News

April-May 2001

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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CLAYOQUOT ACTIVISTS TOUR JAPAN

Two Clayoquot Sound based tourism operators toured Japan recently with a strong environmental message-"industrial logging is threatening our booming tourism economy". Interfor's escalating logging in Clayoquot Sound, where Bonny Glambeck and Dan Lewis operate Rainforest Kayak Adventures, spurred the two to visit Japan, a major tourist market for BC and one of Interfor's biggest customer bases.

They met with customers of Interfor and asked them to stop buying from the company. They also gave slideshows and seminars to the public.

"The way I see it, if my colleagues in the tourism business and I want to have a chance we have ,to fight the logging industry. No more stepping aside while they log our livelihood out from under our noses," says Lewis.

"The tourism industry is a far bigger employer on Vancouver Island but the logging industry has rights to destroy the public land-base we depend on. Our business is environment dependent, long term and booming. The logging industry is in decline, has a short term outlook and is environmentally damaging," says Glambeck.

In 1988 Dan circumnavigated Vancouver Island with Takehiro Shibata, one of Japan's premiere kayakers and now an adventure tour operator himself. The pair's spectacular slideshow of adventure kayaking, ancient rainforests and the impacts of logging is co-sponsored by outdoor clothing giant Patagonia (Japan), Friends of Clayoquot Sound and Greenpeace Japan.

Interfor has begun to significantly increase its logging in Clayoquot Sound again, beginning on the border of Pacific Rim National Park last summer. Their logging has angered tourism operators and environmentalists alike.

Dan and Bonny can be reached at 1-877-422-WILD.

THE WORLD ECOTOURISM SUMMIT

The major landmark of the 2002 International Year of Ecotourism will be the World Ecotourism Summit in Quebec, Canada, May19-22. The Summit is expected to be the largest ever world-wide gathering of all stakeholders involved in ecotourism, including government, public officials, tourism companies and trade associations, local authorities, national park managers, NGOs, the academic community, and others. Further information will be available on the UN website.

ORCAS IN JEOPARDY

A statistical analysis says that after thousands of years in the waters of Western Washington, orcas here could disappear in a matter of a century or two. There is a 4-out-of-5 chance that the whales-as fish stocks plummet, threatened by pollution and perhaps other causes-will go extinct by 2300, the study says.

The 84 orcas that call Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and other western Washington waters, could vanish even earlier in the case of a massive oil spill or similar catastrophe, according to a study by the Center for Biological Diversity, an advocacy group that often sues the government to protect animals under the Endangered Species Act.

An oil spill or similar disaster that wipes out one-tenth of the orcas could push the risk of extinction low enough to extinguish the whales in just over a century, the analysis shows.

"There's reason to be very concerned about these whales," said Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity. "We need to take action now, while there's still time."

For information on the Orca Pass stewardship area, contact the Georgia Strait Alliance at 250-753-3459.

SCIENTISTS CALL FOR MARINE RESERVES

At the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) February meeting in San Francisco, past president Dr. Jane Lubchenco released a scientific consensus statement signed by 150 of the world's leading marine scientists regarding marine protected areas. Their declaration states that there is now compelling scientific evidence that such marine reserves conserve both biodiversity and fisheries, and could help to replenish the seas.

Dr. Lubchenco said that from all around the world "the basic message is the same: marine reserves work, and they work fast. It is no longer a question of whether to set aside fully protected areas in the ocean, but where to establish them. We urge the immediate application of fully protected marine reserves as a central oceans management tool."

The declining state of the oceans and the collapse of many fisheries creates a critical need for more effective management of marine biodiversity, populations of exploited species and the overall health of the oceans. At present, fully protected marine reserves encompass only 1/100 of 1 % of the seas.

"The results are startling and consistent," states Dr. Robert Warner of studies done at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

population densities were up on average 91%

biomass was up 192%

average organism size was up 31%

species diversity was up 23%.

Furthermore these averages were attained after only 1-2 years of protection:

In New Zealand, despite violent opposition at the outset, fishers have now become the champions of reserves where they have seen populations of snappers increase 40 fold.

"The overall lesson is that all stakeholders can be served by well designed networks of marine reserves," states Dr. Jane Lubchenco.

For more information on MPAs see www.seaweb.org/AAAS/ and www.georgia strait.org

REPORT SLAMS SALMON FARMS

In a damning report in early February, Canada's Auditor-General, Denis Desautels, validated what environmental groups have been saying for years about the federal government's failure to protect wild salmon from the impacts of fish farms. Included in Desautels' report:

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is managing salmon on the assumption that salmon farming poses a low risk to wild salmon and habitat-but the Department doesn't have enough information to assess this risk.

There is a "a serious lack of information" about the possibility of disease transfer from farmed to wild salmon populations.

With respect to salmon farming, DFO lacks the scientific information needed for monitoring and enforcement of the Fisheries Act (which it is required to uphold).

New research is needed on the effects of Atlantic salmon interaction with wild salmon stocks in order to adequately to assess new proposals or applications for relocating existing farms.

The federal government is unable to play a leadership role in ensuring that the Fisheries Act is addressed in the development of provincial standards and may, therefore, find itself in the position of enforcing federal legislation that conflicts with provincial regulations.

