North Coast fish farming issues gaining attention down south

The controversial debate over fish farms on the North and Central coasts of British Columbia is starting to gain some attention down in the urban jungle.

The Vancouver Sun’s Vaughn Palmer devoted his Saturday column to the issue, with a review of the week’s mis-steps by the Fish farm committee that traveled the North coast this past week.

Highlighted by a scolding in Kitkatla and a protest in Prince Rupert, the committee members seemed to spend more of their time apologizing as opposed to listening to testimony.

The local angle was covered by the Daily News and Palmer made use of their resources to expand on the debate and offer up the opinion that the committee is suggesting that no more farms be approved until they complete their work.

The column does a nice job of putting the issue into perspective and is presented below for your consideration.

Fish farming committee runs into stormy waters in first upcoast foray

Vaughn Palmer
Vancouver Sun
Saturday, June 24, 2006


VICTORIA - The New Democrats knew they had invited controversy when they accepted a government invitation to lead a legislature committee on aquaculture.

But I have to think they were not fully prepared for the contentious reception they received this week on taking the committee into northwestern B.C. for the first time.

The first jolt came Monday morning in Kitkatla, a native community 60 kilometres southwest of Prince Rupert.

Committee members had barely settled into their chairs shortly after 10 a.m. when they were greeted by a withering complaint from Clifford White, the local chief.

He blasted "the provincial government and the protocol process that has been almost non-existent in setting up this meeting . . . this was totally disrespectful."

The provincial government, mind. The committee is actually made up of New Democrats as well as B.C. Liberal MLAs, with Opposition, not government having the majority of seats.

But the distinction didn't matter to Chief White, who saw both sides, equally, as interlopers.

"The province comes waltzing in here, steps all over [us] and says that we're basically insignificant," he observed.

"Until you kill us off, until we sell you the land or until we give it to you, this is our territory and we want you to know that very loud and clear."

It fell to New Democrat Robin Austin, the committee chairman, to respond. "A miscommunication," he explained. He thought the chief was fully apprised of the committee's intentions, thought all the protocols surrounding the visit had been respected. "I apologize."

"Apology accepted," returned the chief, who then allowed the committee to proceed.

But the ordeal wasn't over for Austin and his colleagues. The afternoon stop was Prince Rupert, where they were met by another much-exercised native delegation.

This time it was the leaders of several first nations with a variety of complaints. The room was too small. They were not on the list of speakers. The committee had visited Kitkatla but not their communities. They, too, were insulted.

What to do but clear the agenda and invite all two dozen or so native leaders to say their piece? The MLAs spent the next three hours being reminded how the native culture really is an oral one. The committee rounded out the evening by hearing out the scheduled lineup of speakers, making for a very long day.

Austin again handled the apologies for the foul-up in Rupert. Poor advance work by staff in Victoria, according to what he told the Prince Rupert Daily News.

Blaming staff and bad communications. He may have a future in government after all.

Apart from logistics and protocol, the committee also delved into the fundamental divisions over aquaculture on the north coast.

There are currently no fish farms north of Klemtu in the midcoast and many would like to keep it that way.

The first nations leaders who crashed the session in Prince Rupert vowed a "united front" against fish farming. They'd take legal action to protect wild stocks in the Nass and Skeena Rivers.

Not so with Chief White and the other native leaders in Kitkatla. They have signed a contract with the largest fish-farming concern in the world, Pan Fish of Norway.

The first stage of the $75-million undertaking calls for three fish farms, one of them in the vicinity of the mouth of the Skeena.

And the natives who live in Kitkatla -- the Gitkaatla Nation -- are adamant about exercising their rights on their traditional territory.

"We will continue to assert our interests and exercise our nation's aboriginal rights over the three sites," Verne Jackson, one of hereditary leaders, wrote in an open letter published in the Prince Rupert newspaper last week.

"Through this economic development, the Gitkaatla nation will exercise its inherent right of self-government, self-determination and through Pan Fish provide an industry which is viable, sustainable and environmentally sound."

So one group of natives wants the region free of fish farming and another first nation sounds no less determined to introduce them.

Over to you Chairman Austin and members of the committee -- which side are you on?

Their interim report is due in the fall, the final report won't be out until next spring. But they've already provided one indication as to where they might be headed.

One of the New Democrats on the committee, Vancouver MLA Shane Simpson, made a motion this week calling on the government to hold off approving any more fish farms -- a dozen or so are pending -- until the committee completes its work.

The motion passed, with the NDP majority in support, the Liberal minority opposed.

Not binding on anyone, but a pretty strong hint of the committee's leanings vis-a-vis any more fish farming in the province.

vpalmer@direct.ca

© The Vancouver Sun 2006