Legacy - October 2014

Legacy

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Published by: Wild Game Fish Conservation International

On the cover: Denny Clemons – Fish ON! “Just add water”

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy Wild Game Fish Conservation International Wild Game Fish Conservation International (WGFCI): Established to advocate for wild game fish, their fragile ecosystems and the cultures and economies that rely on their robust populations.

LEGACY – Journal of Wild Game Fish Conservation: Complimentary, nononsense, monthly publication by conservationists for conservationists LEGACY, the WGFCI Facebook page and the WGFCI website are utilized to better equip fellow conservationists, elected officials, business owners and others regarding wild game fish, their contributions to society and the varied and complex issues impacting them and those who rely on their sustainability.

LEGACY exposes impacts to wild game fish while featuring wild game fish conservation projects, fishing adventures, wildlife art, accommodations, equipment and more. Your photos and articles featuring wild game fish from around planet earth are welcome for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of LEGACY. E-mail them with captions and credits to Jim (wilcoxj@katewwdb.com).

Successful wild game fish conservation efforts around planet earth will ensure existence of these precious natural resources and their ecosystems for future generations to enjoy and appreciate. This is our LEGACY.

Wild Game Fish Conservation International Founders

Bruce Treichler

Jim Wilcox

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Contents WGFCI Outreach via Legacy and Facebook _________________________________________________________ 6 Conservationist Extraordinaire – Walking the Talk ___________________________________________________ 7  Alexandra Morton: Independent Marine Biologist ________________________________________________________ 7

Special: Mount Polley Mine Failure – Update ________________________________________________________ 9  Mount Polley sediment samples contain 'potentially significant' arsenic and selenium _____________________ 9  Update on the Mount Polley Mine Disaster - Imperial Metals and Government Focus on Covering Up Instead of Cleaning Up _______________________________________________________________________________ 13  Imperial boosts Mount Polley spill estimate by 10 million cubic metres ___________________________________ 14         

Residents concerned by shifting sediment on Quesnel Lake from Mount Polley spill ______________________ BC’s Mount Polley spill leaves lasting local legacy _____________________________________________________ Likely, First Nations group demands action on Mount Polley ____________________________________________ Mt. Polley Debacle: BC Miles behind US on Mine Danger Info ____________________________________________ Political fallout from Mount Polley mine spill may come from U.S. _______________________________________ Mount Polley mine: tourism operators plead for help _________________________________________________________ Fisheries biologist concerned about impact of leaving mine tailings sludge in Hazeltine Creek ____________ Mount Polley: A wake-up call for Canada's mining industry _____________________________________________ Analyze Mine Disaster Results ________________________________________________________________________

16 19 20 22 25 28 31 33 36

Featured Fishing Adventures, Photos, “Funnies” and Not so Funny: _________________________________ 38        

Fish for Peacock Bass on Brazil’s Aqua Boa River with host Camille Egdorf ______________________________ Fly Gal Ventures Hosted Travel: New Zealand – December 2014 _________________________________________ Pj Burgess: A special moment in time _________________________________________________________________ The fine art of spey casting ___________________________________________________________________________ Simon Chornick: BC Sockeye Salmon in Paradise ______________________________________________________ Michigan’s late summer chinook salmon _______________________________________________________________ Lings and Bass ______________________________________________________________________________________ Fishing Iceland – Land of ice, fire and wild fish _________________________________________________________

38 39 41 42 43 44 45 46

Seafood consumption: Public health risks and benefits _____________________________________________ 48     

Warning: Eating Farmed Salmon May Affect Your Baby _________________________________________________ Enjoy seasonal wild salmon dinners at these fine restaurants:___________________________________________ Farmed salmon has 'more fat than pizza' _______________________________________________________________ Organic Farmed Salmon – If You’re Not Confused, You Should Be _______________________________________ Tribes to Ask EPA to Step in on Clean Water Rule ______________________________________________________

48 49 52 54 57

Featured Restaurants ____________________________________________________________________________ 59  Sockeye City Waterfront Seafood Restaurant ___________________________________________________________ 59 Salty’s on Alki Beach / West Seattle ______________________________________________________________________ 60

WGFCI: Writing to protect what needs protected ___________________________________________________ 61  Preliminary examination of contaminant loadings in farmed salmon, wild salmon and commercial salmon feed _________________________________________________________________________________________ 61

Community Activism, Education, Litigation and Outreach ___________________________________________ 62  Fishfest will be Green powered! _______________________________________________________________________ 65  Stopping Farmed Salmon at the Cash Register _________________________________________________________ 68

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Alexandra Morton Interview: September 15, 2014 – Listen HERE _________________________________________ 68  Boycott Net-pen Farmed Salmon ______________________________________________________________________ 69  Activists lock down Kinder Morgan Gate _______________________________________________________________ 70  Protesters Against Fracked Oil Deliveries Chain Themselves At Richmond Yard __________________________ 71  Small-business owners voice opposition to oil terminal in Vancouver ____________________________________ 72  Wild Salmon Warrior Radio with Jay Peachy – Tuesday Mornings________________________________________ 75  Wild Salmon Warrior Radio – Recent Archives _________________________________________________________ 76

Salmon feedlots__________________________________________________________________________________ 78  Exposed: the madness of the great international salmon swap __________________________________________________ 79  Scientists Gather in Maine to Confront Costly Salmon-Farming Threat: Sea Lice __________________________ 82  Alaska-made film takes aim at salmon farming _________________________________________________________ 84  Environmental Lawyers Find Glaring Gaps in Proposed Aquaculture Regulations _________________________ 91    

This is tragic images (translated from original into English) _____________________________________________ Ernie Crey at Wild Salmon Rally: International Peace Arch ______________________________________________ Ottawa's new aquaculture rules would permit harmful dumping _________________________________________ Farmed salmon escapes far more common than industry admits: study __________________________________

93 95 96 98

Energy Generation: Oil, Coal, Geothermal, Hydropower, Natural Gas, Solar, Tidal, Wind ______________ 100 Petroleum – Drilled, Refined, Tar Sands, Fracked ________________________________________________________  Petropolis - Rape and pillage of Canada and Canadians for toxic bitumen _______________________________  Pipeline Giant Handed Permit to Open Tar Sands Rail Facility __________________________________________  Ecology launching study of spill response need at Nisqually River from passing oil-trains________________  Wrong Side of the Tracks: Why Rail is not the Answer to the Tar Sands Market Access Problem __________  Fraser River would take up to five years to recover from pipeline oil spill ________________________________  Kinder Morgan Canada chief: Burnaby is ‘lightning rod’ of Trans Mountain pipeline debate _______________  Groups Plan Suit Over Northwest Oil-Response Plan __________________________________________________  BNSF executive: Oil train safety can improve __________________________________________________________  Groups Sue Over Oil Shipments in Older Rail Cars ____________________________________________________  Third oil project will go through EIS process; Hoquiam is co-lead agency _______________________________

101 101 105 108 110 112 115 117 118 120 121

 BP’s Whiting Refinery Catches Fire ___________________________________________________________________ 123  Oil by rail resolution – City of Olympia, Washington ___________________________________________________ 125  Anterra Energy Inc spills Over 300,000 Litres into a nearby waterbody __________________________________ 128  A Massive Oil Spill Is Threatening Mexico's Third Largest City's Water Supply ___________________________ 129  The oil boom in one slick infographic _________________________________________________________________ 129 Hydropower ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 130  Three Chinook Spotted Above Glines Canyon _________________________________________________________  World’s Largest Dam Removal Unleashes U.S. River After Century of Electric Production ________________ Solar _________________________________________________________________________________________________  Japan is planning to build huge floating solar power plants ____________________________________________

130 132 134 135

Government action ______________________________________________________________________________ 138 Wild Game Fish Management ____________________________________________________________________ 139  Warm Waters Send Salmon to Canada, not Washington ________________________________________________ 139

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Wildlife Artists: _________________________________________________________________________________ 141  Larry Rackley _______________________________________________________________________________________ 142  Diane Michelin - Fly Fishing Fine Art: "GET’EM" _______________________________________________________ 143  Dan Wallace: Passion for Authenticity ________________________________________________________________ 144

Conservation-minded businesses – please support these fine businesses __________________________ 145  Kingfish West Coast Adventure Tours ________________________________________________________________ 145  Dave and Kim Egdorf's Western Alaska Sport Fishing _________________________________________________ 146  Hidden Paths - Slovenia _____________________________________________________________________________ 147  ProFishGuide: Coastal Fishing at its Best _____________________________________________________________ 148  Silversides Fishing Adventures ______________________________________________________________________ 149  UWET "STAY-DRY" UNDERWATER TOURS ___________________________________________________________ 150  Rhett Weber’s Charterboat “Slammer” ________________________________________________________________ 151  Riverman Guide Service – since 1969 _________________________________________________________________ 152  Learn to fish: experienced, conservation-minded professional instructors_______________________________ 153

Legacy Forward The October 2014 issue of Legacy marks thirty six consecutive months of our complimentary eMagazine; the no-holds-barred, watchdog journal published by Wild Game Fish Conservation International.

Legacy is published each month to expose risks to the future of wild game fish and their fragile ecosystems around planet earth. This unique magazine also introduces leading edge alternatives to today’s unsustainable practices.

Each month Legacy selects wildlife artists to feature, several conservation-minded businesses to promote and several fishing photos from around planet Earth.

We continue to urge our readers to speak out passionately and to demonstrate peacefully for wild game fish and their ecosystems; ecosystems that we are but one small component of.

As recreational fishermen, conservation of wild game fish is our passion. Publishing “Legacy” each month is our self imposed responsibility to help ensure the future of these precious gifts that have been entrusted for safekeeping to our generation.

Bruce Treichler

James E. Wilcox Wild Game Fish Conservation International

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

WGFCI Outreach via Legacy and Facebook

September Legacy read in these countries

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Conservationist Extraordinaire – Walking the Talk

 Alexandra Morton: Independent Marine Biologist

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Special: Mount Polley Mine Failure – Update

 Mount

Polley sediment samples contain 'potentially significant' arsenic and selenium August 29, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Imperial Metals Interview – September 2, 2014 While sediment samples collected from the area surrounding the Mount Polley tailings breach exceed some provincial standards, the B.C. Ministry of Environment insists levels are consistent with earlier baselines.

“There were some exceedances. This is to be expected because these materials samples were and are believed to be the material that was spilled out of the tailings impoundment,” B.C. Ministry of Environment regional operations director Jennifer McGuire told reporters in an August 29 conference call.

“Copper and iron were significantly higher than the standards that we have here in B.C.” Furthermore, the ministry said it discovered “low but potentially significant” levels of arsenic and selenium concentrations within the sediment samples.

The results were collected from inside the tailings impoundment on August 12, and from outside the tailings impoundment on August 12 and 15.

McGuire said these most recent results confirm the need for long-term monitoring throughout the Cariboo region.

The Mount Polley tailings pond dam breached August 4, sending the equivalent of 4,000 Olympicsized pools gushing through the central interior of B.C. The Ministry of Environment confirmed no excess selenium was discovered in the tissue of fish from the area, however, traces were found in fish liver and gonads. McGuire said people would need to eat a cup of fish gonads or liver in a single day to exceed a healthy intake.

Dr. Trevor Corneil, a medical health officer with the Interior Health Authority, said the results were “reassuring” from a human health perspective.

“With regards to water, the results are similar and consistent to previous results and do indicate that clean water is in fact safe to drink,” he said, adding people should not be drinking water that appears cloudy.

Editorial Comments: 

Broad brush assumptions regarding water quality



No mention of long-term impacts



Heavy metals and other pollutants bio-accumulate throughout food chain



Heavy metals are impossible to clean up, especially given the size of this social and environmental disaster.



The cost of this clean-up, litigation and monitoring will be in the billions of dollars

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Update on the Mount Polley Mine Disaster - Imperial Metals and Government Focus on Covering Up Instead of Cleaning Up August 30, 2014 On August 4th, the massive tailings dam at the Imperial Metals Mount Polley gold and copper mine burst. The dam breach unleashed 14.5 million cubic meters of toxic heavy metals and chemical laden tailings water and sludge into Polley Lake, down Hazeltine Creek, into Quesnel Lake and onto the Quesnel River which directly connects to the Fraser River Watershed. The Quesnel Lake watershed is a major source of drinking water and home to one quarter of the province’s sockeye salmon. This is the largest mining disaster to occur in Canada and it's still unfolding.

The Imperial Metals Mount Polley mine is located on Northern Secwepemc territory, therefore, this disaster most directly effects the Secwepemc who rely on salmon as their principal food source and the impacted area for hunting game, fishing, gathering berries and medicines. The nearby Secwepemc communities most impacted are the Xastull (Soda Creek) First Nation and the Williams Lake Indian Band (Sugar Cane First Nation). Neither Xatsull (Soda Creek) or the Williams Lake Indian Band (Sugar Cane) were alerted by the company of the disaster. The disaster also directly affects residents of the town of Likely who have no immediate access to drinking water and are experiencing serious health effects as a result of the spill. And as the salmon return home, the spill impacts the many downstream First Nations and communities who depend on the fish in the Quesnel and Fraser River systems.

Read Entire Canadian Council Article HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Silty mud remaining in Hazeltine Creek after Mount Polley tailings dam breach

 Imperial boosts Mount Polley spill estimate by 10 million cubic metres September 1, 2014 In an update on the Mount Polley mine disaster, owner Imperial Metals has boosted its estimates of tailings, water and debris released into the environment by the failure of its tailings dam on August 4.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Compared with earlier estimates of 10 million cubic metres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of solid tailings, the company is now figuring the following:  Supernatant water 10.6Mm3  Tailings Slurry: tailings solids 7.3Mm3; interstitial water 6.5Mm3  Construction materials 0.6Mm3 Combining supernatant (water lying above the tailings within the “pond”) and interstitial (water trapped within the tailings), an extra 7.1 million litres of water poured forth from the burst dam than originally estimated. At 7.3 million cubic metres of solid tailings, the new estimate is nearly 3 million higher than the original 4.5 million – also making it the largest tailings pond disaster of its kind in history.

Added to that are 600,000 cubic metres of construction materials.

Imperial Metals was also not carrying any proper environmental disaster insurance, though it maintains in this latest update that it will be able to clean up the spill: …we believe the costs can be managed over time given the underlying value of Imperial’s assets, the commitments for the additional $100 million financing announced on August 14 and insurance proceeds.

Water quality concerns renewed The revelation comes as fresh concerns surface regarding water quality, human and animal health in the region.

Last weekend, Interior Health issued a new advisory warning residents of Likely, BC that – despite the lifting of an earlier water use ban – increased turbidity in the water column warranted caution in terms of drinking water from Quesnel Lake.

At the same time, independent biologist Alexandra Morton made waves reporting on a mysterious blue film covering much of Quesnel Lake and the Quesnel River.

The Ministry of Environment was allegedly aware of the situation and taking samples but has yet to report back to the public regarding the issue.

Finally, recently released data from the ministry’s water tests on August 13 reveal a major spike in total copper levels from their “deep” station at the mouth of Hazeltine Creek – “two orders of magnitude higher than on August 8th,” according to biologist John Werring of the David Suzuki Foundation. Topping out at 325 ug/l, says Werring, they vastly exceed aquatic life guidelines of just 4 ug/l.

CEO Kynoch: Thanks for understanding Imperial Metals CEO Brian Kynoch included a personal message in his company’s update. “We thank all our employees and stakeholders who very quickly responded to offer help following the August 4 breach at our Mount Polley mine,” Kynoch says.

We also appreciate the offers of support from our colleagues in the mining industry and residents of BC and beyond, who understand the complexity of responding, planning and working toward mitigating the effects of this event.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

A boat corrals logs and a tangle of debris together on Quesnel Lake on Aug. 6, 2014 following the collapse of the Mount Polley mine tailings dam. Water concerns have re-emerged as a plume of sediment moves around the lake.

 Residents

concerned by shifting sediment on Quesnel Lake from Mount

Polley spill Plume appears as ‘funny’ green colour; environment ministry sampling, testing water August 27, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters A plume of sediment deposited in Quesnel Lake by the collapse of Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley mine tailings dam is changing water quality as it shifts, according to the Interior Health Authority.

The shifting sediment has reinforced water-quality concerns among Likely-area residents.

Although test results have shown water from Quesnel Lake is safe to drink, Interior Health told residents who notice increased sediment or cloudiness in their water they “may wish to consider alternate sources for their water.”

Likely resident Judy Siemens said the plume — a “funny” green colour similar to that of a glacial lake — comes and goes, sometimes over significant areas of the lake.

“We are not drinking the water yet,” she said. “Most people on the lake aren’t drinking their water yet.”

