Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Four arrested after Clayoquot Sound fish farm protest

Fish farming companies Cermaq and Marine Harvest are coming under fire from coastal First Nations, who have issued eviction notices and tried to stop operations.
FARMED SALMON.jpg
Atlantic salmon on a B.C. fish farm.

Fish farming companies Cermaq and Marine Harvest are coming under fire from coastal First Nations, who have issued eviction notices and tried to stop operations.

RCMP arrested and released four members of the Ahousaht First Nation early this week after they tried to block Cermaq from restocking a farm in the Clayoquot Sound area.

Cermaq employees were towing Atlantic salmon smolts to the Cermaq Dixon Bay fish farm site on Monday evening, when the Ahousaht members said they followed them and boarded the site.

The same site closed in 2012 and half a million fish were culled as a result of a virus outbreak. While protesters say it has been shut down since then, a spokeswoman for Cermaq said it has been operational, with periods of fallowing.

Lennie John, who was arrested, said open-net pen farms pose a threat to wild salmon, for the way they can spread viruses and sea lice. When Cermaq signed agreements with Ahousaht leaders, he said, it was not with the consent of the whole population.

“A lot of us weren’t aware of what they were signing; it was signed behind closed doors,” John said.

Island RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Tammy Douglas said she could not confirm charges until they are approved by the Crown.

A court date is set for Nov. 7.

Last September, John and other members of the “Yaakswiis Warriors” protested for 13 days to stop Cermaq from anchoring a new fish farm in Yaakswiis Bay in Ahousaht waters.

“We don’t need to accept this and we need to remove ourselves from being dependent on open-pen fish farms,” said Joe James Rampanen, who was also arrested Tuesday and participated in the Yaakswiis Bay protest. “We have a role and responsibility to the territory to take care of it in a respectful and meaningful manner, to leave it for future generations.”

This week’s incident came within days of the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw issuing 72-hour eviction notices to Cermaq and Marine Harvest farms in the Broughton Archipelago, saying the companies don’t have the authority to operate in the territory.

“Our nation and hereditary leaders are exercising our traditional authority and title over our lands,” said hereditary Chief Willie Moon.

Members of the nation have stopped at three sites within their traditional territory, along with activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

The farms continue to operate.

“They’re still there, but we’re going to keep this up, we’re not going to stop,” Moon said. “We’ve been saying no to the fish farms for the past 27 to 30 years and we’re concerned about what’s going on in our waters.”

He said he is seeking meaningful dialogue with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

Cermaq Canada spokeswoman Laurie Jensen said the company issued an invitation to the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw to talk.

“We’ve met with First Nations in the past and will continue to invite them to meet and discuss their concerns, but so far we haven’t heard from them,” Jensen said.

Thirty per cent of the company’s 250 employees in Canada are First Nations, she said.

She said the company is operating legally in the Broughton Archipelago. “We have all the legal permits and authority from all levels of government to operate there,” she said.

Near Tofino, Cermaq has a strong relationship with the Ahousaht Nation, she said. That includes a protocol agreement that is more than 15 years old and includes benefits for the community in areas such as education, training and salmon-enhancement programs.

“We’re in regular contact with the Ahousaht leadership; they’ve been working together with us on this incident,” Jensen said.

She said the Ahousaht members who visited the Dixon Bay farm displayed “extremely aggressive behaviour,” prompting safety concerns.

A Marine Harvest spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Salmon farmed in open-pen nets can spread sea lice to wild stocks, which is especially problematic for juvenile salmon, said Stan Proboszcz, science adviser for the Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

There are also reports of viruses spreading, wild fish becoming caught in pens and contamination from farms affecting fish and shellfish health, he said.

Wild salmon face many threats, including changing ocean conditions, pollution and competing fishing demands.

Last week, the Pacific Salmon Commission predicted Fraser River sockeye salmon run will be 853,000 — the lowest on record since estimates began in 1893.

asmart@timescolonist.com