Fish farm critic urges locals to join forces

Neil Judson
January 30,2009
The Whistler Question

Fish farms are killing our wild salmon and local residents can do something about it by joining together and pressuring the provincial government to act, biologist and activist Alexandra Morton told more than 100 people gathered at the Brackendale Art Gallery for the final Eagle Festival lecture on Saturday night (Jan. 24).

With a provincial election approaching in May, Morton urged voters to keep the protest letters flowing to Premier Gordon Campbell’s desk and mark their ballots accordingly. “Gordon Campbell needs to know he’s going to lose his job,” she said. “If it becomes a personal problem he might do something about it.” Morton has been leading extensive research on fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago and their effects on wild salmon and other wildlife soon after the farms first started popping up in 1987. And with Squamish experiencing a fraction of the normal chum salmon run and the lowest Brackendale Eagle Count in nearly 20 years, the audience of kids, students, adults and seniors were all ears.

Read the full article in The Whistler Question.