Likely resident Peggy Zorn, who lives beside the Quesnel River, said it has been murky since last weekend, which is very unusual as the river normally runs crystal clear.

As for the notice to consider alternate sources of water for residents who find their water running cloudy, she described it as stupid. “What other water sources?” quipped Zorn, who with husband Gary owns Ecotours-B.C. Despite a Likely community meeting hosted by provincial officials Tuesday evening on the status of water quality, Zorn said residents are getting frustrated and described a lack of clear-cut answers as “bizarre.”

B.C. Ministry of Environment spokesman David Crebo said in a written statement officials were out on Quesnel Lake Tuesday taking samples at various depths and locations to help define the location of the sediment plume.

“These samples are arriving at the lab for analysis (Wednesday),” said Crebo.

The latest water quality results released publicly by the environment ministry are from Aug. 13, showing samples from half a metre below surface and eight metres met drinking water guidelines.

Samples were also collected within a suspended sediment plume at 40, 60 and 90 metres of depth in the west arm of the lake. Tests showed the water quality at 40 metres depth and below exceeded some drinking water guidelines and several aquatic life guidelines. Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Trevor Corneil said that earlier testing of water in the sediment plume has shown slightly high copper and iron levels, not surprising since Mount Polley was a copper mine and iron is a very commonly found element in the area.

He said he understands residents’ heightened concerns because of the cloudy water, but stressed the water is safe.

“Any concerning levels of elements in the water, or some of the sediments, are not at concentrations in areas that we have measured, at levels where people draw water from, that are a hazard to people’s health,” said Corneil. “The same for the fish: the fish are not a hazard to people’s health.”

Corneil said residents should never be drinking cloudy water, nor should they drink surface water unless it’s disinfected.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Those are normal precautions that should be taken always, but some residents that have taken their water from Quesnel Lake have not taken these steps in the past, he noted.

He said he would not be surprised to see residents who draw their water from the lake experience cloudy water for the next few months.

An approximately one kilometre-by-500 metre plume of sediment that was initially located at the outlet to Hazeltine Creek on Quesnel Lake has since dispersed and is appearing in smaller pockets of the west arm of the lake, said Corneil.

The sediment has been found as deep as 60 metres in the lake, below where residents draw their water, he said.

The sediments from the tailings dam spill will be mixed with sediments that would naturally be part of Quesnel Lake, added Corneil.

Likely residents have also expressed concerns about lack of cleanup of the spilled tailings.

Zorn wants the sludge in Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake should be cleaned up before winter. If not, she is worried that more tailings will be deposited in Quesnel Lake with the spring melt.

The collapse of a 300-metre section of the Mount Polley tailings dam on Aug. 4 released 10 million cubic metres of water and tailings comprised of finely ground rock containing potentially toxic metals.

Following the collapse of the tailing dam, Imperial Metals CEO Brian Kynoch was asked if he would drink the water, to which he replied: “I would drink the water once the solids come out.”

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 BC’s Mount Polley spill leaves lasting local legacy September 11, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Likely resident Lawna Bourassa-Kuester sits behind a jar of sediment-filled water collected from Quesnel Lake.

 Likely, First Nations group demands action on Mount Polley September 8, 2014 Likely resident Lawna Bourassa-Kuester still doesn’t trust the drinking water at her home more a month after the Mount Polley tailings dam breach.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters The Quesnel Lake waters nearby where she lives have turned green and the prevalence of weeds has exploded in recent weeks, she says.

Bourassa-Kuester lives downstream of the Imperial Metals site where millions of cubic metres of contaminated water and mine waste swept into the region’s waterways in August.

“This is heartbreaking to see the place we love has become Imperial Metals’ wasteland,” she said.

A troubling amount of uncertainty remains on the safety of drinking water and the long-term effects of the spill on the region’s ecosystem, said a group of Likely residents and First Nations leaders, who spoke out at a news conference in Vancouver Monday.

They’re calling on Imperial Metals and the provincial and federal governments to establish an immediate comprehensive cleanup strategy. They also want a mine moratorium and further testing on the safety of water, as they allege a slurry from the spill continues to make its way through the region to the Fraser River.

The group mobilized shortly after the dam breach and began collecting its own data on the event, engaging a group of scientists to look at the potentially devastating effects of mercury poisoning.

Kanahus Manuel, a member of the Secwepemc Nation, spoke of the potentially devastating effects to the region’s salmon population.

“Without question, this has absolutely traumatized and devastated the indigenous people throughout the local area and all the way down the Fraser River and Fraser Valley,” said Stewart Phillip, president of the B.C. Indian Chiefs.

The Energy and Mines Ministry has called for an independent investigation into the tailings dam breach and third-party reviews for all dam safety inspections. In August, Imperial Metals and the province declared water safe to drink unless it is cloudy.

Cloudy water from Quesnel Lake – before and after shaking – Watch HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Mt. Polley Debacle: BC Miles behind US on Mine Danger Info Public here barred from records freely available in US to help avert disasters.

September 8, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters British Columbia is one of the country's biggest mineral producers. But compared to Americans, British Columbians have very little information about the safety and regulation of that activity.

And that means journalists, activists and citizens have very little power to stop mining problems before they become mining disasters.

Just such a disaster happened last month when the tailing dam at Imperial Metals Corp.'s Mount Polley Mine collapsed, resulting in a flood of concern and questions about safety at similar operations in the province.

In response to a request from Vancouver Sun reporter Gordon Hoekstra, the government released details on the 49 "dangerous or unusual occurrences" that were recorded as happening at tailing ponds in British Columbia between 2000 and 2012.

Earlier, it also released a summary of inspections at the Mount Polley mine. But a spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed the government "does not generally publicly post mine inspection reports or related information, including the dates on which they were conducted."

The reason: such reports, which can be obtained via the province's sometimes-lengthy and often frustrating freedom of information request process, "need to be reviewed for any personal and financial information before they can be released."

Holes in Canadian databases The government also hasn't released details on the "dangerous or unusual occurrences" that were recorded as happening at mining locations other than tailing ponds between 2001 and 2012. Those occurrences, according to aggregate statistics released as part of the chief inspector of mines' annual report, include 1,173 incidents at pits, 287 incidents at plants or mills, 178 incidents at maintenance shops, etc.

When asked whether the province discloses any other information about health, safety and environmental violations at mines in British Columbia, a ministry spokesperson stated the government does post overviews of significant spills of oil or hazardous material. "From time to time, and as appropriate" it may post hazard alerts about incidents at mines "when relevant on a broader scale."

The federal governments also maintain databases listing some of their environmental offenders. But both have major limitations. For example, the provincial database doesn't include those who have violated British Columbia's Mines Act. And the federal database, which has just 78 entries, only includes convictions of corporations obtained via court proceedings. It doesn't include tickets, warning letters or compliance orders issued to them.* US approach far more transparent By comparison, the haul of information about mines in the United States is considerably richer.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has a database that includes statistics and reports about past and present health and safety accidents, inspections and violations at individual mines.

And the Environmental Protection Agency has a similar database detailing environmental inspections and violations at those operations.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters That means Americans, with just a few keystrokes, can find out there were four injuries at Imperial Metals' Sterling Mining in Nevada between 2012 and 2014, including a "serious abrasion to thumb," a "tibia fracture" and a head laceration.

They also can find out there have been six health and safety inspections at that mine so far this year, during which 13 violations of the Mine Act were cited with penalties and proposed penalties totaling $4,764.

And they can find out the last Resource Conservation and Recovery Act inspection of Torontobased Barrick Gold Corp.'s Goldstrike Mine, which is also located in Nevada, took place on May 14 and that the operation is currently listed as being in "significant violation" of that legislation.

BC needs to catch up There is absolutely no reason why British Columbians shouldn't be similarly informed about our own mines -- except for our willingness to elect governments on both the left and right that exploit our political complacency and infantilism.

After all, how many citizens do you think will put information rights as their top issue the next time they go to the polls? And how many even care about those rights between elections?

But without such information it's impossible for British Columbians to know how safe our mines are -and whether officials are doing enough to keep those operations safe.

Journalists and activists just don't know what we don't know.

Instead, we have to trust that our Father Knows Best government will take care of its citizen-children at the expense of the powerful who are its friends and financiers.

And that's exactly the way most politicians, once they get into power, seem to like it.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

The contents of Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley tailings pond is pictured going down the Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely, B.C. on Aug. 5, 2014.

 Political fallout from Mount Polley mine spill may come from U.S. September 4, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Heads-up, here comes the political fallout from that huge tailings dam spill at Mount Polley.

The provincial government still doesn't appear to grasp the gravity of what this accident means in terms of real politik and the albatross that ideologically-driven environmental deregulation may yet prove for its resource strategy.

But consider the toxic plume of disbelief wafting across the border from Alaska.

A coalition of prominent interests there is taking high profile umbrage at B.C.'s pedal-to-the-metal, slash-the-red-tape mining agenda. Thursday it asked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to invoke the Boundary Waters Treaty to prevent future downstream effects from accidents like the one at Mt. Polley.

This has implications for B.C. resource development. More than a quarter of the 19 major mining projects currently in environmental assessment are located in the northwest -- where 40 per cent of exploration spending is now directed.

If B.C.'s environmental assessment process is tarnished as untrustworthy and the province lacks credibility in enforcement, big problems loom.

The venerable 1909 treaty, signed just four years after international negotiations settled the acrimonious B.C.-Alaska boundary dispute, requires each country not to pollute waters that flow across borders.

A bilateral panel, the International Joint Commission, comprised of two Canadians and three Americans, is responsible for making sure obligations are met under the treaty.

The IJC has intervened dramatically in B.C.'s affairs four times.

In 1928, it acted on behalf of complaints from Washington State to deal with toxic fumes from the Trail smelter, setting the international legal precedent that a country is responsible for the environmental damage it causes another country.

In 1944, it created the template for cooperative development of the Columbia River and compensation for flooded parts of B.C. In 1984, acting on complaints from B.C., it blocked development of a dam on the Skagit River that would have flooded into the province.

In 1985, after American complaints, it ruled against an open pit coal mine in B.C.'s Flathead Valley until such time as it could be proved there'd be no adverse downstream effects.

Current Canadian members, appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's enthusiastically proresource extraction government, are a former Ontario Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and a former federal Liberal cabinet minister.

American members, all appointed by President Barrack Obama, are a former chair of the Michigan Environmental Council; a water quality specialist from Montana who is a former parks ranger and ecologist; and the former executive director of Citizen's Campaign for the Environment in New York.

If that panel's make-up hasn't grabbed our provincial cabinet's attention, it certainly should.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Because Thursday's request in Juneau by powerful industry and tribal organizations from southeast Alaska is already circulating on international newswires, mining industry newsletters and news reports.

Citing the Mount Polley spill of 14.5 million cubic metres of toxic sludge and effluent into the Fraser River watershed, which the disgruntled Alaskans are quick to point out may yet have adverse impacts on returning sockeye stocks jointly managed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the coalition took dead aim at prominent B.C. mining ventures in the northwest.

Red Chris, the Imperial Metals project funded with cash flow from Mount Polley, and the KerrSulphurets-Mitchell project, top their list.

Just to put the clout of these groups into political context, Alaska's Panhandle is the heart of a $5.8 billion state-wide fishing sector that employs more than 78,000 people of the 281,000 jobs in Alaska.

It's a major destination for cruise ships. Tourism accounts for another 37,800 jobs and is worth about $2 billion to the state economy. So that's more than 40 per cent of all jobs in Alaska.

So when the Alaska Trollers Association, the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association and a group backed by the state's Haida-Tlingit Central Council and local tribal governments target B.C.'s shoddy mine oversight, expect even more powerful state political agents to take note.

U.S. Senator Mark Begrich has already weighed-in. He wrote to Kerry on August 6, the same day Premier Christy Clark finally put in a late appearance at the Likely disaster site.

While our premier was Tweeting touchy-feely stuff about how her thoughts were with those affected by the torrent of toxic waste, here's what the senator was telling the secretary of state: "Failure of the Mount Polley tailings pond dam in British Columbia validates fears Alaska fishermen have regarding Canada's proposed development of large-scale hardrock mineral mines near transboundary rivers with Alaska," Begrich observed.

"Reports that the dam failure followed repeated warnings from the B.C. Ministry of Environment raise serious questions about provincial permitting and oversight of this industry. . . A similar failure at mines proposed near the Unuk, Stikine and Taku Rivers would be devastating to fish stocks which Alaska Commercial and recreational fishermen depend on, as well as the subsistence and cultural needs of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people of my state."

Begich, who chairs a U.S. Senate committee with responsibility for oceans and fisheries, is battling hard for his seat in November elections. Don't be surprised if B.C.'s lax mining regulations turns into a political football sooner rather than later.

Those mines in the northwest that the province says it's so anxious to develop will be prime political targets. And we all have an interest in this because the public, not the government, will paying out that $736 million transmission line B.C. Hydro has just built to service mines that are now squarely in American crosshairs. If those mines don't materialize or are substantially delayed, prepare for a major pain in the pocketbook.

It seems to me that instead of circling the wagons and retreating into spin and talking points, the province would do far better strategically to aggressively demonstrate right now that it means business about environmental protection. And after this mess, the mining industry should get actively on-side with tighter regulation.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

The tailings pond breach near the town of Likely, B.C., released 10 billion litres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of metals-laden sand, contaminating lakes, creeks and rivers in the region

 Mount Polley mine: tourism operators plead for help Local operators facing financial disaster August 28, 2014 Tourism operators in the town of Likely, B.C. say the Mount Polley mine spill has dealt the area’s reputation a crushing blow. 

In pictures: the Mount Polley mine spill



Read more about the spill and water testing

Business owners say reservations have dropped drastically in the wake of the tailings pond breach.

And many of the miners who stay in local hotels and eat in local pubs have disappeared.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters "As far as we’re concerned, it’s a disaster that nobody’s doing anything about," says Gary Zorn, owner of Ecotours-BC. "We have spent our life building this business up and in 20 minutes it goes down the tube and nobody’s doing anything about it? That’s absolute bullshit."

Economic fallout huge The tailings pond breach on Aug. 4 released 10 billion litres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of metals-laden sand, contaminating lakes, creeks and rivers in the region.

Zorn says the spill also cut access to areas he depends on for his wilderness adventures. He thinks the province should provide assistance.

Despite official assurance that the water is safe to drink, doubts around water safety is affecting businesses in Likely, B.C Likely Lodge owner Claudine Kadonaga says all their reservations for the past two weeks were cancelled. She also runs a restaurant and pub.

Many hotels in the area cater to both tourists and miners. The union representing Mount Polley mine workers claims nearly four dozen people lost their jobs in the weeks after the spill. Kadonaga says they are missed.

"Economically, we’re feeling it because a lot of the miners are gone," she says.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters "Those that are still here are working on limited hours or no hours, and they’re very apprehensive about what sort of income they’re going to have. And so they’re not spending."

Water quality confusion Interior Health says residents should still take care with drinking water and avoid water that’s cloudy or odorous.

But the Ministry of Environment says water samples taken from Quesnel Lake this week meet federal and provincial guidelines for drinking.

Regardless, business owners say they fear international attention to the mine spill will keep tourists away for a long time to come.

"The fear is that the mass public is getting the wrong impression about the water quality and what the situation is really like in Likely and in the surrounding area," says Jason Ryll, president of the Williams Lake Chamber of Commerce.

"Our main problem is trying to make sure that people understand that Likely is still open for business."

Editorial Comment:

 As recreational fishermen who take advantage of lodges, resorts, fishing guides, charters and associated businesses, we are saddened when these businesses are impacted by environmental disasters.

 The Mount Polley Mine failure should serve as a wake-up call to businesses that rely on robust fisheries – conservation (wise use) of the fish and their ecosystems is each of our responsibility – there is no free lunch

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Fisheries biologist concerned about impact of leaving mine tailings sludge in Hazeltine Creek August 29, 2014 It has been three weeks since the Mount Polley Mine tailings pond spill and at least one fisheries biologist working in the region is concerned about the long-term impact of leaving the tailings sludge in Hazeltine Creek.

Paddy Smith explains that when rock containing heavy metals and toxic chemicals gets ground up into talcum powder then dumped into the environment, bad things happen.

Smith, who has worked in the Mount Polley area for 15 years, is worried about the long-term effect of bad chemicals getting cycled in the biosystems.

He says the toxicity entering the environment increases exponentially as the fine particles of poisons and heavy metals are brought face to face with the natural systems.

It is the same process as with pesticides, he says. The toxins get more and more concentrated as they go further up the food chain.

Contaminated microbes get ingested by insects that get eaten by fish which are consumed by eagles, osprey, waterfowl and furbearers.

Smith insists that a proper cleanup of Hazeltine Creek is paramount.

