Ahousaht declares war against fish farms

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Standing on the engine cover of the Ahousaht Pride ferry behind a line of Ahousaht Ha'wiih, Nelson Keitlah sang an ancient chant.

"It was a war chant used by Ahousaht prior to a battle with Ootsoosaht in the 1700s and is owned by the Kietlah family," said Nelson, nervous to talk about such significant historical and cultural matters.

"The song was first sung at Cypre Point, as the Ahousaht canoes were preparing to go around the point and attack Ootsoosaht. They knew it was going to be a long, drawn out war, so there was a lot of significance to singing the song in front of the fish farm which was within sight of Cypre Point," he said. "I know the meaning of this song and its historical significance, so it applies to all this stuff going on with the fish farms and how it's not acceptable to us."

The Ahousaht Nation is angry at Pacific National Aquaculture (PNA) for their lack of action after more than 10,000 Atlantic Salmon escaped from their Saranac One fish farm in Cypre Bay.

The fish escaped after a storm dragged the farm across jagged rocks near shore, ripping a 30-foot hole in one of the large net pens. The pen was filled with market-sized 10 lb. (4.5 kg) Atlantic Salmon which escaped during the Jan. 2 storm, before divers and tugboats arrived on scene to repair the hole and re-anchor the floating net pen further from shore.

"These people are trespassing in our traditional territory and they are not taking care of the environment like they said they would," said Ahousaht Chief Councilor Anne Atleo. "Ahousaht is saying 'enough is enough'. This is what the province wants to happen all along the coast, even though they don't do anything to make sure these companies are doing things right. So we're here today pleading for better management, pleading for mandatory closed containment systems, and pleading for these farms to leave our territory," she said.

The arrival of fish farms in Ahousaht territory has been a double-edged sword for the nation. The once wealthy commercial fishing village suffered almost 90 per cent unemployment after the wild stocks collapsed in the 1980s and were mired in government bureaucracy through the 1990s to today. Fish farms offered much-needed employment to Ahousaht members, but also polluted the waters and beaches that the nation depended upon for sustenance.

Today, PNA employs 60 Ahousaht members in full-time, part-time and contract positions at their 15 active Clayoquot Sound sites.

"These jobs may be in jeopardy, but that's not nearly as important as the jeopardy they're putting the environment in," said Atleo. "A lot of our people employed by PNA are alongside us in this fight. They've been telling us for a while about the things that happen out on these fish farms, and for us, this escape was the last straw," she said.

According to Atleo, four PNA sites suffered escapes after a few days of strong winds. PNA Operations Manager Kevin Onclin said only three farms suffered net tears, and only two of those resulted in escapes, with the Saranac One incident being by far the largest.

According to Onclin, only a few 12-inch long fish escaped from the McIntyre site after a cement counterweight rubbed a 5x3-foot hole in the bottom of a net during a storm he claims caused 10- to 12-foot high waves to batter the floating farm. At the company's Millar Channel site, a sea lion chewed through the net, entered the pen, was immediately shot, and its carcass sank to the bottom of the net, plugging the same hole it had created. Onclin said the chain of events happened quickly, and no fish escaped.

"There seems to be some miscommunication. We developed an emergency escape contingency plan that we sent to Ahousaht six months ago, but we haven't heard anything back," said Onclin. "This is the first time we've had a sizeable escapement. This was an unusual storm for that site. It was the roughest I'd ever seen. The waves were six or seven feet high [at Saranac], with some waves even higher thanthat," he said.

PNA admits the Saranac One farm is incorrectly cited, as it is within one kilometre of salmon bearing streams and herring spawning grounds, as well as being within 300 metres of inter-tidal shellfish beds used by the Ahousaht First Nation. One of the biggest fears is that escaped fish will enter area rivers where wild Pacific salmon eggs are currently incubating, and available as easy meals for the voracious Atlantics.

"This event was bound to happen," said Shawn Atleo, who was onboard the Ahousaht Pride with other Ahousaht Ha'wiih including Billy Keitlah Jr. (Hayupinulth), Rocky Titian (Kanupit), James Swan (Wihayaqaycik) and Ron George.

"There's a real lack of policy guiding this industry, and our Ha'wiih have a role to play in developing that policy. They're operating without regard for the environment and our natural resources, and it's their lack of action on the grounds that we're taking exception to," he said.

As the Ahousaht boat tied up to the partially submerged walkway around the Saranac One net pens, not a single employee could be seen at the site. Only crows and seagulls were standing watch over the many pens filled with churning salmon. But in PNA's management plan submitted to the BC government, it clearly states that: "PNA has 24-hour coverage on the farms."

"There must be a million fish here, and there are no people watching over them," said Anne Atleo while surveying the 12.7 hectare farm site. "This is just another example of the neglect of PNA."

"It's a learning experience, and it's been a really unfortunate turn of events," said Onclin. "The blame is partly my own. On the first day the anchor was my first concern. I probably should have spent more time talking with Anne," he said.

"The fish farm industry has lost all credibility," said Valerie Langer, spokesperson for the Friends of Clayoquot Sound. "Once again they have shown that they can't be trusted to monitor themselves."

According to Onclin, PNA intends to spend $38million on new storm-resistant net pens to replace the aging farms such as Saranac One, which was first opened in 1987. Of the 21 active fish farms in Clayoquot Sound, 17 are owned by PNA. Fifteen of PNA's farms are currently without tenure renewal agreements, and the company has promised that many of those outdated farms will be replaced by new technologies over the next few years once tenure renewals are granted by the government.

"These farms were not prepared for even an average winter storm," said Anne Atleo. "We're also wondering where the federal and provincial officials and monitors are? They're not here for a catastrophe like this, but you can bet they'll be out here in force next week to make sure everyone is properly licensed during next week's clam opening."

"We have the most to lose if mismanagement of these farm sites is allowed to continue," said Atleo. "Our resources and our environment will be negatively impacted. That's why Ahousaht has not supported their [tenure] renewal, because proper measures are not in place to protect the wild stocks and surrounding environment," she said.

"We thought we were making great strides, but this is a little bit of a setback," said Onclin. "We've put a lot of work into fostering a good working relationship with the Ahousaht Nation. We like working with the Ahousaht people; they're dedicated and hardworking. Obviously a war chant is not our goal here," he said.