Dec 01, 2002

Nuxalk threatened by fish farms


Once again the Nuxalk nation is threatened by the encroachment of the development of Atlantic salmon hatchery in its traditional territory. Omega Fish Farms is in the process of building an Atlantic salmon hatchery in Ocean Falls on the mid coast of British Colombia. The Hereditary Chiefs and Elders do not want the Atlantic salmon hatchery or fish farms in their territory. Reacting to the fish farm threat; Chief Nuximlayc will give his view:

‘First of all we must acknowledge Tau Tau our Heavenly Father for everything that is provided for us. Our most precious resource is water and the salmon. Our people rely on the salmon for survival. Now they want to take the salmon from us. The development of the Atlantic Salmon Hatchery in Ocean Falls will devastate the wild salmon stocks. Our way of life is threatened once again. They brought diseases like small pox and tuberculosis that decimated our people. Now they want to do the same to the salmon. The Atlantic salmon are in cages and will develop different disease's. These diseases will then be passed on to the wild salmon and the wild stock will eventually die off. It will be like the Ooligan that were decimated by a commercial fishery and now the ooligan has not returned to our rivers for that past three years. Our peoples way of life is threatened by Industry for the creation of economic development’.