“There’s millions of tons of stuff on either side of Hazeltine that could be trucked back into the tailings facility. There’s 12 years of mining sludge available to the biology now because it’s ground up so fine.”

He said there is only a narrow window of opportunity to remove the debris along Hazeltine Creek before the snow and rains come, and the cleanup has to be done right.

“You still can’t eat the fish in Jack of Clubs Lake in Wells because of the buildup of heavy metals like mercury from the mine tailings residue,” Smith said.

He said one reason for inaction in cleaning up Hazeltine Creek is fear of a second breach down Hazeltine Creek from Polley Lake which is a metre-and-a-half higher than normal after the tailings dam breach plugged the outflow and poured millions of litres of effluent into the lake.

This is a real concern.

Water is being pumped out of the lake slowly but not as quickly as Smith figures it could be.

“They could bring power in from the mine and use bigger pumps to take Polley Lake down faster.”

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Moorhead Lake resident Jim Gibson agrees with Smith that the effort to lower Polley Lake so that Hazeltine Creek can be cleaned up is taking too long.

“At the rate they are going it will be November by the time they can get in there,” Gibson says. “And you know what happens in November? ... Snow.”

Some people living in the Likely area are also suggesting that because the spill has been declared a disaster, the Canadian army should be brought in to help clean up the tailings sludge in Hazeltine Creek.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Mount Polley: A wake-up call for Canada's mining industry August 28, 2014 When a tailings pond broke at the Mount Polley gold and copper mine in south-central B.C., spilling millions of cubic metres of waste into a salmon-bearing stream, B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett called it an "extremely rare" occurrence, the first in 40 years for mines operating here.

He failed to mention the 46 "dangerous or unusual occurrences" that B.C's chief inspector of mines reported at tailings ponds in the province between 2000 and 2012, as well as breaches at nonoperating mine sites This spill was predictable. Concerns were raised about Mount Polley before the breach. CBC reported that B.C.'s Environment Ministry issued several warnings about the amount of water in the pond to mine owner Imperial Metals.

With 50 mines operating in B.C. — and many others across Canada — we can expect more incidents, unless we reconsider how we're extracting resources.

Sudden and severe failure is a risk for all large tailings dams — Mount Polley's waste pond covered about four square kilometres, roughly the size of Vancouver's Stanley Park.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters As higher-grade deposits become increasingly scarce, mining companies are opting for lower-grade alternatives that create more tailings. As tailings ponds grow bigger and contain more water and waste than ever before, they also become riskier. The average height of a Canadian tailings dam doubled from 120 metres in the 1960s to 240 metres today. Alberta writer Andrew Nikiforuklikens increasing mining industry risks to those of the oil sands.

Open ponds of toxic slurry aren't the best way to manage mining waste. Although there's no silverbullet solution, and more research funding on alternative technologies is needed, smaller underground mines are finding safer ways to deal with waste by backfilling tailings. Drying tailings or turning them to a paste before containment are two other options. Safer solutions cost more, making them less popular with profit-focused corporations. But surely B.C.'s $8-billion mining industry can afford to pay more for public and environmental safety.

The government allows the mining industry to choose the cheapest way to deal with waste, and companies often lack adequate insurance to cover cleanup costs when accidents happen. Imperial Metals admits its insurance will likely fall far short of what's required to repair the damage at Mount Polley.

The mining industry and provincial and federal governments must do a better job of managing risks.

But how can this happen when we're facing unprecedented dismantling of Canada's environmental regulations and decreased funding for monitoring and enforcement?

Although the B.C. government rightly appointed an independent panel of three top mining engineers to review the cause of the Mount Polley breach and report back with recommendations, the lack of an environmental or cultural perspective on the panel makes it unlikely we'll see meaningful industry reform. And even the most thorough reviews remain ineffective without implementation commitments — a point made clear by the federal government's failure to act on the Cohen Commission's 75 recommendations on the decline of Fraser River sockeye.

Canada's mining industry must also work more closely with First Nations, some of which are challenging industrial activity in their territories. The Tahltan blockaded Imperial Metals' nearly completed mine in the Sacred Headwaters, and the Neskonlith Indian Band issued an eviction notice to an Imperial subsidiary, which proposed an underground lead-and-zinc mine in Secwepemc Territory in the B.C. Interior. With the Supreme Court's Tsilhqot'in decision affirming First Nations' rights to land and resources within their traditional territories, we're likely to see more defending their lands against mining and other resource extractions.

The Mount Polley tailings spill threatens two of B.C.'s most valued resources: salmon and water. As one of the largest sockeye runs enters the waterways to spawn, we must wait to find out the longterm repercussions for Polley Lake, Quesnel Lake and aquatic life further downstream.

This disaster has eroded public trust in the mining industry and regulations governing it. If risks are too high and long-term solutions unavailable or too expensive, the only way to ensure that toxic tailings are kept out of our precious waterways and pristine landscapes may be to avoid mining in some areas altogether.

As the government rallying cry of "world-class safety standards" echoes in our ears, it's time we lived up to our self-proclaimed reputation.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

ď ś Analyze Mine Disaster Results

The collapse of the Imperial Metals tailing pond into Quesnel Lake is the biggest mining disaster ever.

1/4 of the Fraser sockeye rear in this lake, people drink the water, wildlife depends on it.

When the BC government announced the water was safe to drink mere days after the accident, I decided non-government tests should be done, because we know arsenic, mercury, cadmium, cobalt and other toxic heavy metals were in that tailing pond. I traveled to the site, took samples and now need the funds to analyze them and produce a report completely independent of government.

The BC government claims to be business-friendly, but this was not good for the mining industry, employees, residents, First Nations, fishermen, children exposed to the water, salmon or anyone or anything.

Everyone seemed to know this was going to happen and government just sat by and let hell break-loose into BC's most prolific salmon-rearing habitat. They cannot be trusted to reveal their own negligence.

Please consider pitching in to get a second opinion on whether the Imperial Metals tailing pond effluent is indeed safe to drink and low impact for salmon. Then we can move on to make government clean this up.

Thank you, Alexandra Morton

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Featured Fishing Adventures, Photos, “Funnies” and Not so Funny:  Fish for Peacock Bass on Brazil’s Aqua Boa River with host Camille Egdorf Base camp: Aqua Boa Amazon Lodge Dates: December 18-27. 2014 Book your Peacock Bass fishing adventure with Fishing with Larry

Est. cost: $4,000

I'm hosting another group to the Amazon in December 2014!

Who wants to join me?

Camille You can land 30 to 100+ peacock bass per day. Some will be huge. The lodge has exclusive rights to over 100miles of the Agua Boa River so you literally have an entire river to yourself.

There is a giant reserve area – birds, wildlife, no people, no mosquitoes.

There is one guide per two anglers per boat.

Includes: airport reception, all transfers in Brazil, 240-mile deluxe roundtrip flight Manaus, Brazil to lodge, lodging, daily laundry service, meals, soft drinks, beer, wine, and local liquor, fishing license, free copy of Larry’s 40-page book Fly fishing for Peacock Bass. We also supply all flies, and fly patterns. Plus, courtesy of Agua Boa Amazon Lodge - Free 8-day Global Rescue Insurance, a $119.00 value.

Does not include: international airfare, Brazilian visa, satellite telephone calls, liquor, airport taxes, overnight hotel and meals in Manaus, and tackle. (Our hosted groups usually stay together at a nicer hotel in Manaus.)

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Fly Gal Ventures Hosted Travel: New Zealand – December 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Pj Burgess: A special moment in time

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 The fine art of spey casting Diane Michelin - Fly Fishing Fine Art

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Simon Chornick: BC Sockeye Salmon in Paradise

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Michigan’s late summer chinook salmon Kyle McClelland: Owner/Operator – XXL Chrome Chasing

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Lings and Bass Rhett Weber: Owner/Operator – Charterboat Slammer – Westport, Washington

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Fishing Iceland – Land of ice, fire and wild fish Fishing Guide Arek Kotecki

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Seafood consumption: Public health risks and benefits

 Warning: Eating Farmed Salmon May Affect Your Baby

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Enjoy seasonal wild salmon dinners at these fine restaurants:

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Terry Wilkinson: Superstore calls that crap "organic fresh Atlantic farmed fish" (???????)

Claudette Bethune: All ground up, so increased surface area will allow any aerobic pathogens rapid growth...not something that should be considered 'food' with the persistent organic pollutants like PCBs and pesticides, and now ground up to increase the risk of bacteria growth. Really Superstore?

Consumers deserve better.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Salmon is marketed as a healthy oily fish that contains omega 3 fatty acids which are good for health

 Farmed salmon has 'more fat than pizza' Farmed smoked salmon has three times as much fat as wild fish and is fattier than pizza, research shows September 14, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Smoked salmon made from fish farmed in Scotland contains more fat than a pizza, an investigation has found.

The farmed version of smoked salmon products also contain at least three times as much fat as the wild equivalent.

Salmon is marketed as a healthy oily fish that contains omega 3 fatty acids which are good for health.

Oily fish should be eaten at least once a week under healthy eating recommendations.

However campaigners have called farmed salmon the 'couch potato' of fish because it is grown in a confined space and does not swim the same distances as the leaner, less fatty wild fish.

An analysis by the Sunday Times found a classic Pizza Express marguerita contains 6.4g of fat per 100g while Sainsbury's Scottish oak smoked salmon made from farmed fish contains 14g of fat per 100g.

The wild equivalent, Sainsbury's wild Alaskan smoked salmon contains 3.2g of fat per 100g.

Tesco's farmed smoked salmon contains three times as much fat as the wild alternative with 9.9g of fat per 100g compared with 3.3g of fat, the newspaper found In Waitrose, the Heston Blumenthal lapsang souchong tea smoked salmon contains 10.5g of fat per 100g while the wild Alaskan whisky oak smoked salmon contains just 2.7g per 100g.

Don Staniford, director of the Global Alliance against Industrial Aquaculture, told the Sunday Times: "The farmed salmon is a couch potato compared to the majestic and iconic wild salmon."

"It is complete nonsense to describe this flabby farmed fish as lean and healthy."

Waitrose said it would change the use of the word "lean" on the lapsang souchong tea smoked salmon.

A spokesman said: "We are very sorry for this oversight, which we are correcting immediately."

A Sainsbury's spokesman said that it always clearly marked smoked salmon as wild or farmed and pointed out that they are different species of salmon, so "looking at the fat content between the two is not comparing like for like".

Tesco told the Sunday Times its farmed smoked salmon products were clearly labelled and included the location of the farm.

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish are beneficial but United States Department of Agriculture data has shown that the fat in farmed salmon contains a smaller proportion of omega-3 fatty acids than in the wild fish.

The farmed salmon is, however, likely to contain more omega-3 overall because of the higher levels of fat.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Organic Farmed Salmon – If You’re Not Confused, You Should Be The United States does not have “organic” standards for seafood yet. So why is organic salmon and organic cod appearing on local restaurant menus and at seafood counters across the US? The simple answer – if there is one - is that in the absence of US organic standards for seafood, the US agencies overseeing the organic label claim that they can’t enforce foreign fish products making organic claims in the US market. So, until there is a US organic standard for seafood, imported seafood can be labeled organic as long as it has been certified by a foreign organic certification body.

There is some debate, however, if it is actually within the scope of responsibility for the US to regulate foreign organic claims in the US market, even in the absence of US organic standards.

Already perplexed? Take a look at one of the many foreign “organic” standards for farmed salmon and see if it matches your definition of “organic.” For instance, we doubt you’d expect that the organic salmon was raised in an open net cage that directly discharged waste into the marine environment.

Or, that it could have been treated with toxic chemicals. Or, that it might have been fed non-organic feed. Or, that it may not be cleaned of harmful contaminants such as PCBs, dioxins and DDT (even though the technology exists).

Due to this state of confusion surrounding the organic label for seafood, the state of California has banned the use of any organic label on seafood until US organic seafood standards are developed.

Similarly, Whole Foods Markets has adopted a policy not to label any of its seafood as organic – including salmon – until a US standard exists.

In the world of confusion that is “organic” seafood, here is what you should know: Organic, According to Whom?

While the US currently has no organic seafood standard, it is on its way to establishing organic standards for at least some farmed fish in the not too distant future (see following section).

In the absence of US organic standards for farmed fish, the US has been allowing imported seafood to be labeled as organic within the US marketplace. Not only is there major concern among consumer advocacy and conservation groups that this practice leads to consumer confusion, but that some of this so-called “organic” seafood in our markets today does not meet US organic principles.

For instance, “organic” farmed salmon certified by the UK Soil Association allows farmers to use toxic chemicals to treat parasites and allows them to discharge untreated wastes (including these chemicals) into the marine environment.

Furthermore, many of these groups in the US and Canada argue that carnivorous fish (require wild fish for feed) and open net cage systems are inherently incompatible with organic principles.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Thus, carnivorous fish that are farmed in open net cages – such as salmon and cod – should not be even considered for the US organic label. If the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) agrees and chooses not include carnivorous fish or fish farmed in open net cages in its upcoming organic standards - the question becomes whether or not the US will continue to allow imported “organic” seafood of this nature into the US market given there will still be no US standard.

The Pure Salmon Campaign argues that in order to maintain the integrity of the organic label, only those products for which there is an established USDA organic standard should be allowed to carry an “organic” label in the US market. And, if the USDA decides to abandon or postpone an organic standard for certain seafood like farmed salmon, then there should be no “organic” product of this nature in the US market. Period.

Similarly, the Center for Food Safety believes that, “the allowance of fish products to be sold in the US under any label claiming to be organic is contrary to the law (Organic Foods Production Act) and is misleading to consumers.” The Center states that consumers “are being induced to buy products that are produced in a way that has no integrity under US law and the USDA should act immediately to stop such marketing of seafood products.”

Even more distressing is the lack of consistency in the “organic” standards that are currently being used to certify seafood. For instance, there is no EU- wide organic standard for farmed fish. This means that every certifying body in Europe – there are many certification bodies for organic farmed salmon alone – can define “organic” farmed seafood as they see fit. Note that most of the “organic” farmed salmon we import into the US comes from Europe.

Further, the definition of “organic” can vary across food products. For instance, the UK’s Soil Association has received strong criticism from one of its own board members (who resigned over this issue) that it’s organic salmon standards fail to meet most if not all of the organic principles applied to its other certified products such as organic chicken. Also, the organic certification body may be based in a different country than the fish farm for which it is providing an organic label. So, the organic salmon you buy from your local Stop and Shop may have been farmed in Ireland but then certified by a German or Swiss certification body.

Even more concerning is that some organic certification bodies are not as transparent as you might hope. The Organic Food Federation, one of two bodies that certifies salmon as organic in the UK, refused to provide the Pure Salmon Campaign with a list of the Scottish salmon farm sites it certifies as “organic.” Even if you are savvy enough to track down data on a particular farmed salmon producer, in some cases, there is no way for you to check where their organic product is coming from.

What Can You Expect from the “Organic” Salmon in the Market Today?

The answer is - unless you know the specific certifying body that certified your salmon as organic the definition of “organic” is at best confusing. What we do know about your farmed “organic” salmon is that it is farmed in an open net cage system, the same system used for conventional farmed salmon. In turn, what we’re relatively certain of is that the organic farmed salmon on the market today: • Ate wild fish for feed (though the makeup of the diet can vary considerably) • The farm provided no complete barrier between farmed fish and the marine environment

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters • The farm contained wastes - uneaten feed, feces and possibly harmful chemicals • Farmed did not prevent the transmission of diseases and parasites to/from wild fish And, depending on where your organic salmon came from and who certified it, it may have been: • Treated with toxic chemicals (some like Cypermethrin and Emamectin benzoate classified as “marine pollutants”) used to kill parasites called sea lice • Treated with antibiotics at some stage of its life cycle • Fed wild fish products that did not come from certified sustainable sources • Fed feed that was not tested for or cleaned of PCBs, dioxins and other contaminants • From a farm site that experienced escapes of farmed fish into the environment The Pure Salmon Campaign has obtained site-specific environmental impact data from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Scottish Executive, which we have compared to the organic salmon sites certified by the Soil Association (one of two certification bodies in the UK for organic farmed; the Organic Food Federation refused to provide a list of its organic sites). It appears from a comparison of this data that some of these organic farmed salmon sites used chemicals, exceeded their consented biomass levels, and experienced escape incidents in recent years. All “organic” salmon farms discharged significant quantities of untreated wastes such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Organic Carbon and had significant quantities of dead farmed salmon (known as ‘morts’). For access to detailed data, please contact the Pure Salmon Campaign.

Why are Wild Fish Not Being Considered for a USDA Organic Label?

