at least match ALL costs associated with the

open pen salmon feedlot industry - Canada and her citizens deserve this accountability.

Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray

US Senators (Washington State)

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of

our nation's most effective and important

environmental laws. Passed with overwhelming

bipartisan support, the ESA represents a

commitment by the American people to work

together to protect and restore our most

vulnerable fellow species.

Unfortunately, just at a time when we celebrate

four decades of success with the ESA, some

members of Congress are pushing to weaken

or even gut this vital law.

For example, a bill recently filed in both the Senate and House (S. 1731 / H.R. 3533) would obliterate

many of the key components of the ESA. This bill would harm imperiled species by:

Maria Cantwell Patty Murray



Automatically removing them from the lists of endangered and threatened species after five years, whether or not they've recovered.

Letting politics win over science by requiring that state governors give their consent before species in their states can be listed under the ESA, and requiring a joint resolution of Congress

to approve the listing of species as threatened or endangered.

Undermining citizens' ability to enforce the ESA in court and to help protect imperiled species by filing citizen listing petitions.

Please OPPOSE this bill, S. 1731/H.R. 3533, and all other efforts to weaken the Endangered Species

Act.



Responses to WGFCI:

Yngve Torgersen - re. sea lice Deputy Director General

Royal Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs



Eddie Gardner:

They need to realize that fighting parasites with any chemicals approved by

veterinarians or fish biologists is a losing effort as the lice build up their

immunity and they will eventually need stronger chemicals from what I

understand.

The Norwegian government needs to simply remove open net pen feedlots and

transition them onto land and out of the coastal waters.

This would bring about a permanent solution to the sea lice problem and

diseases/viruses plague that threatens wild salmon, all without the use of

antibiotics and chemicals.



The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq - re. New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project

Minister of the Environment, Canada



Sebastien Houle re: EcoCert Certification Directeur adjoint-responsable qualit / Assistant director-quality manager EcoCert

Thank you in bringing this situation to our attention. I will make some investigation and I will get back to you. Regards. Sebastien Houle Directeur adjoint-responsable qualit / Assistant director-quality manager

Elizabeth May, O.C., M.P. re. Genetically Modified salmon

Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands Leader of the Green Party of Canada

Thank you for your email regarding genetically modified

salmon and their potential threat they pose to our health.

I promise to continue to be a voice for green ways of life.

Ecological wisdom and sustainability are, of course, two of

the Green Partys most important founding values, which

underlie all of our policy making and political activism.

The Green Party of Canada not only recently called for

increased transparency on the approval of GMO salmon, but

also urged Environment Canada to seriously consider the

future environmental and health effects of producing

genetically modified salmon eggs.

We know from experience that fish have a habit of escaping and the use of GMO salmon would be a

significant threat to the wild salmon populations, which are already in serious peril.

Environment Canada has yet to release information to the public on their negotiations with Aqua

Bounty, the company responsible for manufacturing the GMO salmon eggs, nor have they conducted

any public risk assessments.

Thank you for your dedication and I encourage you to continue drawing attention to this important

issue, because without public attention, (it) may continue on without proper evaluation.

Elizabeth May



Vickie Raines re. Chehalis River basin flood issues Chair Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority Washington State

Thank you for your email regarding Chehalis Basin flood

issues. I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.

You begin by sharing your view that the processes are

getting murkier.

I have the opposite view. Construction of projects to protect vital local infrastructure are underway

across the basin. In addition, almost every week now, new data and information is being learned

about the basin and its hydrology, fishery, geology, and weather patterns. We are learning more

about options for reducing flood damages and for enhancing our fishery habitat and resource.

Almost as fast as this information is being gathered, it is being shared with the public. I believe we

could both agree that there is a lot of information and its hard for anyone, including me, to process all

of it at once. But, I dont agree that the process is murky. The process is very transparent.

As Chair of the Flood Authority, I have reached out to the Quinaults many, many times and have

offered to meet, share information and open more consistent lines of communication. I am pleased

that a tribal representative attended a recent policy workshop and I very much hope that the Quinault

Indian Nation will continue to engage.

The Flood Authority has a responsibility to explore measures to reduce flood damage in the basin.

Since the creation of the Governors Work Group, the Flood Authority has focused most of its efforts

on identifying and developing local projects to reduce flood damage. The Flood Authority is still free

to comment and make recommendations about any basin wide flood issues.

The state legislature is going to consider a transportation funding package. WSDOT has estimated

that protecting I-5 from flooding in the basin is worth an expenditure of at least $100 million of state

transportation funding. We asked that this amount be included in the transportation package, while

making clear that we do not support an I-5 only plan but rather that protection of the freeway, along

with Highway 6 and 12, should be part of a basin wide approach to flood damage reduction.

The charge of the Governors Work Group is to specifically evaluate protection of I-5 both with and

without retention in the upper Chehalis.

