The miracle that is the salmon’s journey from fry to spawning never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday I stood at the top of Stamp Falls, outside of Port Alberni. The rushing wild river drops ten feet into dangerous rapids that I would never dare to challenge. But each year thousands of spawning salmon struggle up the falls to return to the sands where they were born.

As I stood looking into the tumultuous water, at first I saw nothing. But as my eyes adjusted, there were dozens of magnificent salmon fighting the current, darting about, resting in the shadows.

We understand so little about what drives these amazing fish to take the return journey, how they know where home is. It is truly awe-inspiring.

The predictions for these year’s runs look good. All up and down the coast we are holding our breath and crossing our figures for good runs this year, hoping that we don’t have another run like last year’s disastrous Fraser River Sockeye collapse.

Even though this year looks like it is going to be a healthy run, it is important to recognize that today’s salmon runs are just a dim shadow of their former majesty. First Nations elders speak about rivers so plentiful with fish you could walk on their backs from one side of the river to the other. Historic run numbers for the Fraser River could been in the 100s of million of fish – a far cry from the 10 million estimated last year.

There are many factors contributing to the stress wild salmon are facing, most caused by us. Warming temperatures, sediment from logging, and habitant destruction are all taking a toll. But right now, the immediate threat that our wild salmon face is the scourge of industrial salmon farms.

The peer reviewed science is clear – sea lice and diseases from industrial feedlots are killing our wild salmon. The people of the coast have known this for a long time, Scientists have known this for a long time. The thousands of you who took part in the Get Out Migration know. So why is government delaying action?

The Federal government has invested a lot of resources in the Cohen Inquiry to get to the root cause of where are salmon have gone. Now this commission has been delayed for two months because the commission is waiting on documents from the federal government.

There is no excuse for delays. Our wild salmon are too important to wait. We need action now to save this critical piece of our coastal ecosystem. It is time to stop procrastinating and get fish farms off our coast.

So let’s keep the pressure on and let all the federal government know that our wild salmon are an issue of national importance and we need immediate action. Write a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and let them know how you feel.

We can’t delay: wild salmon need our help. Write a letter today!

Thanks!

Tria Donaldson | Pacific Coast Campaigner
Wilderness Committee