The US National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) originally looked into certifying both wild and farmed seafood. Ultimately - though you might argue that wild fish are more “natural” than farmed fish – the Aquatic Animal Task Force recommended that “wild aquatic animals do not reflect the degree of producer management, continuous oversight, and discretionary decision-making that are characteristic of an organic system.”

What are the Current Attitudes to the US Draft Standards for Organic Aquaculture?

In some shape or form, the NOSB has been attempting to define organic aquaculture standards since 2000. More recently, it has tasked the National Organic Aquaculture Working Group (AWG) or “task force” with drafting organic standards for both finfish and bivalves. Given the number of fish species that are farmed, the difference in these species and the production methods, defining an aquaculture-wide organic standard has proven no easy task. The AWG’s first draft organic aquaculture standards were released in February 2006 and a revised draft was sent to the NOSB in early February 2007. Both drafts allow carnivorous fish and fish farmed in open net cages to be considered for an organic label.

In response to the first draft organic standards and specific questions raised by the AWG, many conservation organizations from the US and Canada submitted written and oral statements regarding their concerns over the organic label for farmed fish. While these organizations largely support organic labeling for low food chain, vegetarian fish species farmed in closed systems, they addressed serious concerns over labeling carnivorous finfish farmed in open net cages as “organic.”

Read Entire Pure Salmon Campaign White Paper HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Tribes to Ask EPA to Step in on Clean Water Rule September 8, 2014 EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — An alliance of Washington tribes has told Gov. Jay Inslee they plan to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to step in and come up with new water quality rules for the state.

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, which represents 20 western Washington tribes, sent Inslee a letter on Thursday expressing "dissatisfaction" with the governor's proposal for updating the state's clean water rules that are partly tied to how much fish people eat.

"The tribes' principal objective for revised water quality standards is to protect the health of future generations, and we have determined that your proposal does not meet this goal," the tribes wrote Inslee.

The tribes say they're also concerned about "yet another delay."

Tribal leaders plan to meet Monday with the EPA's regional head, Dennis McLerran, The Herald reported (http://is.gd/DHlaW6).

McLerran told a state official in April that the EPA intends to take over the process if the state doesn't finalize a rule by 2014.

David Postman, a spokesman for Inslee, said Saturday that members of the governor's office and the Department of Ecology will be reaching out to the commission and hope to continue discussing the governor's proposal with the group.

Under the federal Clean Water Act, the state must adopt standards that ensure rivers and major bodies of water are clean enough to support fish that are safe for humans to eat.

After months of deliberations and pressure from all sides, Inslee said in July he will set the fishconsumption rate at 175 grams a day, which would protect people who eat about a serving of fish a day. Oregon recently adopted a similar rate, the highest for a U.S. state.

As part of a larger package to address clean water, Inslee also said he would seek legislative support for a bill to reduce toxic pollution from chemicals not covered by the federal Clean Water Act or from pollution sources such as stormwater runoff that play a major role in fouling state waters.

The tribes said in the letter that the improvement in the higher fish-consumption rate is accompanied by other less protective changes.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters "It is incomprehensible that the state would consider changing the cancer risk rate in state standards to a rate that is ten times less protective," the letter reads. "Essentially, the proposal modifies the fish consumption rate to reflect higher levels of consumption in our state, but trades this improvement for a less protective cancer risk rate."

Meanwhile, businesses such as Boeing and others have worried too-stringent rules would hurt jobs and economic growth because costly technologies would be required to keep certain levels of toxic chemicals out of state waters.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Featured Restaurants

 Sockeye City Waterfront Seafood Restaurant Stevenston, British Columbia

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Salty’s on Alki Beach / West Seattle

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

WGFCI: Writing to protect what needs protected

City of Burnaby British Columbia, Canada We at Wild Game Fish Conservation International are writing to thank the City of Burnaby, British Columbia for your leadership and continued opposition to Kinder Morgan's proposed pipeline and diluted bitumen (dilbit) storage tank farm expansion.

Just like schoolyard bullies, Kinder Morgan (with support from federal and provincial governments) is shamefully throwing its corporate weight around in an attempt to get its way at the expense of citizens and irreplaceable natural resources.

We join with other conservationists around the world, first nations and impacted property owners to respectfully urge the City of Burnaby to continue this important fight for your citizens and for future generations.

Honorable Bill Bennett Minister of Energy and Mines British Columbia, Canada We at Wild Game Fish Conservation and our associates around planet Earth are deeply concerned about the near term and long term international impacts of Imperial Metals' Mount Polley Mine failure on public safety, ecosystem security, cultures, communities and economies.

Clearly, the water downstream from the dam breach is not fit for man nor animal to consume, even with proposed partial filtering solutions.

Given the enormity of this disaster and the toxic material involved, we can only assume that this once-uniquely productive watershed will never be restored to its condition prior to the August 4th tailings pond failure.

Unfortunately, this catastrophe at Mount Polley Mine would have been prevented had common sense been utilized and existing regulations been effectively enforced.

We respectfully urge you to protect British Columbia's precious natural resources and all that rely on them from future mine failures - now is the time for stepped up conservation (wise use) of our Godgiven gifts.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Community Activism, Education, Litigation and Outreach

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Fishfest will be Green powered!

This year’s Burrard Inlet Fish Festival will be green powered.

With a revolutionary alternative power set-up by Green Power Events, will be “Off the Hook” so to speak. This Wind, Solar and Bicycle powered performance stage will be a unique feature to our event.

As part of the interactive and community engaged aspect to our festival, we invite people to power the stage by cycling on one of the charging stations.

We will have 3 adult bikes and 2 children’s bikes; contact us at bifishfest@gmail.com, if you want to reserve a spot on the bike.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Stopping Farmed Salmon at the Cash Register  Alexandra Morton Interview: September 15, 2014 – Listen HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Boycott Net-pen Farmed Salmon September 14, 2014: Chilliwack Walmart

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Activist, Dan Wallace, arrested during protest at Kinder Morgan’s bitumen storage tank farm in Burnaby, BC

 Activists lock down Kinder Morgan Gate Raw video: Watch, Listen, Learn HERE September 13, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

A group of protesters chained themselves to the gats of the Kinder Morgan Rail Terminal in Richmond, demonstrating against deliveries of fracked crude oil.

 Protesters

Against Fracked Oil Deliveries Chain Themselves At Richmond

Yard September 4, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Small-business owners voice opposition to oil terminal in Vancouver August 26, 2014 Opponents of building the Northwest’s largest oil-by-rail terminal at the Port of Vancouver packed a hearing room Tuesday to keep up their criticism of port commissioners and to urge them to reconsider their lease decision.

This time, Vancouver business owners added their voices to those who disapprove of the oil terminal proposed by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies. Thirty-four business owners were listed as opponents in a press release issued to media. Twenty-five people, including business owners, made their concerns known to Commissioners Nancy Baker, Jerry Oliver and Brian Wolfe during the open forum portion of the commission’s regular public hearing.

And one opponent told commissioners that 73 Vancouver businesses have publicly stated their resistance to the oil terminal, while 10 Vancouver neighborhood associations have taken stands against it. During the port commission’s public hearing, opponents accused port commissioners of signing the lease too quickly and of failing to account for public safety. They urged them to cancel the agreement with Tesoro and Savage. And they said the oil terminal is a short-term development that will hamper long-term prosperity in Vancouver.

About 15 minutes before the port commission’s 9:30 a.m. hearing began, business owners gathered outside the port’s administrative building to show their opposition to the oil transfer terminal. They included Don Orange, owner of Hoesly Eco Automotive in Vancouver and chairman of the Main Street Alliance of Washington, a small-business advocacy group with more than 2,000 members.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Addressing the oil terminal and Vancouver’s future, Orange said it’s “time not to turn this place into a toilet.” The comments by business owners and others who repudiate the oil terminal were the latest salvo against the project, as critics have maintained a presence at the port commission’s twicemonthly regular public meetings.

Port officials have given no indication they’re willing to re-open the lease for discussion. They’ve said the proposed oil transfer terminal will be subject to additional public scrutiny and input as it undergoes an environmental impact review by the Washington state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. Eventually, the evaluation council will make a recommendation to the governor, who will approve or deny the project. Opponents may appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Tesoro and Savage want to build an oil-by-rail terminal receiving an average of 360,000 barrels of crude per day at the port. The oil would be stored in six above-ground tanks. Each tank would have a shell capacity of 380,000 barrels for a total storage capacity of 2.28 million barrels. The oil would be loaded onto ships bound primarily for West Coast refineries.

‘Health risks’ The port’s lease with the companies, approved unanimously by commissioners in 2013, involves 42 acres and is worth at least $45 million over an initial 10 years.

Backers of the project say its benefits include new jobs, revenue for the port and increased U.S. energy independence. Critics cite many concerns, including potential oil spills, explosive oil train derailments and climate change.

During Tuesday’s public hearing, small-business owners questioned everything from the long-term viability of the oil terminal to the port’s interaction with the public. They also raised public safety concerns and said the oil terminal would diminish Vancouver’s capacity to become a destination point.

“Do you three want this to be your legacy?” Greg Ferguson, who’s practiced law in Vancouver for more than 20 years, asked port commissioners. “You have the power to change this.”

Ryan Palmer, who co-owns Torque Coffee in downtown Vancouver, said he has faith in the ability of the evaluation council and Gov. Inslee to correctly decide about the oil terminal. However, he said, the port mishandled the lease approval and continues to ignore citizens’ requests for more information and discussion.

Jakob Swan of Loowit Brewing Company told commissioners he’s worried about public safety, in light of the concerns over hauling crude oil by rail. He said his business is near railroad tracks and that he’s concerned about “physical harm to our customers.”

Meanwhile, the board of Vancouver’s Downtown Association, a nonprofit with 180 members, also has expressed concerns about the proposed oil terminal in two letters. One of them, sent in November 2013, went to the state evaluation council. The other letter, sent in January, went to Gov. Inslee.

In its letter to Inslee, the downtown association said that in the months since it sent its letter to the evaluation council, “our board has become more wary” of the proposed oil terminal.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters “We are finding that the very ‘possibility’ of the project has cast a shadow over investment and projects in our downtown,” Lee Rafferty, executive director of the downtown association, wrote in the Jan. 24 letter. “And, we have learned that the health risks that we may suffer are very significant. This decision may negatively affect property values and investment in our city center for years to come.”

Asked about the board’s current position on the oil terminal, Rafferty noted Monday in an email to The Columbian the “strong concerns” the board outlined in its letters to the evaluation council and to the governor. She also said the board’s position is to “let the process work as it was designed” and to “let the scrutiny be applied at the highest level and with the full inspection under bright lights.”

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Wild Salmon Warrior Radio with Jay Peachy – Tuesday Mornings “Streaming like wild Pacific salmon”

CJSF 90.1 FM is Simon Fraser University's arts, public affairs and indie music radio station!

CJSF strives to provide points of view that are rarely expressed in mainstream media.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Wild Salmon Warrior Radio – Recent Archives August 26, 2014: September 2, 2014:

LNG, Fracking Salish Sea Spill Map project, first-hand account after touring the Mount Polley mine failure September 9, 2014: Heavy Oil September 16, 2014: Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, FIPA, Polley Mine

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

OLYMPIA CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 7:00PM NORTH OLYMPIA FIRE STATION 5046 BOSTON HARBOR ROAD NE LOCATING, IDENTIFYING AND REMOVING GHOST NETS

Program: The public is invited to attend the September 24, 2014, meeting of Trout Unlimited with Dale “Doc” Thoemke. .

Doc’s presentation is entitled “Locating, Identifying and Removing Ghost Nets” which will provide information and methods of locating and removing ghost nets in a step by step approach. “Ghost nets” are lost or abandoned nets that for many years continue to capture and drown fish and other sea life. Mr, Thoemke and his team locate ghost nets and decide on the best ways to remove them from their watery grave. His presentation will begin with a short DVD showing the process and techniques in locating, identifying and removal of various ghost nets. Doc will have discussion sharing further information with the group.

Refreshments and a plentiful fishing equipment raffle will follow his presentation.

Bio: Dale “Doc” Thoemke Doc Thoemke has managed the ghost net program both as an activity and service for 20 years. His business, TMkey Film/Research, is dedicated to further protect our natural resources by removing ghost nets. He uses modern techniques to provide observational research for both locating ghost nets and their removal. He has a tremendous collection of positive results while conducting his ghost net removal program.

TMkey Film/Research implements, writes, lobbies for habitat restoration and clean up. The company works cooperatively with Washington State, Federal, and Northwest Tribal Commissions. His team manages project sponsors and volunteers in applying their personal skills to assist the team in meeting the project stages, objectives and goals. To date six tons of beach debris, over 300 sea birds, and 1200 fish have been recovered from 230 gill net bundles.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Salmon feedlots

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Exposed: the madness of the great international salmon swap September 7, 2014 A huge leap in imports of cheap salmon from abroad has exposed the “utter madness” of the world food trade, say environmental campaigners.

New figures released by the UK government reveal that imports of salmon from the Faroes, Sweden and elsewhere have risen ten times faster than exports. This is despite the claimed success of Scotland’s salmon export business.

The UK now imports nearly two-thirds as much salmon as it exports, often to and from the same countries. Dubbed “the great salmon swap” and denounced as “a consumer con” by critics, the trade is defended by the salmon farming industry and the Scottish government.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Detailed data disclosed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in London reveal that UK imports of fresh, smoked and frozen salmon rocketed by over 500 per cent from 11,176 tonnes in 2003 to 69,328 tonnes in 2013. At the same time UK salmon exports rose just 50 per cent from 73,529 to 111,293 tonnes.

The vast majority of the imports were from the Faroe Islands and Sweden, some of which may have originated in Norway. Thousands of tonnes of salmon were also imported from, and exported to the same countries.

Nearly 2,300 tonnes of salmon were imported from Germany in 2013, while just under 2,200 tonnes were exported there. There were also large salmon swaps with China, Poland and Denmark (see tables below).

The total value of UK salmon imports in 2013 amounted to £345 million, compared to just £27 million in 2003. Over the same period the value of UK salmon exports has risen much more slowly from £198 million to £575 million.

Anti-fish farming campaigners say that rising sales of Scottish farmed salmon to the US, France, China and elsewhere are being “fuelled” by a much steeper rise in imports of cheaper, foreign farmed salmon. “The so-called success story of Scottish salmon farming is exposed as a scam, sham and consumer con,” said Don Staniford, the director of the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture.

“Cheap imports of farmed salmon from the Faroe Islands and Norway are flooding the UK market via processing plants and smokehouses in Sweden, Poland, Germany, Denmark and even China. Scotland is being shamelessly used to launder Norwegian farmed salmon for export to China and the US.” John Robins from Animal Concern argued that the “utter madness” of the international trade was damaging the global economy and destroying the marine environment.

“In a sane, sustainable society you produce the food you need and export any surplus,” he said. “In an insane, unsustainable society your product is profit at all costs."

Pete Ritchie, the director of the new sustainable food campaign, Nourish Scotland, said: “If the point of the food system was to nourish people sustainably, we certainly wouldn’t start from here."

The Scottish Salmon Producer’s Organisation, which represents the £600 million industry, pointed out that farmed salmon traded in an open global market. “That means the customer determines where it is sold and at what price,” said the organisation’s chief executive, Scott Landsburgh.

“The impact of that may mean that at any given time the UK will be an importer as well as exporter.

It’s no different to any other food which trades in international markets.”

Scottish salmon exports were “an undoubted success story”, he argued. “We have growing demand all over the world which means we're sustainable.”

The Scottish government commended the salmon farming industry for expanding its export market.

“Our salmon companies are generating economic activity here in Scotland and are securing new overseas markets,” said a government spokeswoman.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

UK trade in fresh, frozen and smoked salmon Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Imports (tonnes) 11,176 16,759 29,931 43,563 48,050 46,734 52,599 50,146 57,003 62,650 69,328

Exports (tonnes) 73,529 65,325 48,583 53,775 60,260 57,089 70,796 82,594 96,186 100,113 111,293

Salmon imports and exports in 2013 Country Faroe Islands Sweden China Germany Denmark Poland Norway US Canada France

UK imports (tonnes) 32,201 20,672 3,304 2,298 2,068 1,794 1,425 1,022 308 184

UK exports (tonnes) none 3 9,709 2,194 994 7,513 10 39,259 1,288 21,436

Source: HM Revenue and Customs and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The spreadsheet of UK salmon imports and exports released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs can be downloaded here (213KB Excel).

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Scientists

Gather in Maine to Confront Costly Salmon-Farming Threat: Sea

Lice September 11, 2014 PORTLAND, Maine - Hundreds of people from all over the world have come to Portland this week to talk about a tiny creature that poses a threat to salmon farming. "The sea louse is a crustacean," says Professor Ian Bricknell, of the University of Maine's Aquaculture Research Institute. "It's called a copepod crustacean - it's related to lobsters and crabs."

