Wild First Voices

Hear from Fiona Beaty, PhD Candidate, UBC Department of Zoology, on taking action to remove open net pen fish farms from BC waters.

Wild Pacific salmon are integral to Indigenous culture, traditions and livelihoods. Hear from First Nations leaders across BC on why we must protect this essential species.

Rick Hansen, founder of Rick Hansen Foundation, on the urgent need to work together to protect wild Pacific salmon. Join the movement and sign the Wild First Pledge.

Nicole Holman of Clayoquot Action on the need to end the pens to protect communities dependent on wild Pacific salmon. “This is for a better future.”

“The salmon are so iconic for us. They’re the very essence of who we are,” says Dr. Chief Robert Joseph about our shared responsibility to protect wild Pacific salmon.

Claudia Lake, former commercial fisher, ecotourism employee and wild salmon advocate applauds the Fisheries’ Minister’s decision to remove open net-pen fish farms from the Discovery Islands.

Open net pen fish farms are capable of producing billions of sea lice that endanger wild Pacific salmon, says Angela Koch, a member of the Quadra Island Sierra Club.

Bob Chamberlin, Chair of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance, on what’s at stake if open net pen fish farms remain in BC waters.

Karen Wristen, Executive Director, Living Oceans Society, on the critical need to protect wild Pacific salmon and their importance to the entire West Coast ecosystem.

Chef Robert Belcham on the importance of knowing where your food comes from and how wild Pacific salmon are an integral part of the BC ecosystem.

The impact of BC open-net pen salmon farms is evident in the Fraser River, where wild Pacific salmon stocks are at historic lows. Chief Darren Blaney, Homalco First Nation.

Transitioning open net pen fish farms to land based closed containment is a critical part of the fight to save wild Pacific salmon, says Council of Canadians Chair Rich Hagensen.

The benefits of fish farms do not outweigh the value of wild salmon stocks, says Al Dawson, a member of the Coast Guard in Campbell River.

Hear from Chef Robert Clark, Order of Canada, co-founder of Ocean Wise and Chief Culinary Officer at Ocean Organic Seafood, on wild Pacific salmon: “We have something here that we need to protect…this species has the ability to make us stronger as a community, as a province and as a country”.

Garry Henkel, Wildlife Tour Operator, sees how integral wild Pacific salmon are to our ecosystem and jobs in coastal communities.

A commercial fisher and trained biologist, Melissa Collier sees first-hand how open net pen fish farming threatens wild Pacific salmon stocks. “Fishing has been our past and it’s our future,” says the Courtenay, BC, mother of two.

Mike Griswold, a commercial fisher for 50 years and long-time member of the Fraser River Panel, discusses the devastating impact of sea lice from open net pen fish farms on wild Pacific salmon migrating back to the Fraser River.

Having lived and worked in the Discovery Islands for 40 years, Fern Kornelsen has witnessed the decline of wild Pacific salmon stocks. Fern says that restoring this critical species, which she calls the “backbone of the coast,” starts with getting open net pen fish farms out of BC waters.

Stephanie Janzen, a commercial fisher from Comox, on the importance of putting wild Pacific salmon first.

An elder of the We Wai Kai Nation, Dan Billy supports transitioning away from open net-pen fish farms and is speaking up for the recovery of wild Pacific salmon for all people, for generations to come.

For decades, Dave Boyes has drawn attention to the devastating impact of open net pen fish farms on wild Pacific salmon.

“The whole ecosystem of this coast beats with the heart of the salmon,” says Geraldine Kenny, founder of Sierra Club BC’s Quadra Island group.

Kyla Savage, a commercial fisher from Comox, on the importance of giving wild Pacific salmon a fighting chance by removing open net pen fish farms.

It’s time to end the pens and build a more sustainable future, says Ray Grigg, an author, environmental columnist, and founding and executive member of Quadra Island’s Sierra Club. “The sooner they’re out of British Columbia, the better.”