A group of 26 BC residents from all walks of life are banding together to protect the province’s salmon.
The group, which includes indigenous peoples, business leaders, and prominent residents, introduced a declaration today that would see the refusal to renew fish farm licenses.
The Declaration in Defense of Wild Salmon states that the wild salmon stocks in the province are a natural treasure and that disease and pollution are threatening their survival.
First Nation groups are claiming that the fish farms are a significant cause of these diseases and pollution, and that their effects are reversible.
The group called on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, stating that farms need to be removed from areas void of First Nation consent.
The declaration specifically targets those licenses set to expire in June.