Bricknell says sea lice, though small, are global parasites that attach to salmon and greatly increase mortality rates in aquaculture operations. "It's about three-quarters of an inch long, and it's flattened so it sticks like a small frisbee onto the outside of the fish."

Bricknell is the organizer of the 10th International Sea Lice Conference, which is being held in the U.S. for the first time.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters "We've got delegates from Australia, Mexico, South America, the Pacific Islands, Asia, and this really reflects the nature of sea lice," says Nell Halse, of Cooke Aquaculture. Halse is among those who traveled to Portland. "We're a salmon farming company that's based in New Brunswick, Canada.

We're also the only salmon farming company in the state of Maine."

Halse says managing the threat of sea lice incurs significant cost to doing business. "Currently we have a limited number of chemical treatments, compared to, say, terrestrial farmers," Halse says, "and in North America we have very few treatments that are authorized, compared to our counterparts in other parts of the world, like Norway, Scotland and Chile."

The world's leading salmon country is Norway, which, two years ago, produced 1.2 million metric tons - about 100 times more than what Maine produces. And scientists say with increasing demand for protein sources from the sea, the effort to stem the damage of sea lice is significant.

"There's a lot of treatments that need to be done to keep it under control," says Simon Wadsorth, a research scientist based in Norway who is working for EWOS Innovation, which develops feed for the global aquaculture industry. Wadsorth says the cost of controlling sea lice is a major challenge.

"Some papers recently are showing sort of $300 million," he says, "but that's probably conservative.

Globally it's probably a lot more than that."

One way to minimize the environmental impact of de-lousing salmon is to use so-called "well boats," which are becoming increasingly common in North American aquaculture. UMaine professor Ian Bricknell says fish are pumped aboard these vessels where they're treated with chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide.

Each boat, he explains, has a large, swimming pool-sized aquarium in the center "where you put the drugs, you add the fish to it and then you take the fish out and put them back in the cage, so that water doesn't actually go in the ocean."

Bricknell says major research is also going on into more organic methods of controlling sea lice: for example using shellfish, which have been found to naturally filter sea lice larvae out of the water. He says shellfish could conceivably one day be used as a barrier against sea lice, if grown alongside cages where the salmon are kept.

In the meantime, industry representatives have come to Portland this week to compare notes on the sea lice problem. "Sea lice is always a concern for us - I mean as a farmer we have a stewardship responsibility for our farms and for our farm animals," says Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association.

Belle says efforts to safely control sea lice here in Maine could be improved by lessons learned in other countries. "The great thing about a conference like this is we can compare notes with our colleagues in other countries where they have slightly different environmental regulations, and we can see what has worked and what hasn't worked in terms of being able to control sea lice, but also reduce our environmental impact," Belle says.

Which is something that's on the mind of lobstermen in the Northeast, who, in the past, have expressed concern about the possible impact of pesticides on lobster populations.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Alaska-made film takes aim at salmon farming September 5, 2014 Sara Pozonsky, a lifelong Alaska fisherman and owner of Wild Alaskan Salmon Company, believes salmon farms are a perilously overlooked environmental catastrophe. And she's launched an advocacy effort to help nudge the issue into the spotlight.

Pozonsky, Tracie Donahue and Shad Selby recently co-directed and released "A Fishy Tale," an hour-long documentary about Pozonsky's efforts to encourage legislation that would keep Americans more informed about the fish they're consuming. The film follows Pozonsky as she asks people on the street what they think about eating farmed salmon, visits a British Columbia community impacted by fish farming, confronts the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about their support of fish farms, rallies for awareness in Washington, D.C., and interviews U.S. Rep. Don Young about his efforts to protect wild salmon fisheries in Alaska.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters "I wanted to tell a story about how I came to the realization that open-net salmon farms were the most overlooked environmental hazard of our day, and how it poses a very real threat to Alaskans and our economy," Pozonsky said. "Most of us Alaskans live in a fairy tale, thinking that we have beat back the U.S. government by taking over the management of our own fishery. My first goal was to show how Alaskans aren't as safe as they think they are. Federal waters run right up the Cook Inlet — right in the middle of a giant commercial fishery. Federal waters also run in Chatham Straight — another important fishing area. Alaska has no say in what happens in federal waters. If and when the federal government decides to move fish farms into Alaska is anyone's guess, but NOAA has made it very clear that they would like to drastically increase fish farms."

Pozonsky said that all Alaskans need to do is look to their neighbors in British Columbia to see what happens to communities and wild salmon fisheries when fish farms move in. She visited Alexandra Morton, a marine biologist in Echo Bay, British Columbia. Morton told Pozonsky that the vibrant fishing community shifted from thriving to dying in just a few short years after several fish farms opened for business. The wild fishery collapsed, unemployment increased despite promises of new jobs, and fishing families were forced moved away. All of these sacrifice were made, Morton said, to develop an inferior food source.

"If people only knew what they were eating ..." Morton said. "You would never go pick a cow out of a market if it had running sores and goop in the eyes and stunted growth. But that's what they're eating with these farmed salmon. There are all kinds of issues with them."

The high concentrations of salmon in fish farms create a toxic environment, the marine biologist said, where bacteria and viruses thrive. Fish also are injected with hormones to promote fast growth.

Disease can wipe out entire stocks of farmed fish, and since these farms aren't one hundred percent contained, the diseases often spread to wild populations.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Norwegian fish farms are a likely factor in the decimation of stocks of wild salmon in Europe.

International fish farms are relatively unregulated, Pozonsky said, and untreated sewage is discharged into coastal waters around the world.

Pozonsky said another goal with the film was to show consumers why they should stop buying farmed salmon. It isn't just a matter of health, she said, but also a major environmental concern.

"I used to not care if people ate farmed fish," she said. "I thought it was like smoking a cigarette — up to you if you wanted to get sick or die, smoke away! However, it wasn't until I studied the environmental devastation that fish farms create that I realized that it was insane what they were getting away with."

In the opening of the film, Pozonsky enters a restaurant and orders a "wild Alaska salmon" dish, only to receive what she believes was clearly a fillet of farmed salmon — light in color, mushy, "disgusting," she says to the camera, shaking her head. There are no clear-cut regulations for selling farmed fish versus wild fish, she said, and it's a dangerous road for consumers as well as fisheries.

"Alaska's wild salmon is the best-selling salmon; we've managed it beautifully," Rep. Don Young said during an interview in the film. "It's come back dramatically since fish farms opened in Chile. Now we have a federal agency trying to promote off-shore fish farms. NOAA was promoting this because ... they want to have these control farms, raise the protein quantity. They say they can do this, but they would destroy not only a business and industry, but something very valuable to the state of Alaska and Alaska fishermen."

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Young has introduced H.R. 574, a bill that would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce from authorizing commercial fin-fish aquaculture operations in offshore waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone, until U.S. Congress passes appropriate legislation authorizing these activities.

Meanwhile, Pozonsky reached out to several agencies about the issue.

"I have sent NOAA, the FDA and the EPA several e-mails attempting to get a reply from them," she said. "At one point, a representative from the EPA was going to meet with me, but once they heard it was for a documentary, they backed out. NOAA only responded with form letters. No one sat down with me to answer any of the hard questions. No one replied to my questions. I don't think anyone wanted to answer or just didn't have the answer. It's interesting that they didn't feel the need to respond. I guess one person doesn't matter according to NOAA."

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Pozonsky said the idea for the film came to her friend, Tracie Donahue, as Pozonsky was explaining her frustration about waging a one-woman battle against a global industry.

"She convinced me it would be simple to do," Pozonsky said. "I had no idea what I got myself into.

Three years later after enduring a millions set-backs, the film is done."

Pozonsky conducted most of the fundraising herself and invested $15,000 of her own money into the project. "A Fishy Tale" was released on Aug. 12 and is available for viewing on YouTube. Pozonsky is also working to submit the film to various documentary film festivals and hopes to premier the film in Anchorage in December.

"As now checking on YouTube, we have 708 people that have watched the film" she said. (That number has since risen over 800.) "That's 708 more people I would have ever been able to share this story with without this film — so I'm already thrilled. However, I do hope everyone on the planet ends up watching it. Fish farming has got to stop dumping its hideous wastes and filling their fish with toxic crap. People need to boycott this industry or at least force a major change" "I just want people to understand that this film wasn't funded by any radical environmental group or some heavily funded organization — just me, a private citizen, and the people who believed in me.

This is just one person's attempt to throw light on a subject that hasn't been getting enough press time. Open-net fish farmers need to feel the heat. They need to be pressured into farming in an environmentally responsible way. Fish farms will never change unless they are forced."

Learn more about the film "A Fishy Tale" on the Web at www.afishytalemovie.com. Watch the film in its entirety on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvTpEj5gnxA.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

David Wooldridge holds up an Atlantic salmon caught in his gillnet in Johnstone Strait a couple of days ago. (Alexandra Morton – September 10, 2014) E.J. Christiano: “Oh dear... now what are the chances that this Atlantic salmon is "wild" like it got out of the net, and is now returning to spawn?”

Susan Southern Harvey: “We were catching them years ago when I went out as an observer. They gave us no column to report them and when I called in my numbers every morning, they didn't want to know. I still have those notes somewhere...”

Jim Wilcox (Wild Game Fish Conservation International): Atlantic salmon spawning in Pacific Ocean tributaries is a major concern. Not only will Atlantic salmon compete for food, they will compete for spawning and rearing habitat as they spread their diseases to wild Pacific salmon - another nightmare in the making for wild Pacific salmon and all that rely on them.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Environmental

Lawyers Find Glaring Gaps in Proposed Aquaculture

Regulations September 2, 2014 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Environmental lawyers have raised serious concerns over proposed new federal regulations that would allow aquaculture facilities to dump aquatic drugs, pesticides and fish waste into wild fish habitat with impunity. In submissions made today to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the West Coast Environmental Law Association has rejected the government's plan to reduce oversight over fish farms and calls for stronger environmental laws to protect BC's struggling salmon populations.

"This is a classic case of government turning a blind eye to the risks of industrial activities," said Anna Johnston, staff counsel at West Coast Environmental Law. "DFO is essentially proposing to divest itself of responsibility for the harms fish farms cause to wild fish populations and their habitat. It must uphold its obligation to Canadians to ensure that aquaculture does not come at the cost of Aboriginal, commercial and recreational fisheries," said Johnston.

The regulations would permit aquaculture facilities to dump drugs, pesticides and biochemical oxygen demanding matter (fish food and waste) into fish-bearing waters without a licence or environmental assessment. Proposed by DFO, they would also exempt the facilities from the prohibition against causing serious harm to fish. The proposed regulations would require facilities to submit annual reports, but existing farms would not need to include in those reports a description of the impacts of their operations.

"With over 100 salmon farms along BC's coast and the federal moratorium on open net farms recently declared lifted, it is essential that we understand the cumulative impacts of BC's growing aquaculture industry," said Jessica Clogg, Executive Director and senior staff counsel at West Coast.

"Under the proposed regulations, fish farms are being treated as silos, with no apparent requirement that the combined impact of the multitude of existing and future facilities be assessed. DFO has a responsibility to protect wild fish and their habitat. Under these regulations, it would be shirking that duty."

The regulations are a result of sweeping changes to federal environmental laws in recent years, including the 2012 omnibus budget bill C-38.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Fisheries Act changes in this controversial bill were opposed by scientists, First Nations, community groups, fishing associations, conservation groups and former fisheries ministers as environmentally irresponsible and undemocratic.

"Environmental deregulation puts the things Canadians value most, like clean water and wild fish, at risk," says Johnston. "The proposed Aquaculture Activities Regulation further undermines these values at the expense of all Canadians."

The proposed regulations and invitation to comment can be found on the Canadian Gazette, at: http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2014/2014-08-23/html/reg1-eng.php.

West Coast's submissions on the proposed regulations and related information can be found at: http://wcel.org/sites/default/files/filedownloads/Submission%20WCEL%20to%20DFO%20re%20Aquaculture%20Regulations%2014 -09-02%20%28final%29.pdf.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 This is tragic images (translated from original into English) September 2, 2014 Sten Børje By Orkanger got sat this salmon of approximately three kilograms Remma River in Kind Fjord. The pictures show how fish are infected by lice.

- It is tragic. The salmon have malformations and large wounds by lice, he said.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Remma River is not registered as a salmon river. According to the City, it is more of a waterfall that flows into Åstfjorden.

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This is an escaped farmed salmon. There is a lot of this, he noted.

The capture indicates well that there are several salmon lice in the area?

It's a hundred percent sure. I believe that the aquaculture industry and the government must take responsibility to deal with the problem. It is the only way to salvage the vulnerable wild salmon, says the City, who is an avid fisherman and a member of the Norwegian environmental associations.

What should be done?

Aquaculture industry should spit funds for initiatives in endangered rivers.And we are engaged in cultivation and fished farmed salmon must be allowed by the County quickly as we search for it, he says, suggests that the bureaucracy is an Achilles heel in the fight against farmed salmon in the rivers.

You have sent these images to the county as well. Why? To illustrate the problem. It should be in everyone's interest that the issue be taken seriously and followed up, he replied.

Do you see lice on salmon fishing?

Yes, very much, stressing City.

In the near future City and some other fishing enthusiasts put yarn in one of the waterfalls in the area to survey the proportion of farmed salmon.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Ernie Crey at Wild Salmon Rally: International Peace Arch Watch, Listen, Learn HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Ottawa's new aquaculture rules would permit harmful dumping Deposit of unused feed, fish feces, pest control chemicals and organic matter would be allowed August 27, 2014 The federal government is proposing new aquaculture regulations that would permit the dumping of harmful substances on the ocean bottom beneath fish farms.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Ottawa says the proposed rules resolve a contradiction — some say an impediment — to the growth of the industry in Canada.

"We are providing more clarity to Canadians on how we manage the sector," says Eric Gilbert, director general of aquaculture for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Canada's Fisheries Act bans the deposit of "deleterious" substances unless authorized by regulation.

The proposed regulations released Saturday would allow the deposit of unused feed, fish feces, pest control chemicals and organic matter from anti-fouling measures. All are part of fish farming, but are considered deleterious substances.

"There is tons of human activity that generate deleterious substances that at the end of the day end up in the sea and could have a negative impact," says Gilbert.

"When we are dealing with fish farming, either shellfish or fin fish farming, we have the tools on hand to make sure those impacts are manageable."

He says the proposed regulations spell out reporting requirements, monitoring and practices that make aquaculture sustainable.

The regulations would require the immediate reporting of unusual fish kills.

Environmentalist Rob Johnson with Ecology Action Centre says the whole premise seems incorrect. (CBC)

Industry members would be required to report annually how, when and where they use pest control drugs and how much organic material is deposited.

Overall results would be reported publicly, but data on individual farms would not.

"The whole premise seems incorrect," says environmentalist Rob Johnson of the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax.

He argues DFO is accepting pollution to promote more salmon farming.

"This is a way of allowing deleterious substances, harmful substances, in the marine environment when the law was intended for that not to happen," he says.

In Atlantic Canada the regulation of aquaculture is shared between the federal and provincial governments.

The Nova Scotia government tells CBC News it is still studying the proposed regulations, as did the region's largest aquaculture company, Cooke Aquaculture, of New Brunswick.

An independent regulatory review of aquaculture in Nova Scotia commissioned by the province in 2013 will release a final report this fall.

Federal officials have scheduled a meeting with stakeholders on Sept. 8 at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography to discuss the proposed regulations.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Farmed salmon escapes far more common than industry admits: study August 30, 2014 A new study published in ICES Journal of Marine Science estimates that that up to 1.5 million farmed Atlantic salmon escape from Norwegian netpens into the wild every year – far more than acknowledged by the industry.

The study was led by Ove T. Skilbrei of the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, assisted by researchers at the University of Bergen and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters The risk is that escaped farmed salmon mate with wild fish, impacting survival rates.

After tagging and simulating some 90,000 escapes in various near-shore and marine environments on the coast of Norway at different times throughout 2005, the researchers followed these fish over the next five years, observing how many were recaptured by fishermen.

According to the study: Post-smolts that escaped during their first summer were capable of rapid migration towards the open sea. A small fraction returned to spawn and were recaptured after 1–3 years at sea (0.4%, range 0.0– 1.1%). A total of 13% of the post-smolts that escaped during autumn were reported in nearby fisheries during subsequent months, partly because they had grown large enough to be caught in the gillnets used, but more importantly because migratory behaviour diminished towards the end of the year. The mean recapture rate of adult salmon was high after releases in fjords (7 – 33%), lower after coastal releases (4 – 7%), and zero on the outer coast.

