<\/p>\n
Unceded Territory<\/h2>\n
This is unceded territory, which has belonged to First Nations for countless generations.<\/p>\n
When she\u00a0announced the decision<\/a>\u00a0to phase out the fish farms by June 30th, 2022,\u00a0Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan<\/a>\u00a0explained, \u201cThese facilities are some of the oldest sites on the West Coast and are located on the traditional territory of the\u00a0Holmalco<\/a>,\u00a0Klahoose<\/a>,\u00a0K\u2019omoks<\/a>, \u00a0Kwiakah<\/a>, \u00a0Tla\u2019amin<\/a>,\u00a0We Wai Kai<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Wei Wai Kum<\/a>\u00a0First Nations. Consultations with the seven First Nations in the Discovery Islands area provided important guidance to the Minister and heavily informed the decision. This approach also aligns with the Province of British Columbia\u2019s land tenure commitment that all aquaculture licenses as of June 2022 require consent from local First Nations.\u201d<\/p>\n David Kiemele,<\/a>\u00a0Managing Director for Cermaq Canada, issued a press release stating the judicial review focuses \u201con the conduct of DFO and the Minister of Fisheries \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe respect the opinions and the rights of the First Nations in the Discovery Islands region. As a supporter of\u00a0United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples<\/a>\u00a0(UNDRIP), and the reconciliation process, Cermaq recognizes the inherent Indigenous rights and title of the local First Nations in whose territories we operate. The judicial review brought by Cermaq is meant to allow time for Cermaq to engage with these local First Nations regarding our operations in their territories,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Chief Darren Blaney<\/a>\u00a0of the Homalco First Nation told the Campbell River Mirror that Cermaq\u2019s statement is \u201chollow\u2026 just words, no action.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf they (aquaculture industry) want to reinstate the farms they will have to consult with First Nations going all the way up to the end of the Fraser and every other person who gets impacted on the B.C. coast,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Fish farms in the Discovery Islands \u2013 courtesy BC Salmon Farmers Association<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n The\u00a0Mayors of Campbell River, Gold River, Sayward, Port Hardy and Port McNeill<\/a>\u00a0have all come out in support of the fish farms, protesting the fact they were not consulted.<\/p>\n At their last board meeting<\/a>, the Strathcona Regional District Board decided to write the Prime Minister of Canada and Federal Fisheries Minister \u201cto enquire why there has been no consultation with our Strathcona Regional District, which is responsible for zoning in our local communities and which decides location, zoning and conditions of use of fin fish aquaculture in our region and why our expertise has been ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n Blaney described the local government attempt to overturn the results of DFO\u2019s consultation with First Nations as racist.<\/p>\n \u201cThey voted unanimously to overturn this decision saying that it was a \u2018mistake\u2019 and so does that mean my culture is a mistake? We are passing on our culture to future generations, is that a mistake? That\u2019s what this challenge is. It goes right back to the kind of racism that our people have been subjected to throughout Canada,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n MOWI and Cermaq claim the DFO did not consult with them and they were given no advance warning of the decision.<\/p>\n David Kiemele said, \u201cSalmon farming, like all farming, requires a planning cycle, in our case this is 60 months (five years), to ensure the proper fallowing and rotation of farm sites, coordinated area-based management, and the breeding and rearing of the next generation of fish. It is important to note that this decision will have far reaching impacts on our overall operations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough it may only seem to be a closure of three farms, this represents about 20 per cent (20%) of Cermaq Canada\u2019s overall production. This will have immediate implications for our hatcheries, our other farms, processing facilities, our customers, and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 for our employees and the communities in which we operate. At the time of DFO\u2019s announcement, plans were well underway for the stocking of two of Cermaq\u2019s three farm sites in the Discovery Islands region later this spring, representing a measurable investment by Cermaq. This means that the significant number of fish that were destined for these two sites are in limbo as these fish no longer have a farm location in which to complete their grow out.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2018Just words, no action\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Fish](\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Screen-Shot-2021-01-14-at-5.03.18-PM.png\")
<\/a>Local Government reaction \u2018racist\u2019<\/h2>\n
No advance warning<\/h2>\n