News flash – New Fisheries Act introduced in Parliament

On December 13, 2006, the federal government introduced amendments to the Fisheries Act. The David Suzuki Foundation is still reviewing the details, but our initial reaction is not positive. The amendments would see the federal government giving the provinces more control over habitat protection. Existing regulations haven't prevented a steady decline of habitat in Canada, so amending the act in this way would be cause for concern. We’ll be sending out updates as we clarify Ottawa’s intent.

Busy year comes to a close, new challenges ahead

As 2006 slides to a close and 2007 swims into view, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued interest in and support for our work. And to help guide you into cook up a sustainable holiday season, we’ve included a recipe from Chef Tobey Nemeth of from Jamie Kennedy’s Wine Bar in Toronto. Happy Holidays!

It’ has been a busy year for the David Suzuki Foundation’s Marine Conservation Program. We have worked on many issues, ranging from a proposed United Nations moratorium on bottom trawling on the high seas to local issues like residential developments in the Vancouver area that are having negative effects on wild salmon habitat.

Our work has been challenging and although there have been some government decisions that we believe will threaten the long term survival of some of wild species, the response from Canadians --- and some of our Members of Parliament – in support of our conservation proposals has been overwhelmingly encouraging. So encouraging that we truly believe there’s hope we may be turning a corner to a more sustainable future.

Of course there remains a lot yet to do and we will be hitting the ground running in January 2007. We look forward to your support and participation in our activities in the New Year! 

A potpourri of public policy presents

In keeping with the holiday spirit, let’s look at some of the great things that happened for fish and fish habitat conservation in Canada in 2006:

Canadians have joined us by the tens of thousands – if not more – in the call to help protect marine species and habitat. People from all over Canada are choosing sustainable seafood and letting decision-makers know how important their decisions are to future generations of Canadians. The David Suzuki Foundation has provided the tools, and your response has been heartening. Some of our exciting 2006 activities have included:

State of the Catch – a Professional’s Guide to Sustainable Seafood, which documents the current status of many Pacific fish and shellfish stocks available in restaurants and supermarkets and is designed to help those ordering food commercially make better seafood choices, http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Oceans/Publications.asp




Fish Forever with David Suzuki – an evening event in Toronto with David Suzuki, Dr, Ransom Meyers (Killam Chair and world renowned marine scientist), and Christine Cushing (host of a popular TV cooking show). The eveningthat focused on the importance of consumer choices, and brought attention to the international situation of Deep Sea Bottom Trawling – the most destructive form of commercial fishing.




SeaChoice – In launching this coalition initiative in Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver this September we provided Canadians with the up-to-date tools they need to make good seafood purchasing. Committed chefs, such as Toronto’s Jamie Kennedy and Vancouver’s Rob Clarke and Rob Feenie, joined us and continue to work with us to tell Canadians that their consumer and business choices are critical in to ensuring sustainable fisheries into the future. www.seachoice.org



The Will to Protect – This recently leased report provides a suite of timely and progressive solutions to reinvigorate the government’s will to protect fish habitat in B.C. This report documents the failure of current federal policy to protect salmon habitat and details solutions to ensure a better future for B.C.’s wild salmon, including:
Restoring the government’s will to protect;
Improving habitat protection policies and regulations;
Providing adequate funding to develop long term, workable initiatives;
Getting habitat protection personnel out of the office and into the field.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Oceans/Publications.asp

Sea Lice and Salmon Farm Linkage confirmed – The Foundation gave seed funding to the University of Alberta doctoral student Martin Krkosek, who published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science (US) demonstrating further evidence of the negative effects of salmon farms on wild salmon and thus increasing the weight of evidence that current open net pen farming must change.

Lumps of coal in the stocking:

But it wasn’t all great gifts and candy canes. There were lowlights too:

Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn’s refusal to support a proposed UN moratorium on Canada’s international position on deep sea bottom trawling. Sadly, despite admitting that trawling was the most destructive form of commercial fishing, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans chose not to support a proposed UN moratorium on this damaging fishing practice. Hearn disappointed many Canadians by not supporting strong measures to protect fragile deep sea habitats.

Poor Fraser River Salmon returns: Another year of fewer fish than expected. Instead of 17 million sockeye returning, as predicted early in the season, only half (8.7 million) the number returned and despite the low numbers returning, fishing pressure was maintained and several stocks were over-fished.

The downside of Martin Krkosek’s sea lice study is that it indicates that survival of juvenile salmon passing salmon farms can be horrifically low. Unfortunately, some in government still deny there is a problem, when we should be using our valuable public resources to solve the problem by moving to closed tank systems. http://www.math.ualberta.ca/~mkrkosek/Salmon_mortality_paper.pdf

Interior Fraser River coho have not been listed as an endangered species under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA), despite dwindling populations and scientific calls to do so.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Campaigns_and_Programs/Salmon_Aquaculture/News_Releases/newsaquaculture04120601.asp

So, while Canadians have been encouraging and supportive of our work in conducting their own activities, there is still much to do. Wild Pacific salmon populations continue to suffer from poor ocean survival, disease and habitat destruction, and those salmon populations that are on the brink of disappearing are not receiving the protection they need, while the federal government continues to cut funding to support protection for these iconic fish. And richly biodiverse deep-sea habitats continue to be destroyed by bottom trawls.

Despite this, we remain hopeful – and very busy!

"Optimism is essential for life, even when it may not seem justified by the available evidence."
Walt Taylor

Have a magical holiday season – and we’ll see you all next year! Until then, here’s a sustainable seafood recipe that’s great for the holidays – or any day.

Manila Clams with Chorizo and Orzo
From Chef Tobey Nemeth of the Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar in Toronto

12 Manila Clams, scrubbed*
½ onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Spanish-style chorizo sausages, sliced in ½ inch pieces
2 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp Sherry
1 cup chicken stock , vegetable stock, or fish stock
½ cup cooked orzo or rice
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp Olive Oil

In a heavy-bottomed pan, cook onions in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add chorizo and cook until edges are lightly browned. Add tomato and cook 1 minute.
Add sherry, then add stock, bring to a simmer, and add clams. Cover pot, and cook until clams have opened (Manila clams will take 2 – 4 minutes, Littlenecks 5 – 7 minutes). Remove clams from broth and set aside.
Add orzo and parsley, and heat until just warmed through.
Return the clams with any accumulated juices to pot and serve with some crusty bread.
Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course.

*If your clams are gritty, a good trick is to soak them for 15 – 20 minutes in clean cold water to help them clean out the grit. Lift them carefully out of the water after soaking, making sure to leave the sandy grit behind. Then scrub and rinse as needed.

Read about the David Suzuki Foundation's new vision for Canada: Sustainability within a generation

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