Based on mathematical probabilities for recapturing escaped fish, the researchers predict that up to 1.5 million farmed fish escape from Norwegian farms each year, evading recapture.

“Importantly, our analysis suggests that the total numbers of post-smolt and adult escapees have been two- to fourfold as high as the numbers reported to the authorities by fish farmers,” the study concludes.

According to a 2008 report by the World Wildlife Fund, escapees can be far ranging – “usually recorded within 500 km of the escape site, but [they] have been recorded up to 2,000 – 4,500 km from the escape/release site.”

An earlier study led by UVic scientist Dr. John Volpe, published in Conservation Biology, also reported that escaped Atlantic salmon (the vast majority of farmed salmon in BC are also non-native Atlantics) have been discovered in more than 80 wild salmon spawning streams (Conservation Biology 14: 899-903).

“Farmed salmon grow very fast, are aggressive, and not as clever as wild salmon when it comes to dealing with predators,” says Professor Matt George of the University of East Anglia, who led a study on the subject released earlier this year.

These domestic traits are good for producing fish for the table, but not for the stability of wild populations…The problem is that farmed salmon can escape each year in their millions, getting into wild spawning populations, where they can then reproduce and erode wild gene pools, introducing these negative traits.

In light of these new statistics from Bergen, the problem may be far more serious than previously thought - and especially cause for concern with embattled wild salmon populations in places like British Columbia.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Energy Generation: Oil, Coal, Geothermal, Hydropower, Natural Gas, Solar, Tidal, Wind

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Petroleum – Drilled, Refined, Tar Sands, Fracked

 Petropolis - Rape and pillage of Canada and Canadians for toxic bitumen Watch video HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Aerial view of Syncrude Aurora tar sands mine in the Boreal Forest north of Fort McMurray.

 Pipeline Giant Handed Permit to Open Tar Sands Rail Facility

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters On the Friday before Labor Day—in the form of an age-old “Friday News Dump“—the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) handed a permit to Enbridge, the tar sands-carrying corporate pipeline giant, to open a tar sands-by-rail facility in Flanagan, Illinois by early 2016.

Editorial Comment: Another example of government-enabled resource extraction and transportation to meet corporate greed at the expense of social and environmental security

With the capacity to accept 140,000 barrels of tar sands product per day, the company’s rail facility serves as another step in the direction towards Enbridge’s quiet creation of a “Keystone XL clone.”

That is, like TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline system sets out to do, sending Alberta’s tar sands all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico’s refinery row—and perhaps to the global export market.

Flanagan sits as the starting point of Enbridge’s Flanagan South pipeline, which will take tar sands diluted bitumen (“dilbit”) from Flanagan to Cushing, Okla. beginning in October, according to a recent company earnings call. From there, Enbridge’s Seaway Twin pipeline will bring dilbit to Port Arthur, Texas near the Gulf.

Enbridge made the prospect of a tar sands-by-rail terminal public for the first time during its quarter two investor call.

“In terms of the rail facility, one of the things we’re looking at is—and the rail facility is really in relation to the situation in western Canada where there is growing crude oil volumes and not enough pipeline capacity to get it out of Alberta for a two or three year period,” Guy Jarvis, president of liquids pipelines for Enbridge, said on the call.

“So, one of the things we’re looking at doing is constructing a rail unloading facility that would allow western Canadian crudes to go by rail to Flanagan, be offloaded, and then flow down the Flanagan South pipeline further into Seaway and to the Gulf.”

FERC has given Enbridge the permit it needs to make that happen.

Enbridge “Scheme” Receives MN Permit The announcement comes just days after the U.S. Department of State handed Enbridge a controversial permit to move an additional 350,000 barrels of tar sands per day across the U.S.Canada border without the legally conventional Presidential Permit, public hearings or an environmental review conducted by the State Department.

Enbridge also received a permit from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) the day before FERC’s “Friday News Dump,” locking in the State Department’s legal ruling at the statelevel. MPUC voted 4-1 to permit the pipeline after a meeting lasting nearly eight hours.

The commission did so even though the staffer analyzing comments and legal submissions acknowledged he reviewed far more climate and environmental concerns than vice versa, according to MPUC staff briefing papers reviewed by DeSmogBlog.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters “Clearly there exists much public opposition to the increased consumption of fossil fuels and diluted bitumen sources in particular,” wrote Michael Kaluzniak, planning director for energy facilities permitting for MPUC. “Additionally, the Commission received numerous comments expressing genuine concern regarding the potential impact of the project on water quality and overall dissatisfaction with Enbridge’s public safety and spill response actions.”

TransCanada and Tar Sands by Rail With the combination of its Alberta Clipper expansion “illegal scheme” (referred to as such by the National Wildlife Federation), Flanagan South and Seaway Twin pipelines, as well as the FERCapproved rail facility, Enbridge now has the capacity to bring roughly 960,000 barrels per day of tar sands product to the Gulf.

For sake of comparison, Keystone XL has the capacity to bring 830,000 barrels per day of tar sands to the Gulf. But TransCanada has also brokered its own deals and made its own chess moves.

As reported on DeSmogBlog, TransCanada may build its own tar sands-by-rail facility while it waits for Keystone XL’s northern leg to receive—or not receive—a State Department permit and accompanying Presidential Permit.

“It is something … that we can move on relatively quickly,” TransCanada CEO Russ Girling stated on his company’s quarter one earnings call. “We’ve done a pretty substantial amount of work at the terminal end and mostly at the receipt and delivery points and that’s really what our key role in here would be.”

Since that call, TransCanada has not discussed its tar sands by rail business plans.

“Keystone? Who needs it?”

In July, Global Partners and Kansas City Southern announced plans to develop a tar sands by rail facility in Port Arthur, Texas with 340,000 barrels of storage capacity.

If TransCanada opens up its own tar sands by rail facility, the combination of that and Enbridge’s latest tar sands by rail move could feed the Global Partners-Kansas City Southern beast.

With tar sands now “Texas Bound and Flyin” in a major way, and both Enbridge and TransCanada finding a way to get tar sands to the Gulf, the seemingly hyperbolic headline published on July 10 by the Houston Business Journal seems to ring true more now than ever: “Keystone?

Who needs it?”

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

A row of anglers take advantage of the warm weather as they fish the Nisqually River near Mounts Road during the 2012 Labor Day weekend.

 Ecology

launching study of spill response need at Nisqually River from passing oil-trains September 12, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters The state Department of Ecology says it is asking the public’s help crafting a response plan for potential oil-spills into the Nisqually River from passing trains. Railways since 2012 have begun hauling larger and larger amounts of volatile from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota to refineries in Washington.

A one-hour public meeting is planned at 7 o’clock Monday night at the agency headquarters’ auditorium, 300 Desmond Drive, in Lacey. The effort is one of nine inland response plans the agency is preparing using money provided this year by the Legislature, Ecology spokeswoman Lisa Copeland said Friday.

Copeland said the plans can ensure that first responders know well in advance where critical or sensitive environmental sites are, what resources are available to deploy, and what specific needs they may need to address.

“The point of them is so that if an oil spill happens, the first responders don’t even have to think about what to do,” Copeland said.

About 10 to 15 trains each carrying about 100 oil tanker cars pass through Thurston County weekly and another 11 to 16 through Pierce County, according to oil-transport reports Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and other train operators have been required to file with the state Military Department since June.

The railroads say their safety record is good but acknowledge there are risks of accidents.

Spurred by the deadly 2013 derailment and explosion of an oil train in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, and more recent but less extensive derailments in the U.S., state lawmakers authorized $652,000 for Ecology to develop nine geographic response plans in inland areas such as the Nisqually. The agency has about 20 such plans for Puget Sound and marine areas where oil vessels have long transported fuel oil.

Another $300,000 is paying for DOE and a consultant to prepare a marine and rail transportation study of risks posed by hauling oil by rail through the state. A preliminary report from the statewide risk study is due Oct. 1, hastened by Gov. Jay Inslee, and a draft report is due Dec. 1.

A response plan for Lake Washington in King County was completed two weeks ago, and the Lacey meeting is the first in a series over the next few weeks to address oil risks in such watersheds as the Chehalis River, Cowlitz River, Clark River, Columbia River to the south and in the Duwamish and Green rivers to the north.

Copeland said Monday’s meeting is not a formal hearing but an informational setting to take suggestions for shaping the response plan. Information is available on the agency’s website, and comment will be taken by email – at grps@ecy.wa.gov – through Oct. 15 on the Nisqually.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Wrong Side of the Tracks: Why Rail is not the Answer to the Tar Sands Market Access Problem September 8, 2014 Download full report

This report examines the development of bitumen-by-rail at a time when its growth is expected to take a substantial leap. How much bitumen is actually moving by rail in 2014? What is the capacity of loading and unloading terminals that are realistically positioned to handle tar sands bitumen? How profitable is bitumen-by-rail? What are the challenges it faces, and what can we realistically expect for the future? This report addresses these questions and more, and concludes the following: Bitumen-by-rail to the U.S. Gulf Coast currently provides less than 6 percent of the Keystone XL pipeline’s proposed capacity and total bitumen-by-rail imports into the U.S. are around 3 percent of the total capacity required to accommodate future Canadian crude oil production growth. Even with planned expansions, it appears highly unlikely that rail could replace proposed pipeline capacity.

While planned projects could raise the capacity to load tar sands onto trains to around 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2016, utilization of loading capacity has to date rarely exceeded 50 percent due to logistical and market factors that are expected to persist.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters If this utilization rate remains constant, this translates to a potential 400,000 bpd of bitumen-by-rail traffic by 2016. This falls far short of the 4 million bpd of total additional transportation capacity required by the tar sands industry to accommodate future growth to 2030.

Unit train terminals, which are needed to load large quantities of bitumen onto trains, currently only load pipeline-specified diluted bitumen (dilbit), because pipelines are the only means by which large quantities of bitumen can be delivered to the terminals. This means that unit train shippers cannot avoid the diluent penalty (the cost of expensive diluent that enables bitumen to flow in a pipeline) when shipping bitumen by unit train. Therefore, tar sands producers have yet to accomplish the optimum configuration of unit train shipments of undiluted bitumen that has been cited by the U.S. State Department and others as being cost competitive with pipeline transport. It is also far from clear that this can be achieved at a significant scale in the future.

Shipping dilbit by rail triggers significant safety concerns given the volatile nature of diluent, which is made up of a blend of natural gas liquids similar to those that have caused dramatic explosions during the recent derailments of trains carrying Bakken oil from North Dakota. Proposals to recover and ship diluent back to Alberta by rail in the same tank cars used for shipping dilbit to refineries would result in trains loaded with pure natural gas liquids, posing additional serious safety concerns.

Only small-scale shippers are currently able to avoid the cost of diluent by shipping undiluted tar sands crude, and they face the higher cost of heating bitumen during loading and offloading, more expensive tank cars, and the higher shipping costs and slower delivery of the small-scale rail freight system known as manifest freight. While shipping undiluted bitumen via manifest rail may be practical in some circumstances for smaller producers, it is not a large-scale solution to major tar sands transportation bottlenecks. 

Crude-by-rail faces other significant challenges, many of which are particularly severe for bitumen because of its remote location. These include:



Congestion of track capacity and the prospect of rate increases as the rail network must be shared with the other major commodities (e.g. grain, coal, autos etc.);



Disruption due to weather – particularly during winter in the prairies – that impact loading and offloading as well as creating short- to long-term delays at rail hubs (e.g. Winnipeg, Chicago) and throughout the rail system;



Increasing costs due to tighter crude-by-rail safety standards including the phasing out and retrofitting of the DOT-111 tank car and the imposition of speed restrictions.

The debate around pipeline versus rail is a red herring.

The real choice that we are faced with is between climate damage resulting from the status quo and a modern, low-carbon energy future that can ensure a safe climate and environment for generations to come. One of the first steps towards that future is to stop extracting more tar sands crude that climate science clearly indicates we cannot afford to burn. With new information and detailed analysis, this report confirms that rail cannot serve as a replacement for pipelines, and will remain a niche market for tar sands transportation. Rail simply does not have the capacity to unlock tar sands expansion.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Fraser River would take up to five years to recover from pipeline oil spill Kinder Morgan study estimates where oil would go after pipeline rupture September 10, 2014 The environmental recovery from a “full bore” oil pipeline rupture into the lower Fraser River could take up to five years.

That’s according to a study done as part of Kinder Morgan’s planning for its proposed $5.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Editorial Comment: 

Diluted bitumen has a tendency to sink in water (unlike the plywood cards being used in recent tests)



Assumptions regarding impact to aquatic species, including salmonids, are flawed – mature and immature fish often swim near the shorelines where oil will accumulate.



Exxon Valdez spill has yet to be cleaned up



Oil spill in this scenario will impact Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands and other sensitive ecosystems

The study examined the environmental impact of a spill of 1.25 million litres of diluted bitumen into the Fraser River just below the Port Mann Bridge.

If the spill occurred from May to July, during high flows on the Fraser, the oil would largely miss nearby environmentally sensitive areas such as Sturgeon Banks in Richmond and Roberts Bank near Tsawwassen and be carried all the way across the Strait of Georgia to the Gulf Islands as well as sweeping around to Point Roberts, Wash., just south of Tsawwassen, the study predicted.

The study, which includes the experience from spills such as the 2010 Enbridge spill into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, assumes that oil from a pipeline rupture adjacent to rail yards on the south side of the Fraser, a few hundreds metres from the shoreline, would flow through culverts and ditches directly into the river.

Most of the oil in a June spill would travel to the river mouth in one day and more would remain on the surface, compared with a spill in winter when river flows are low and more oil would collect on the shoreline.

River flows range from between 7,000 and 12,000 cubic metres a second in June, while winter flows are 2,000 cubic metres a second or lower.

The study estimates that “the process of restoration and recovery (to pre-spill condition) could take anywhere from 12 months to five years,” depending on the area affected and that “a considerable amount of the spilled oil” would become stranded along shorelines.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Project manager Greg Toth said in an interview Tuesday from Calgary that the company used horizontal directional drilling during replacement of the existing 24-inch pipeline about 12 years ago, just downstream of Port Mann Bridge. The pipeline run about 35 metres below the deepest part of the river.

The new 36-inch line would be installed using a similar process, although the exact location is up in the air after protests over the proposed use of Colony Farm Regional Park in Port Coquitlam as a staging area.

Toth said it would take about 15 minutes to recognize a full-bore rupture had happened and shut down the pipeline. He noted that the study is intended to show how oil would behave after a spill and does not taken into account emergency spill-response and cleanup measures that could speed up recovery.

“With any kind of pipeline there is an element of risk,” he noted. “Any spill is of very significant consequence.”

He noted the risks can be reduced in higher-risk areas such as near the Fraser River through measures such as “heavier-wall pipe,” location of valves to reduce the amount of oil that might spill, and burying the pipe deeper.

“A lot of our focus will be on preventing the spill from occurring.”

In a summer spill, the probability of oil floating on the Fraser River surface would exceed 90 per cent between Port Mann Bridge and a point downstream of the George Massey Tunnel, 60 to 80 per cent from there to the river mouth, and 40 per cent in the side channels and marshes near Ladner and Port Guichon, the study estimated.

The chance of shoreline oiling is 60 to 100 per cent along the south shore of the river between Port Mann Bridge and the upstream end of Annacis Island, 40 to 60 per cent along the west and south shorelines of Annacis Island and along the north shoreline of the Fraser River from the lower end of Annacis Island to the tunnel, 20 to 40 per cent along the balance of the main channel, and less than 10 per cent in the side channels and wetlands near Ladner and Port Guichon.

Beyond the river mouth, the oil is predicted to disperse “with considerable momentum” to the north or south and “affect shorelines on the opposite side” of the Strait of Georgia.

The study concludes there is “potential for reed beds and salt marsh vegetation to trap floating or submerged oil” and that “oil spill recovery effects may be equally damaging (as oil) to the vegetation.”

Fish kills in the main stem of the river are unlikely due to high water flows.

Mortality could be high for waterfowl such as ducks and geese using the lower Fraser, including oiling of eggs, and “these effects could extend along the entire river channel, as well as affecting portions of the Delta.”

Seabirds further out into the strait would also be affected, however most migratory birds such as sandpipers would already be on their northern nesting grounds. Marine mammals such as otter, mink, beaver and muskrat could be heavily affected, less so larger animals such as raccoons and deer.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Last month, environmentalists, with financial support from the City of Vancouver, released hundreds of plywood drift cards on the lower Fraser River in an experiment to simulate the dispersion of a pipeline oil spill.

Coastal residents who find the cards are asked to report the date and location to help researchers calculate where oil from a spill might wind up over what period of time and along what route.