Last, you ask when work will begin on I-5 and availability of federal funds? The Work Group is

charged with presenting its recommendations to the Governor a year from now. It is too soon to

know whether we recommend water retention as a part of protecting I-5 or not. Likewise, it is too

soon to know when I-5 protection work could begin. It may well be that an I-5 only protection plan or a

plan that protects both I-5 and communities in the basin could qualify for federal funds, but, again, we

dont yet know what steps will be recommended and we have not yet extensively explored federal

funding options.

Vickie Raines



Vince Panesko re. Proposed Chehalis River dam Lewis County property owner

Thank you for your efforts to stop the crazy idea of politicians in Chehalis, Centralia, and Lewis

County to build a dam only 2 scant miles above PeEll. Recent studies performed on my property at

the dam site have shown about 50 percent of the fish population spawn above the proposed dam

site.

The politicians in Chehalis etc. have no understanding of science or any understanding of the fish

ecosystem in the Chehalis River. And they do not care.

These un-educated idiots are running our

government, yet they know little of how a dam would

greatly impede the tremendous dynamics of gravel/silt

movement through the dam site. This movement of

gravel/silt is most noticeable on my property where

dramatic changes occur every year during high water

events lasting a couple of days each. This movement

of gravel/silt is important for maintaining the spawning

grounds below the dam site, yet the un-educated

buffoons in Chehalis do not have a clue of the

importance of an unrestricted river flow above PeEll to

the health of the river ecosystem.

I approach opposition to the dam in another way.

Iunderstand the soil conditions on my property and

the Weyerhaeuser property to the north. There is

solid rock, but it is under 30-40-50 feet of loose soil

that has to be removed before the dam could be built.

The benefit/cost estimates for the dam, which are

barely favorable at 1.2, did not include the removal of

that soil.

Therefore, the benefit/cost ratio is faulty and cannot be used to promote further consideration of the

dam.

The flood authority promises a new benefit/cost ratio in their next study. If the study is properly done,

the benefit/cost ratio will be below one and the dam project should be considered a lost cause.

I have another objection in that the dam is too close toPeEll. The risk of dam failure puts the lives of

300 school kids and 700people in PeEll on the table as an acceptable loss to protect Walmart in

Chehalis. I find this trade-off as morally unacceptable.

If properly presented to the voters of LewisCounty, all the elected officials would be voted out of

office.

Thank you for your effort insomuch as you are able to provide a different slant to objecting to the

building of a dam. I enjoy your ideas and look forward to a mutual effort in the future to stop a silly

idea from harming the Chehalis River basin ecosystem.

Upper Chehalis River near proposed dam site.

300 deep reservoir would inundate this prime salmon and trout spawning and rearing habitat.

(photo credit: Jim Wilcox)



Community Activism, Education and Outreach:

Leave this world better than when you found it



Sign the petition to Northern Dynasty Minerals



Help Wild Steelhead Coalition return wild steelhead to our rivers

Skagit River (photo credit: Emerald Water Anglers)

Driving to a Skagit Watershed Council meeting I found myself thinking of what it used to be like fishing the Skagit and Sauk in the Spring. With the sun shining off Sauk Mountain I might find a fish or two to provide a good grab, throw a deep bend into my rod and make Mr. Hardy sing...but now our S rivers are closed in the Spring, as are many other rivers around the state.

Your donation of $50 or more will help the Wild Steelhead Coalition return wild steelhead to our rivers.

Thanks to a number of key supporters, we have the opportunity to match your donation up to $3500. Please donate to our efforts to save wild steelhead!

Other than the Olympic Peninsula, all Washington wild steelhead are listed under the Endangered Species Act and their populations are approximately 2% of historic run size.

Attempts to compensate for overfishing, dam construction and habitat degradation with unfit hatchery fish have directly contributed to the demise of our wild steelhead.

In 2000, after the long-term failure of hatcheries to aid wild fish recovery, Congress funded the Hatchery Reform Project, but the 12 years since are the worst ever for wild steelhead.



Policies ignore both the scientific studies showing negative impacts of hatchery fish and the spontaneous, even dramatic, wild fish recovery when hatcheries have been removed.

All these efforts so that a few anglers could harvest only 160 hatchery steelhead last winter on the mighty Skagit River. In my lifetime, the Skagit often produced winter harvests of 15,000-20,000 steelhead!

To help wild steelhead recover to sustainable levels, the WSC is focused on creating Wild Steelhead Management Zones (WSMZs)rivers where steelhead hatcheries are removedrequired by the 2008 WA Statewide Steelhead Management Plan and managed by the WA Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW).