The report states, "There is a widely held view within the Department that salmon farming, in some instances, has had some highly negative effects on fish habitat…In summary, we have concluded that Fisheries and Oceans is not fully meeting its legislative obligations under the Fisheries Act while participating in the regulation of salmon farming in BC."

NEW LAND-BASED SALMON FARM

Environmental groups are applauding the approval of a land-based salmon farm south of Nanaimo, British Columbia that should have zero impacts on wild salmon and marine mammals.

Environmental groups have campaigned for years to stop the environmental impacts caused by open netpen salmon farms and to convert the entire industry to closed contained marine or land-based technologies.

"This is a step forward for the marine environment," said Georgia Strait Alliance Executive Director Laurie MacBride. "By moving salmon farming to land-based tanks there should be no impacts on wild salmon, zero escaped farmed salmon and an end to the widespread killing of seals and sea lions. Land-based farms also eliminate the lost anchorages and noise pollution that are negatively affecting coastal recreation and eco-tourism."

"Land-based salmon farming is environmentally friendly and stops all impacts on wild salmon," said David Lane, Executive Director of the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation. "Open netpens are transferring diseases to wild salmon and escaped farmed fish are starting to colonize our wild salmon streams. Land-based salmon farming can completely eliminate these impacts."

The farm is part of a pilot project program initiated by the provincial government to encourage new environmental fish farm technologies. Environmental groups are calling on the provincial government to expand the pilot program to allow more closed contained ocean and land-based test sites and to convert all open netpens to closed contained technologies within the next five years.

For more information contact: Laurie MacBride at laurie@georgiastrait.org or David Lane at bucksuzuki@ufawu.org.

GSA WINS NATIONAL AWARD

In a gala presentation in Toronto this January, Georgia Strait Alliance's Green Boating Program coordinator Mike Richards accepted the Canadian Safe Boating Award for the Best Environmental Campaign 2001. For info on the program, contact GSA at 250-753-3459.

GOODBYE PAUL

Paul Chaplow, long time guide and active participant in marine planning in BC, is heading back to New Zealand to take a position on the management team of Outward Bound New Zealand.

Paul has been part of a small team of people representing tourism and recreation interests at government meetings on BC's Central Coast over the last three and a half years.

He reports that he and his colleagues are currently miles apart from their main adversaries, the forest industry.

His main purpose in being involved has been the protection of the significant values to tourism in the Broughton Archipelago/Johnstone Strait area. He notes that all the other parties at the table are now 'painfully aware' of how significant this area is to tourism and recreation.

Paul recommends that paddling and other ecotourism businesses in BC join the Wilderness Tourism Association. For more information contact Gil Arnold at gil_arnold@uniserve.com

OCEANS BLUE AWARDS

Oceans Blue Foundation is posting Environmentally Responsible Awards for Global Travelers & Tourism Providers on their website: www.oceansblue.org

Oceans Blue Foundation and the Canadian Tourism Commission are providing a global compilation of prestigious honours, and environmental-tourism partnerships to demonstrate the positive impact public and private organizations and citizens can have on global environmental problems which face our fragile planet.

Oceans Blue was created in 1996 to help conserve coastal environments through environmentally responsible tourism. It is the first organization in North America to focus on developing and promoting best practices and standards for all sectors of the tourism industry.

To see the Awards: www.oceansblue.org/galleryhonours/index.html

For further information contact Coralie Breen, ph: 604-684-2523 or cbreen@oceansblue.org

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Ralph Keller, of Coast Mountain Expeditions, will be running as the Green Party candidate for North Vancouver Island in the upcoming British Columbia election this spring. An active environmentalist, Ralph is a founding member of the Wilderness Tourism Association of BC and the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC. Ralph and his partner Lannie have been operating their sea kayaking company in the Discovery Islands for 15 years. Green Party organizers say they're pleased to have an ecotourism operator as candidate in the North Island, where economic diversification through nature-based tourism can create community stability and a new focus on environmental protection. The Green Party platform also addresses human community and social justice issues. Ralph Keller says he looks forward to the opportunity to give voice to the concerns many of us share-and to present clear and sensible alternatives. He can be reached at 250-287-0635.

NAUTICAL MAPS ON-LINE

Maptech recently launched Mapserver, a web site which allows you to view, print & email nautical maps for free. See www.Maptech.com

COASTAL MAPS UPDATED

Coast Recreation Maps of Victoria, BC has just reprinted and updated their Bella Bella and Clayoquot Sound maps. They also have created inserts for their the Kyuquot Sound, Esperanza Inlet, Nootka Sound and Hakai Passage maps. If you have previously bought one of these maps and would like an insert, please send $1.00 per map to the address below, with a stamped self-addressed envelope stating which insert is required. Maps can also now be purchased on-line.

www.coastalwatersrec.com/maps/ Email: coastalwatersrec.com Suite 547, 185-911 Yates St., Victoria, BC V8V 4Y9

MARINE CONDITIONS BY PHONE

You can now phone in for weather data from the "C-MAN" NOAA buoys in Washington State. All buoys will report winds, air temperature and pressure. Some also have wave height, water temperature, visibility and dewpoint. Phone: 1-228-688-1948, wait for instructions and then enter the buoy ID number. For more info see www.ndbc.noaa.gov