Although past card tests have shown Victoria to be especially vulnerable to a spill along the Kinder Morgan tanker route, some have travelled widely along the coast, including to Cape Scott off northern Vancouver Island and farther north to Haida Gwaii.

Kinder Morgan’s expansion project involves about 987 kilometres of new pipeline, new and modified facilities, such as pump stations and tanks, and the redevelopment of 193 kilometres of existing pipeline, along with expansion of the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Kinder

Morgan Canada chief: Burnaby is ‘lightning rod’ of Trans Mountain pipeline debate September 3, 2014

Editorial Comment: 

The following article is clearly biased in favor of Kinder Morgan’s TransMountain pipeline expansion project.



This article once-again reminds us of the schoolyard bully that doesn’t get his way when one or more individuals stand up and fight for what is right.

Opposition to the TransMountain oil pipeline expansion is concentrated in three areas — the City of Vancouver, the Tsleil-Waututh aboriginal community and the City of Burnaby.

Among these, Burnaby, the end point of the 60-year-old pipeline owned by Kinder Morgan and home of its Westridge marine terminal, has spared no maneuver — no matter how immature — in its fight against the $5.4-billion project.

It has threatened to withhold emergency services in the event of an oil spill; it has refused to talk to Kinder Morgan, resulting in a seven-month delay of the expansion’s regulatory review; and this week its municipal officers barred crews from surveying a new pipeline route under Burnaby Mountain that would actually reduce the pipeline’s impact on the community.

“As far as Burnaby goes, it is the lightning rod of the debate these days,” Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson said in an interview Wednesday. “The mayor and his council — and counsel — have taken the very firm position that they won’t talk to us and won’t engage with us and won’t consult with us on our plans. They stand opposed. And any conversation with us is, in their words, ‘a sign of weakness in their stance.’

“That is frustrating. That is clearly not the way I’d like to do business or how I would want to approach any relationship. But they have chosen that path.”

With Burnaby, led by long-time mayor Derek Corrigan, maintaining that its bylaws are more important than the National Energy Board Act, the matter will end up in court so a judge can decide which law prevails, Mr. Anderson predicted.

The city’s opposition puts in high relief the toughest challenge faced by the project — and increasingly by all major infrastructure projects: How to reconcile the national interest with local concerns.

“We see it in British Columbia like nowhere else,” Mr. Anderson said.

Kinder Morgan wants to boost capacity on the Edmonton-to-Burnaby oil pipeline to 890,000 barrels a day, from 300,000 today, so Canada can open a new market in Asia for its oil and reduce its dependence on the oil-saturated U.S. market.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters But NIMBYs worry about the risk of oil spills and the additional tanker traffic. Greens worry about climate change and want to shut down the oil sands. Aboriginals want a say over what happens on their traditional lands.

There is no shortage of hypocrisy. TransMountain was built when Burnaby was largely an industrial centre with multiple refineries and multiple tank farms. Its population — about 200,000 today — eventually surrounded Kinder Morgan’s facilities.

TransMountain has a top safety record. British Columbia’s economy would grind to a halt without Alberta oil — about 80% to 90% of the oil products used in the province, like gasoline used in cars and diesel used in airplanes, come from Alberta, largely from the oil sands. Oil tankers have been sailing off the province’s coast for decades.

There is plenty of ignorance. Mr. Anderson is convinced residents of Burnaby would be more supportive if they were aware of all the facts, rather than being influenced by “the political and media approach that the mayor and his council has taken.”

There is plenty of lousy judgment, too. Imagine if the tables were turned, and those who support TransMountain gave Burnaby a taste of its own medicine — like turning off the oil taps for a month or two, or closing a refinery, or barring products arriving at the Port of Vancouver from travelling through Alberta.

Mr. Anderson said it’s difficult to come up with solutions when there are no models to follow, no pathway to success.

Yet the project is making progress by trying to break the points of conflict and looking for ways to cooperate.

Aside from the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, a 300-member group that claims Burrard Inlet as its traditional territory and that is expected to remain opposed, support from aboriginal communities is proceeding “as well as I could have hoped.” More than a dozen have signed support agreements and more are expected to line up in favour of the project by the end of the year, Mr. Anderson said.

The vast majority of landowners along the right of way are working with the company, he said.

The dialogue with Vancouver “is reasonably good” despite its opposition to the pipeline expansion.

The city wants the NEB to broaden its review so that it includes an assessment of the climate impacts.

As for the NEB review, despite the seven-month delay that will push back the project’s startup, Mr. Anderson feels pretty good.

So good, in fact, that Kinder Morgan Canada will “never” give up.

“I am quite confident that we can meet the test of the regulatory authorities in order to have our project permitted, and I remain committed to translating that approval into something that can be accepted by and embraced by some communities along the way. I will never imagine to have unanimous support, but I think we can prove to British Columbians, the vast majority, that the completion of this project serves national needs, British Columbia’s needs and local interests.”

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Groups Plan Suit Over Northwest Oil-Response Plan September 4, 2014 SEATTLE (AP) — Environmental groups say they plan to sue the federal government for failing to ensure that regional oil-response plans don't harm endangered species.

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Friends of Columbia Gorge sent a 60-day notice of intent to sue on Wednesday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard and others.

The groups say the agencies didn't consult with federal fisheries experts to make sure its latest regional oil-spill response plan would not harm endangered species such as salmon, shorebirds and whales.

The groups say the dramatic increase in crude oil moved by rail and barge along the Columbia River Gorge and Puget Sound raises the risks of potential oil spills. They say measures aimed at responding to spills may also harm protected animals.

A message left with the EPA was not immediately returned Thursday.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 BNSF executive: Oil train safety can improve August 28, 2014 As questions continue to swirl about the safety of transporting crude oil by rail, BNSF Railway’s top executive acknowledged Tuesday that the process could be safer, and said his company welcomes the regulatory push toward more modern tank cars.

In an interview with The Columbian, BNSF Executive Chairman Matthew Rose noted railroads like his are required by federal law to haul crude oil and other hazardous materials as part of their “common carrier” obligations. In the case of crude, phasing out older tank cars could improve safety, Rose said. Many have already been replaced, but plenty remain on U.S. tracks.

“We think that the risk associated with hauling crude oil can go down greatly, and that’s what we’re focused on,” he said. Rose and other BNSF officials stopped in Vancouver as part of a visit to the Northwest this week.

This year, BNSF announced plans to add 5,000 “state-of-the-art” tank cars to its fleet for carrying crude oil. Those cars could be in production as soon as next year, said BNSF spokeswoman Courtney Wallace, though it’s unclear when they might be in use.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters The amount of crude being transported by rail has jumped sharply in recent years, and fiery derailments and explosions have amplified worries over its safety. Fueling the increase — and several of the recent explosions — is crude from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota.

Two to three oil trains per day already roll through Clark County and Vancouver on their way to West Coast refineries. A proposed oil transfer terminal at the Port of Vancouver could more than double that. Rose said he supports the proposal by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies, which would connect to the BNSF main line that passes through Vancouver. The terminal would handle an average of 360,000 barrels of crude per day, making it the largest such facility in the Northwest.

Despite a string of high-profile derailments, Rose insisted that transporting oil by rail is safe. He cited an oft-repeated claim that 99.997 percent of all hazardous materials carried by train reaches its destination without incident.

“We will never have an operation that will be 100 percent accident-free,” Rose said. “What we’re trying to do with the evolution of this tank car is reduce that probability of release, and we believe that this (newer) tank car really will be a significant improvement.”

Meanwhile, a concurrent conversation has focused on the safety of Bakken oil itself. Multiple reports and analyses have found that Bakken crude is more volatile than oil from other sources due to the relatively high amount of volatile gases it contains and other characteristics. Many believe Bakken crude could be made safer by stabilization, a process that strips some of those gases from the oil before it’s transported.

That’s something most North Dakota oil producers don’t currently do. But the idea has gained at least some traction there — the North Dakota Industrial Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the subject next month.

BNSF has followed the issue closely, Rose said. That’s because the amount of volatile gas in crude oil determines how it needs to be carried, he said — and whether a newer tank car is necessary.

“If you want to ship it with that, then it needs to be in this type of tank car,” Rose said. “If you want to stabilize it, then quite frankly, it could probably go in the original (DOT-111) car.”

Rose reiterated the widespread belief that oil trains are here to stay in the Northwest. That’s partly because a major pipeline is highly unlikely to be built to the West Coast due to terrain, environmental rules and other hurdles, he said.

And as backers of a proposed mixed-use waterfront development pit their project against the TesoroSavage terminal, oil trains will remain a constant regardless of the outcome of either proposal, Rose said.

“There’s still going to be a lot of trains running through there,” he said. “We have to realize that whether or not this terminal is permitted or not, trains keep coming.”

Editorial Comment:  Industry arrogance at its finest!  Need to transition away from fossil fuels  These rail cars will also transport Tar Sands diluted bitumen (dilbit)

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Groups Sue Over Oil Shipments in Older Rail Cars September 11, 2014 SEATTLE (AP) — Environmental groups sued the U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday over the shipment of volatile crude oil in older railroad tank cars.

Accident investigators have complained for decades that the cars are too easily punctured or ruptured when derailed, leading to spills.

The lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club and ForestEthics says the agency failed to respond to a legal petition the groups filed in July. That petition sought an emergency order to prohibit crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana and elsewhere from being carried in older tank cars, known as DOT-111s.

A spokesman with the Department of Transportation, Kevin Thompson, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

Since 2008, there have been 10 significant derailments in the U.S. and Canada in which crude oil has spilled from ruptured tank cars. The worst was a runaway oil train that exploded in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic a year ago, killing 47 people.

The federal government in late July proposed rules that would phase out tens of thousands of older tank cars that carry crude oil and other highly flammable liquids.

But that process could take several years, and in the meantime, shipments of crude oil in older rail cars are putting small towns and major cities along the rail lines at risk, the groups said.

"That's just far too long given the risks," said Patti Goldman, a lawyer with Earthjustice, which is representing the groups.

The groups had asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to order the agency to respond to its July petition within 30 days.

Editorial Comment: 

Continued use of DOT 111 tank cars (“bomb trains”) to transport volatile / hazardous material through communities is madness – government-enabled corporate greed.



Rail lines and other rail transportation infrastructure require ongoing maintenance to remain viable and safe no matter which rail cars are used



As with ships used to transport dangerous material, double hulls are now required to reduce impact to public safety and wild ecosystems

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Third oil project will go through EIS process; Hoquiam is co-lead agency The City of Hoquiam will sign a memorandum of understanding to act as the co-lead agency with the state Department of Ecology for an environmental impact statement process on the proposed U.S. Development crude oil storage facility near Bowerman Field.

The state and the city have overall purview, but the process will be guided by ICF Jones and Stokes, the consulting company undertaking the same job for Westway Terminals and Imperium Renewables, both undergoing the EIS process for their proposed oil terminal projects.

At Monday’s council meeting, the Hoquiam City Council agreed to the arrangement. “They like the partnership we’ve had with ICF, Imperium and Westway, and they wanted to continue that,” City Administrator Brian Shay said.

Background Initially, the city and Department of Ecology made a decision to approve the Westway and Imperium applications without a full environmental impact state process, opting for a mitigated determination of non-significance under the State Environmental Protection Act, considered a less rigorous process.

Following appeals by The Quinault Indian Nation and a coalition of environmental groups — including Friends of Grays Harbor, the Grays Harbor Audubon Society, Citizens for a Clean Harbor, the Surfrider Foundation and the Sierra Club — an official ruling invalidated the determination.

Both companies elected to an EIS to complete the process without having to resubmit.

U.S. Development, which will operate locally as Grays Harbor Rail Terminal LLC, is different.

The company elected to do an EIS from the beginning.

Additionally, the city is legally unable to be the sole lead on the project.

“Because of the amount of oil stored, the Department of Ecology is the lead agency by statute,” Shay said.

Investment Acting as co-lead will mean a time investment from the city.

“It adds a lot of staff time on our end — leading the EIS was something we needed to weigh against our staff time,” Shay said. “Normally, with a project this size we’d hire a contractor to handle it.”

However, all three companies (U.S. Development, Westway and Imperium) will cover the cost of their own EIS and reimburse both the city and the Department of Ecology for staff time.

Westway and Imperium will pay about $1 million apiece, not including staff reimbursement. (Though each company has its own EIS, the scoping period was handled as a single entity for Westway and Imperium.)

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters During the city council meeting on Monday, Hoquiam Mayor Jack Durney was authorized to sign an MOU with the Department of Ecology.

The city will make the official “determination of significance” and oversee scoping and drafting.

Shay will work with the department of Ecology, ICF Jones and Stokes and US Development during the process.

“I get advice from Jack (Durney) and (City Attorney) Steve (Johnson) all the time on these things, which I can share with ICF and (the Department of) Ecology, otherwise we’d just be sitting on the outside,” Shay said.

The Department of Ecology has the authority to terminate the MOU at any time, Shay said, thereby relieving the city of its co-lead responsibilities.

U.S. Development is about nine months behind Westway and Imperium, which expect to release a draft EIS for public comment in January.

Following in the wake of that EIS means an easier task for ICF. “We’re doing an extremely thorough investigation now that will be used in the U.S. Development project,” Shay said.

“If anybody saves money, it’d be U.S. Development, regardless of if they use ICF, because the information is public,” Shay said. “We now have all the information to do a qualitative and quantitative analysis of all three companies.”

Next steps A formal document requiring an EIS determination of significance will be signed next week, and a scoping notice and legal notice of public input will be printed in the Vidette indicating the threshold of determination (a minimum of 21 days, but the city expects the threshold to last at least 45 days for U.S. Development).

During the scoping period, the public can submit written comments. Shay cautions those comments should be directly related to the scoping and not overall opinion of the prospective project. He suggests beginning comments with the phrase: “In the scoping, I’d like you to study …”

Also during the scoping period, a public meeting will be held to receive oral testimony. A tentative date has been set for Oct. 16.

A draft EIS then will be published at which point the public can again comment. “This is the point where people can challenge the impacts of the project,” Shay said.

During the public comment portions of the Westway and Imperium EIS process, the city and Department of Ecology received about 20,000 comments for the two companies (a large portion of the comments were of the same form letter with different signatures).

“We hope that the more than 22,000 comments for the scoping process of Imperium and Westway would be made part of their consideration (in the U.S. Development EIS),” R.D. Grunbaum of the Friends of Gray Harbor said on Thursday.

Shay said the comments for the Westway and Imperium environmental impact statements will be considered for U.S. Development.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

BP’s biggest crude oil refinery in the US caught fire after an explosion blew up one of its compressors

 BP’s Whiting Refinery Catches Fire August 28, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters BP plc’s (BP) Whiting, Indiana-based refinery caught fire after an explosion in one of the refinery’s compressors at about 10PM EDT yesterday. The Whiting refinery, BP’s largest in the US, has a production of 413,500 barrels per day (bpd). The company’s share price is down 0.3% pre-market as of 4:03AM EDT. London-based BP did not provide any statements on the explosion. A spokesperson said that BP was preparing a statement.

BP’s internal fire department was controlling the fire. However, the company did ask the Whiting Fire Department to be prepared in case it needed help. The fire was controlled after more than an hour’s effort, and Whiting Fire Department’s assistance was not required.

A big cloud of smoke had covered a large area in Whiting, according to some of the residents of the Hammond residential site. There were conflicting reports in the media; some claimed that one person was shifted to the hospital, while other media reports claimed of no injuries from the incident.

BP had spent about $4 billion last year in November to increase the inflow of heavy Canadian crude from an initial capacity of 85,000-350,000 bpd. The expansion in heavy crude capacity emphasized the company’s strategy to shift to cheaper crude from the tar sands in Alberta, Canada. Late in July this year, BP CEO Bob Dudley said that the refinery at Whiting was processing 270,000 bpd of heavy crude, and that this would later increase to 300,000 bpd.

The refinery at Whiting is located on the Lake Michigan shore. The refinery’s shift from light to heavy crude due to supply changes means that there will be greater energy security in the Midwest region.

BP’s Operations In The US Apart from the Whiting refinery, BP also operates the Toledo refinery in Ohio and the Cherry Point refinery in Washington. The refinery in Toledo occupies an area of 585 acres, processes 160,000 bpd of crude, and is a venture with Husky Refining LLC. BP and Husky agreed to two joint ventures back in 2008 that are developing Husky’s oil sands in Canada and operating the Toledo refinery in Ohio. Under the joint venture agreement, BP is operating the Toledo refinery. The refinery has benefited from the joint venture in 2008 since it has a reliable source of Canadian crude oil in future years. It mostly produces gasoline, while other outputs are in the form of kerosene, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, asphalt, and propane.