Recent accomplishments of the WSC:

Implemented an annual evaluation of the WDFWs progress on the creation of WSMZs. The Sol Duc River is now a WSMZ due to the WSCs efforts

Organized steelhead conservation groups, guides, angling clubs and fishery enhancement groups to participate with WDFW to select a Lower Columbia WSMZ

Provided comments to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council regarding hatchery programs in the Columbia Basin, as well as urged them to keep hydro projects off rivers like the SF Skykomish

Continued in the lawsuit to keep the Elwha free of hatchery steelhead

Upcoming Activities:

The WSC will be reviewing the proposed steelhead Hatchery Genetic Management Plans and NOAAs upcoming Puget Sound Steelhead Recovery Plan to ensure the best interests of wild steelhead.

The WSC will convene scientists, agencies, tribes and fish conservation groups in a two day Steelhead Summit focusing on WSMZs.

Help us increase the return of wild steelhead to the waters of the West Coast!

While recovery will take some time and patience, this is not something that has to take generations to

achieve as long as we act NOW. Thank you to those who have already donated to support the

WSC's work to save wild steelhead.

I look forward to the day when I write suggesting that you buy your children steelhead rods for the

holidays.

Sincerely,

Bob Margulis

Executive Director

Wild Steelhead Coalition



Oceana: Aquaculture Overview

Open ocean aquaculture, without strict environmental regulation, poses a serious threat to marine life, fisheries, and the health of the oceans in general.

Aquaculture facilities can be significant sources of pollution, including excess feed, fish waste and dead fish. This waste can spur excess algae growth, clouding coastal waters and altering seafloor ecosystems.

The high densities of fish in net pens used by fish farming facilities lead to disease outbreaks and a higher prevalence of disease overall. Captive fish often escape into the environment, where they can spread disease and compete with, or even prey on, wild fish populations. As a result of the disease outbreaks, many of the farmed fish are treated with antibiotics, reducing effectiveness of the same drugs for human diseases.

In addition, aquaculture is increasingly the cause of the overfishing of prey species. Salmon, tuna and other high-value captive fish are among the fastest growing seafood products in the world. Being carnivorous, farmed salmon require huge quantities of fish oil and fishmeal, making them heavily dependent on wild fisheries.

Oceana works in the U.S., South America and Europe to promote responsible aquaculture practices.



salmonALERT.org



Eddie Gardner: Net-Pen Farmed Salmon Boycotts at Superstores Across BC, Saturday, January 18, 2014

2013 (40 photos)

On Saturday, January 18, 2014, there will be

boycotts at Superstores in Chilliwack, Burnaby,

Surrey, North Vancouver, Coquitlam, Nanaimo,

and Duncan. Last year, the boycotts took place

at these same 7 locations. Plans are in place to

expand this movement to other locations in BC,

as well as in the Atlantic provinces.

We will be developing new tools to help

Superstore customers make informed

decisions, and choose not to buy contaminated

net-pen farmed salmon.

This has become a health serious health

concern, so last year, we sent a request to the

Director of Sustainability at Loblaws, which

oversees Superstores to have net-pen farmed

salmon removed from their stores. So far, we

have not received a response or even an

acknowledgment. This is why we are

intensifying our boycott action at their stores.

We are looking at an increase in the numbers of people joining this robust boycott movement. People

are concerned, not only about what the open-net feedlot aquaculture industry is doing to the marine

environment and wild salmon, but also the potential harm to human health, especially children and

pregnant mothers.

Spread the word! Mobilize more people to join the boycott! Everyday is a boycott day, so the next

time you shop at any Superstore, ask for the manager and request that net-pen farmed salmon,

otherwise known as Atlantic Farmed Salmon, be removed from their coolers. Tell the store manager

you will not buy this product over health concerns.

For information on the issues, please go to www.salmonAlert.org.

Let's see a good turnout at the Superstores across BC on January 18, 2014!

Eddie Gardner

Boycott Coordinator

[email protected]

604-792-0867



Farmed Salmon Boycott Rally: Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada November 19, 2013

Special thanks to Gary Haggquist for this documentary

Wayne Froese:

Gary Haggquist's excellent just-out video recaps what we are trying to do with the Farmed Salmon Boycott - take it to where we can get RESULTS!

While Alexandra Morton has championed for years the NUMEROUS threats posed by salmon farms in B.C. waters:

huge proliferation of sea lice, in locations where wild salmon are immature and unable to survive the onslaught

a losing battle of increasing pesticides and chemicals - including illegal ones - further compounded by farmed salmon developing immunity to "Slice" (mankind NEVER wins this kind of battle, in this fashion)

up to 18 kg. of farmed Atlantic salmon per cu. metre - conditions ANY veterinarian will tell you is a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses and disease (in this case: SAv, ISAv, IHN, PRV, HSMI)

entire stocks of farmed salmon culled numerous times due to ISA epidemics in Eastern Canada, resulting in $100 million of payouts by Canadian taxpayers during 1996-2012

salmon farm corporations trying to stem the disease tide by flooding the pens with ant

legacy - january 2014

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