Three threats to Quadra Island's Wild salmon

Roy L Hales /Cortes Currents - On May 12th,  Eileen Sowerby from the Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society (QISES) gave the Strathcona Regional District Board a presentation about the three threats to Quadra Island’s wild salmon: salmon farms, logging and climate change

This was originally intended to be a talk in support of the DFO’s decision to phase out the Discovery Island fish farms.

>>> Notice of motion

This was the second presentation in favour of the DFO decision in a little over two weeks.

After Sowerby left the meeting, Cortes Island Regional Director Noba Anderson gave a notice of motion, “So I was just coming out of the presentation we had at our last board meeting, from a number of wilderness tourism folks in regard to the Discovery Island fish farms. They had a request of the Board and I just wanted to put before us for consideration … The notice of motion is that the SRD support the federal government decision to remove open net pen aquaculture ”

That notice of motion was seconded by Campbell River Director Charlie Cornfield, a friend of the aquaculture sector, which means there will most likely be another heated debate about fish farms at the May 26th Board meeting.

>>> The Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society

Meanwhile Eileen Sowerby told Cortes Currents, “The Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society was started forty years ago, to try and help remediate the problems with salmon, bring them back and educate (the public).”

They monitor the salmon in seven creeks south of Quadra Island’s Portage. There are usually Chum and Coho, and occasionally Pink, but there has been no Sockeye runs up Village Bay Creek since 2008.

“That was because sockeye need the late August rains and we weren’t getting them,” Sowerby explained. “The biggest dangers facing salmon, I think and many people would agree, are climate change, habitat loss and fish farms.” (More in the podcast)