The Cherry Point refinery is spread over 3,300 acres and has been operating for more than four decades. It receives most of its crude from the North Slope in Alaska and processes crude in excess of 9 million gallons every day. The primary output of the refinery is composed of transport fuel that is distributed to the markets in Oregon and Washington. Meanwhile, the refinery also supplies jet fuel to the country’s military.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Oil by rail resolution – City of Olympia, Washington On Monday, 8/25/2014, the following resolution denouncing oil trains and oil terminals in Washington state was passed by a 2 to 1 yes vote of the Port of Olympia Commissioners George Barner, who introduced the resolution, and Sue Gunn. The single no vote was cast by Commissioner Bill McGregor. Despite the misleading way that this action was portrayed (spun) by The Olympian as being inconsequential, it was an important nail in the coffin of oil trains in Washington--giving Governor Jay Inslee yet another directive from citizens of our great state saying that we don't want anything to do with fossil fuel transport: the extreme danger to our people and our environment make the risks absolutely unacceptable. We in the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation will continue to fight fossil fuels for the devastating, catastrophic effects they cause that will end life as we know it on this precious little blue planet earth, our only home, if we do not quit them quickly and move to sustainable, renewable energy sources.

A copy of the resolution follows: Resolution _______________ WHEREAS, new technologies and the current higher price of oil/barrel have resulted in the extraction of unprecedented amounts of crude oil from the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota now estimated to extract one million barrels/day; and, WHEREAS, oil company plans to expand the rail capacity in the State of Washington to both receive this crude oil at four refineries and at newly proposed marine transfer stations at the Ports of Vancouver and Grays Harbor will greatly increase the number of oil trains traveling through our county; and, WHEREAS, these unit oil trains composed of 100 to 150 tankers filled with Bakken crude oil now travel through Thurston County towns of Bucoda, Tenino and Lacey on BNSF lines headed north and might travel through Rochester along the Chehalis river west on Genesee & Wyoming lines to three proposed marine transfer terminals at the Port of Grays Harbor; and, WHEREAS, catastrophic explosion, spills and death due to derailments of tankers carrying Bakken crude oil have occurred in Lac Megantic, Quebec, Casselton, North Dakota, New Brunswick, Canada, Aliceville, Alabama and Lynchburg, Virginia within the last year and could occur in our towns, on our farm lands and in our river systems posing a serious threat to Thurston County and its economic viability, as well as our pristine wilderness; and, WHEREAS, between April 29th and May 21st 2014, there have been four derailments on the Genesee and Wyoming rail line between Centralia and Aberdeen that raise serious questions about the capability of this rail line to handle current export commodities, let alone 150 car unit trains of explosive Bakken oil; and, WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PMSHA”) has determined this Bakken crude oil may be more flammable that traditional crude oil; and, WHEREAS, the vast majority (78,000 out of 92,000) of the tank cars used in the transport of this explosive Bakken crude oil through our county are DOT-111s which have been known to puncture upon impact since 1991; and,

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters WHEREAS, in January 2014, the National Transportation Safety Board stated “Because there is no mandate for railroads to develop comprehensive plans or ensure the availability of necessary response resources, carriers have effectively placed the burden of remediating the environmental consequences of an accident on local communities along the route”; and, WHEREAS, at the same time this burden to protect our urban centers, farm lands, river systems, the economic viability, and our natural environment from oil trains is being placed on local jurisdictions such as the Port of Olympia, many local jurisdictions are struggling to maintain their Fire Fighters and First Responders, let alone provide them with adequate resources to respond to oil fires, explosions and derailments; and, WHEREAS, on June 2, 2014, the City Council of the City of Vancouver passed a resolution opposing the proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver and opposing the movement of these Bakken crude oil tanker trains through their city; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE PORT OF OLYMPIA THAT: The Commission of the Port of Olympia asks the Port of Grays Harbor Commissioners to reconsider its proposal to build three marine transfer terminals for this volatile Bakken shale oil which will result in this Bakken oil being transported on DOT 111s through our urban centers and farm areas and endangering the health, safety, welfare and economic viability of our citizens and the natural environment that supports all our domestic livestock and wildlife.

The Commission of the Port of Olympia strongly requests the City of Hoquiam to deny construction permits for all three of these proposed oil terminals which will result in this Bakken oil being transported on DOT 111s through our urban centers and farm areas and endangering the health, safety, welfare, the economic viability of our citizens and the natural environment that supports our domestic livestock and wildlife.

The Commission of the Port of Olympia strongly urges the Washington Department of Transportation and the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board to analyze and study the potential economic effect of this oil train traffic on the displacement of existing economic activity and the potential loss of access to rail transport by local and regional shippers.

The Commission of the Port of Olympia requests that Governor Inslee carefully consider whether the use of our state's rail system for the pass through transport of this explosive Bakken crude oil for export is in the public interest of our state, its economy, its citizens, as well as the domestic livestock and wildlife.

This addendum added 8/25/14: The Commission of the Port of Olympia requests that Governor Inslee, in accordance with the Centennial Accord between the Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and the State of Washington established in 1989, work directly with these tribes such as the Chehalis Confederated Tribes, the Nisqually Tribe, the Squaxin Island Tribe and the Quinault Nation, to protect their treaty rights and fishing resources which appear to be threatened by proposed oil terminals, expanding oil refineries and the routing through their territories of crude oil unit trains from the Bakken region of North Dakota and the tar sands of Northern Alberta.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

On Aug 29, 2014 Anterra Energy Inc spilled Over 300,000 Litres of Crude Oil and Salt/Produced Water from a pipeline into a nearby waterbody 63Km North of Slave Lake Alberta.

 Anterra Energy Inc spills Over 300,000 Litres into a nearby waterbody September 1, 2014 The official AER report states: Release of crude oil/produced water emulsion that migrated offlease into a nearby waterbody. Crews are onsite sampling and removing chloride from affected water, and have containment measures in place to minimize downstream impacts. No wildlife impacts have been reported.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 A Massive Oil Spill Is Threatening Mexico's Third Largest City's Water Supply September 2, 2014 For Mexico's state oil giant, the expansion of organised crime into fuel theft is a growing menace.

Now, a bungled attempt to illegally tap an oil pipeline has threatened an environmental disaster in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, after an estimated 4,000 barrels of crude oil poured into the San Juan River.

The alleged failed theft on August 16 caused an oil spill of up to 15 thousands tons, according to the national oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). The slick has already advanced five miles, authorities say — and it is feared that rain forecast for the coming days and weeks will spread the contamination further.

Mexico topples oil theft ring, but cartel threat still lingers over state-owned petroleum company. Read more HERE.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Hydropower

 Three Chinook Spotted Above Glines Canyon First Salmon Return to the Upper Elwha in 102 Years September 12, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Following an observation by a fisheries biologist and member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of a possible Chinook salmon in the former Lake Mills, two Olympic National Park fisheries staff conducted a snorkel survey of the Elwha River above the old Glines Canyon dam site.

They found three adult Chinook salmon, all between 30 and 36 inches long, in the former Lake Mills, between Windy Arm and Glines Canyon. Two fish were seen resting near submerged stumps of ancient trees; the third was found in a deep pool in the former Lake Mills.

"When dam removal began three years ago, Chinook salmon were blocked far downstream by the Elwha Dam," said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. "Today, we celebrate the return of Chinook to the upper Elwha River for the first time in over a century."

"Thanks to the persistence and hard work of many National Park Service employees, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and many other partners, salmon can once again reach the pristine Elwha watershed within Olympic National Park," said Creachbaum.

In addition to the three Chinook, biologists counted 27 bull trout, nearly 400 rainbow trout and two small sculpin during their survey above Glines Canyon.

The biologists began their snorkel survey in Rica Canyon three miles above the old Glines Canyon dam site. They then snorkeled downstream through the Canyon, through the former Lake Mills and downstream to a point just above Glines Canyon.

Last week, park biologists confirmed that two radiotagged bull trout had migrated through Glines Canyon and were in Rica Canyon. The three Chinook observed this week were not radiotagged, but were seen by observers on the riverbank and in the water.

The following day, biologists counted 432 live Chinook in a 1.75 mile section of river just downstream of Glines Canyon, but still above the old Elwha dam site.

Elwha River Restoration is a National Park Service project that includes the largest dam removal in history, restoration of the Elwha River watershed, its native anadromous fisheries and the natural downstream transport of sediment and woody debris.

For more information about this multi-faceted project, people can visit the Olympic National Park website at: http://www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/elwha-ecosystem-restoration.htm.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

The Elwha River flows into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, carrying sediment once trapped behind dams.

The gradual release has rebuilt riverbanks and created estuary habitat for Dungeness crabs, clams, and other species.

 World’s Largest Dam Removal Unleashes U.S. River After Century of Electric Production As Washington State’s Elwha River runs free, a habitat for fish and wildlife is restored.

August 26, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Today, on a remote stretch of the Elwha River in northwestern Washington state, a demolition crew hired by the National Park Service plans to detonate a battery of explosives within the remaining section of the Glines Canyon Dam. If all goes well, the blasts will destroy the last 30 feet of the 210foot-high dam and will signal the culmination of the largest dam-removal project in the world.

In Asia, Africa, and South America, large hydroelectric dams are still being built, as they once were in the United States, to power economic development, with the added argument now that the electricity they provide is free of greenhouse gas emissions. But while the U.S. still benefits from the large dams it built in the 20th century, there's a growing recognition that in some cases, at least, dambuilding went too far—and the Elwha River is a symbol of that.

The removal of the Glines Canyon Dam and the Elwha Dam, a smaller downstream dam, began in late 2011. Three years later, salmon are migrating past the former dam sites, trees and shrubs are sprouting in the drained reservoir beds, and sediment once trapped behind the dams is rebuilding beaches at the Elwha's outlet to the sea. For many, the recovery is the realization of what once seemed a far-fetched fantasy.

"Thirty years ago, when I was in law school in the Pacific Northwest, removing the dams from the Elwha River was seen as a crazy, wild-eyed idea," says Bob Irvin, president and CEO of the conservation group American Rivers. "Now dam removal is an accepted way to restore a river. It's become a mainstream idea."

READ ENTIRE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ARTICLE HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Solar

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

One of Kyocera’s existing solar power plants, which has 70 MW of power capacity and sticks out into Kagoshima Bay in southern Japan.

 Japan is planning to build huge floating solar power plants Japan has started construction of two floating solar power plants, which will become part of a huge, 60 megawatt floating renewable energy network.

September 1, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters Japan may be short on free land space, but that’s not stopping them from investing in renewable energy. Solar panel company Kyocera Corp, Century Tokyo Leasing Corp and Ciel Terre have announced (release in Japanese) that they're teaming up to create two huge floating solar power plants which will be up and running by April next year.

These are just the first two of a planned network of around 30 floating 2 megawatt (MW) power plants, capable of generating a combined 60 MW of power, a spokesperson from Kyocera told Chisaki Watanabe from Bloomberg.

The first of these floating solar farms to be build will have 1.7 MW of power capacity, making it the world's largest floating solar power plant. Construction will start this month, according to the announcement, on the surface of Nishihira pond in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture, west of Osaka. The second will have a capacity of 1.2 MW and will be built on Dongping pond, Jason Hahn reports for Digital Trends, and the plants are aimed to be finished by April 2015.

According to Digital Trends, just these first two floating solar power plants would be enough to power anywhere between 483 and 967 American households.

The floating power plants aren’t just good for saving space - because the panels are over water they have a cooler temperature, which makes them more efficient. India has also recently invested in floating solar panels.

Kyocera and Century Tokyo partnered in August 2012 to develop around 93 MW of solar power plants, Bloomberg reports. So far, 22 MW of these projects have begun operating.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Government action

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Wild Game Fish Management

 Warm Waters Send Salmon to Canada, not Washington August 28, 2014

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Unusually warm water off the Washington coast is sending the vast majority of the sockeye salmon run to Canadian waters, leaving Puget Sound fishermen with nearly empty nets.

According to data from the Pacific Salmon Commission, nearly 2.9 million sockeye salmon have been caught in Canadian waters, while only about 98,000 have been netted in Washington through Aug. 19.

That means 99 percent of sockeye salmon have gone through the Johnstone Strait around the northern part of Vancouver Island into Canadian waters.

During a typical sockeye salmon run, about 50 percent of the run goes around the south end of Vancouver Island through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, putting them in U.S. waters, the Bellingham Herald reported (http://bit.ly/1q6oeqm).

This year's diversion rate is unusual. If it stays around this level, it would be the highest diversion rate on record, dating from 1953, said Mike Lapointe, chief biologist for the Pacific Salmon Commission.

The sockeye salmon run is expected to continue for several more weeks, so U.S. fishermen like Pete Granger hope to salvage what they can. Granger is a reefnet fisher who is operating his boat near Lummi Island. He has been catching fish for the Lummi Island Wild Co-op for the past eight years.

"It could be one of the worst seasons we've had in a long time," Granger said. The fishing numbers in U.S. waters started to improve at the end of last week, with several weeks left in the season.

Several factors could be behind why sockeye salmon decided to head for the Johnstone Strait this summer, but researchers are looking closely at an area of ocean water off the coast that is about 3 degrees Celsius warmer than normal. Nick Bond, a research scientist for the University of Washington, refers to this area as a "warm blob" that developed last winter as the Pacific Northwest went through a period of unusually quiet weather. Last winter, the area had stretches of cool, windless and foggy days.

The calm weather meant the ocean didn't do its usual churning of deeper, colder water up to the surface. With this pattern continuing into summer, the warm area has persisted. Sockeye salmon prefer cooler water, which may be why most of the run went north around Vancouver Island.

Bond believes the development of the warm blob is not a direct result of global warming but more of a fluke. Looking back at past data, there has been the occasional season when a cold area has developed off the coast, sending the sockeye salmon south of Vancouver Island into U.S. waters.

This season's event is giving scientists a chance to learn what impact a warmer ocean would have on this area's ecosystem, giving them more information to make better predictions.

Given the current weather models, Bond said the warm blob could be around for a while, possibly well into 2015. There's also the potential of El Nino developing later this year, bringing warm water to the area. If that's the case, it could be disruptive for next year's pink salmon run as well.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Wildlife Artists:

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Larry Rackley

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Diane Michelin - Fly Fishing Fine Art: "GET’EM" Original watercolor 10" x 13"

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Dan Wallace: Passion for Authenticity

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

Conservation-minded businesses – please support these fine businesses

 Kingfish West Coast Adventure Tours

Trophy Salmon and Steelhead fishing on the Kitimat River with driftboat, riverraft or pontoonboat, we offer as well remote streamside wading. We are specialized in fly-fishing and conventional fishing techniques for silver chrome aggressive steelhead and salmon. We give our clients the opportunity to fish our headwaters, tributaries and mainstream Kitimat River. The lower section of the Kitimat River we target with the jet boat and is considered tidal and can offer phenomenal fishing for salmon as they migrate upriver.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Dave and Kim Egdorf's Western Alaska Sport Fishing Booking Now Montana: (406) 665-3489 Alaska: (907) 842-5480

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Hidden Paths - Slovenia

We guide on Slovenia’s rivers for Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Marble Trout, Grayling and Danubian Salmon.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 ProFishGuide: Coastal Fishing at its Best

I focus on Tillamook Bay and its surrounding areas because its known for huge Salmon and acrobatic Steelhead. All of the bait, tackle and rods are top quality so when you hook a trophy it won't be out of reach. All you need to bring is your fishing license, rain gear and camera. Lunches can be provided at extra cost and come highly recommended. Not only will I ensure a great trip, it is also highly educational and fun for the whole family.

I currently guide in Oregon & Alaska for Salmon & Steelhead. I also have experience guiding in Idaho for trout as well as teaching Fly fishing & Fly casting. My certifications include US Coast Guard Certified license, CPR/1st aide, I also hold an Oregon & Alaska guide license, and I am fully insured.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Silversides Fishing Adventures

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

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Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Rhett Weber’s Charterboat “Slammer” Reserve your 2014 Pacific Ocean fishing adventures on Slammer through Deep Sea Charters – Westport, Washington

2014 Westport Salmon Seasons Set: Now through September 30: one wild or one hatchery Chinook (King) and one hatchery Coho (Silver) OR two hatchery Coho (Silvers).

This is the first year since 1983 that the season has been set to go 7 days a week for the whole year!

Large quotas of both species.

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Riverman Guide Service – since 1969 Kim Malcom – Owner, Operator Licensed and Insured Guide Quality Float Trips – Western Washington Rivers – Steelhead, Salmon, Trout

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Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters

 Learn to fish: experienced, conservation-minded professional instructors View our six-panel, information brochure HERE

Legacy – September 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Honoring Sacred Waters