Fish farm agreement signed with Ahousaht

Shayne Morrow
January 26, 2009
Aberni Valley Times

The largest Nuu-chah-nulth nation has signed a new protocol agreement with the aquaculture company operating in its traditional territory.

Last week, Ahousaht First Nation announced it had signed the agreement with Mainstream Canada, which operates 24 fish farm locations on the Island, including in Clayoquot Sound. But the Ahousaht have had a long involvement with aquaculture, according to company spokeswoman Laurie Jensen.

"We've had a protocol with Ahousaht since 2002. That started with the previous company, Pacific National," Jensen said. "Two years ago, we started looking at the protocol to see if we could make it better."

The protocol covers a range of issues and opportunities for the nation, which has over 2,000 members. Jensen said many of those members have found training and employment in the aquaculture industry.

"We employ anywhere from 250 to 300 people - the majority in Ahousaht traditional territory," Jensen said. "We also have a processing plant in Tofino that employs between 35 to 50 people, year round. There's a bus that runs daily from Port Alberni."

Ahousaht spokesman Maquinna said his nation benefits from aquaculture, but also keeps a close eye on the environmental effects.

"Our people work in Mainstream Canada fish farm sites but they also watch what goes on," Maquinna said. "Having eyes and ears on the farm sites is useful to a community that has concerns about environmental conditions in their lands and waters."

Mainstream does have a hatchery at Great Central Lake, as well as smolt-entry sites in San Mateo Bay and Barkley Sound, but Jensen concedes that there is considerable opposition to the fish-farming industry in Port Alberni.

Earlier this month, the Washington State-based Wild Fish Conservancy reported that they had found high levels of sea lice on juvenile salmon in Clayoquot Sound.

"Something in Clayoquot Sound is very broken," lead researcher Audrey Thompson told the Times west coast affiliate, The Westerly. The group studied the Sound for one season to determine whether fish farms contributed to declines in local wild salmon runs.

Read the full story in the Alberni Valley Times

Read related story on the Westcoaster.ca; January 20, 2010; "Salmon farming company, Ahousaht ink Clayoquot protocol" 

Read stories related to the referenced Wild Fish Conservancy study.