Council of the Haida Nation state they are not involved in artificial fertilization

“Let it be known,” reads a statement from the Council of the Haida Nation, that the “Hereditary Chiefs Council and the Council of the Haida Nation are in no way involved in artificial fertilization through dumping of iron compounds in the ocean around Haida Gwaii.” The statement was in response to news reports that 100 tonnes of iron sulphate and 20 tonnes of iron oxide were scattered 370 kilometres off the coast of Haida Gwaii for a project undertaken by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corp. The $2.5-million exercise was done to see how the iron might enhance declining salmon stocks. But scientists are concerned about the effects of the project and how the data will be collected and analyzed. One scientist has said that the amount deposited is more than any other similar experiments. And the Haida Nation hereditary leadership is also worrying about the consequences, saying tampering with nature on this scale is unpredictable and poses an unacceptable risk to the marine environment. “Our people, along with the rest of humanity, depend on the oceans and cannot leave the fate of the oceans to the whim of the few.” The statement is signed by the president of the Haida Nation Guujaaw. The ministry of the Environment was not notified of the iron fertilization project and is investigating.