- Salmon survey volunteer Tyler Smart profiles a dead coho salmon for the camera. This one has been decomposing for a week or so already, probably after having spawned successfully.
Things are heating up in the battle to protect BC’s wild salmon. The Cohen Commission has revealed scientists being silenced, lawyers are exchanging barbs in Vancouver courtrooms, and deep divisions at the core of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ mandate are being brought into the limelight.
Through it all, BC’s irreplaceable wild salmon continue to perform the miracles they have carried through the generations for millennia, connecting the oceans with the rivers by cycling nutrients from the one to the other. Today, as we all know, they face a gauntlet of threats to their existence – from the run-off from our roadways, to the foreign-owned fish farms that have proliferated on BC’s fragile coastline.
Everyday, we reap the benefits of Fraser River wild salmon, from the fertility of the Fraser’s alluvial soils to the height and girth of BC’s famous Douglas Fir and Cedar trees that sustain a forestry industry that is the bedrock of so many of BC’s communities and still a cornerstone of our economy.
In celebration of all that wild salmon bring to the people of this province – not to mention to the eagles, bears, wolves, wild medicines, and other life-forms that depend on the health of our forests and our rivers – YOU are invited to a night of music and dance in central Mission. Abbotsford’s own Harma White – big supporters of wild salmon conservation in their own right – together with East Vancouver’s Mathieu Lavigne and Mission’s Nitya St. Laurent will play their tunes for the benefit of all. Mission’s Grab-a-Java coffeehouse – owned by the co-founder of Abbotsford’s Ravine Park Salmon Hatchery Dave Perritt – will provide refreshments, including Cafe Femenino fair trade coffee.
Join members of the Ravine Park Crew, some of Abbotsford’s own Stoney Creek Salmon Stalkers, the McLennan Watershed Alliance, and the Fraser RiverKeepers as we fundraise for groups fighting for the survival of our wild salmon against the pressures of industry, commerce, and no-holds barred trade. Monies raised will go to Alexandra Morton and the hardy warriors at Salmon are Sacred who have been pulling out all the stops in keeping the heat on the DFO, and the Fraser RiverKeepers who are inspiring a generation of RiverWatchers across the Fraser River Watershed.
Admission is only $10. We’ll see you there! – Let’s see if we can’t raise $3 000! Event details are below.
First, more information on the saga of the Cohen Commission’s inquiry into the disappearance of millions of sockeye salmon in 2010 can be found at Alexandra’s weblog: www.alexandradramorton.typepad.com. We also encourage you to visit www.salmonaresacred.com, as well as www.fraserriverkeeper.ca for more information on those organizations and their respective campaigns and efforts toward the sustainability of this watershed.
Please pass this notice far and wide to your friends and family.
Location: The Playhouse – 33100 10th Avenue, Mission (corner of 10th & Taulbut)
Venue: ~ 1600 square foot dance hall in central Mission. Plenty of parking available. Transit will get you to the event (www.valleymax.com) but unfortunately the last runs for the evening are around 9:30 p.m. so you would need a carpool away.
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Contact: e-mail danv@inbox.com – a flat $10, but there are no guarantees there’ll be any left at the door – get them now!
