October/November 2008
Mainstream salmon farms blatantly violate licences
For years Province turns blind eye to company producing thousands of tonnes over permitted limitsLiving Oceans Society revealed today that it has uncovered years of unlicensed over-production on Mainstream Canada’s salmon farms in the beleaguered Broughton Archipelago off northern Vancouver Island.
“This demonstration of contempt for Canadian regulations by Norwegian multinational Cermaq, Mainstream’s parent company, and Cermaq’s major shareholder, the Government of Norway, is appalling,” said Catherine Stewart, Living Ocean’s Salmon Farming Campaign Manager. “The fact that this has been allowed to continue for at least six years indicates a massive failure of enforcement and management on the part of the B.C. government.” More>>
October 2008
“Gordon Campbell is Killing our Salmon” Run
Take part in the 2nd Annual “Gordon Campbell is Killing our Salmon” Run on Saturday, October 25th. The run starts at 1:00 p.m. at the Port McNeill Community Hall (School House Creek)."Share the experience" of juvenile salmon by walking or running a 5 km migration route from stream to sea. This fun run is a community organized event where you can show your concern about sea lice from salmon farms threatening our wild salmon. Let the B.C. Government know you want action on the threats posed by salmon farming.
October 2008
Few Canadians trust the Harper Conservatives to effectively balance environment and economy: poll
A new poll by Nanos Research for Living Oceans Society reveals a high degree of distrust among Canadians with the current federal government’s capacity to balance environmental protection with economic activity.“As Canada’s economy faces challenges, the pressure to cut environmental corners will grow,” said Jennifer Lash, Executive Director of Living Oceans Society. “Canadians need a government that we can trust to maintain the right balance between sustainable economic growth and protection for our environment, specifically for our oceans.” More>>
September 2008
LOS organizes Sointula beach cleanup
Living Oceans Society staff joined people from around Sointula to pick up garbage and debris from Malcolm Island’s Beachcombers beach on September 20th. CLICK HERE to see photos of the cleanup effort.
September 2008
New animated sea lice video released
A CAAR member group has produced a video that shows how sea lice from salmon farms are harming wild salmon. CLICK HERE to watch the video. 
September 2008
Canada’s Pacific North Coast needs better management in the face of declining ocean health
Better management is needed to protect the diversity and abundance of
marine life off British Columbia’s Pacific North Coast, one of the few
places of its kind in the world, according to a publication released
today by four conservation groups. According to the report, BC’s Bountiful Sea: Heritage Worth Preserving, less than one percent of the ocean in this region is designated as a protected area compared to almost 14 per cent of the province’s land base. More>>
September 2008
Shipping industry analysis finds need for more regulation
Living Oceans Society has commissioned an analysis on the amount and
nature of shipping on the B.C. coast. The report also looks at the
shipping industry’s ability to deal with accidents. Vessel traffic is increasing within the Inside Passage. The report, Major Marine Vessel Casualty Risk and Response Preparedness in British Columbia, recommends increased regulation to make the industry safer and more accountable. CLICK HERE to download the report.
July 2008
Team LOS wins Big Lake Triathlon
Living Oceans Society won the Gold Cup at the first Big Lake Triathlon Corporate Cup Challenge in Sointula. More>>July 2008
2007 Salmon Farming Industry Compliance Report Misses Major Concerns
Living Oceans Society criticized the provincial government report on
salmon farm compliance as missing the point by failing to address the
industry’s fundamental problems. Inadequate regulations governing
B.C.’s salmon farming industry means that salmon farms’ impact on the
environment is not taken into account. More>>
July 2008
Life’s a Skim Beach fashion show benefits LOS
Thanks to designer Katie Quinn who donated the proceeds from her
Downtown Betty skimboard bags fashion show to Living Oceans Society. More>>
July 2008
Pollution charges welcomed in Robson Bight spill
Living Oceans Society congratulates the Federal Crown for laying
charges against the parties allegedly responsible for last summer’s
barge spill in the Robson Bight ecological reserve. Campbell River’s
Gowlland Towing Ltd., tug boat master Carl Theodore Strom, and logging
contractor/equipment owner Ted LeRoy Trucking Ltd. face a number of
pollution related charges and are expected to appear in Provincial
Court on July 21. More>>
June-July 2008
Conservation groups support immediate action to protect wild salmon and promote closed containment
Conservation groups responded today with cautious support for a
proposal aimed at providing emergency, interim protection for some wild
salmon stocks in the Broughton Archipelago. The groups noted that this
action underscores the seriousness of the sea lice situation and
supports the need for long term solutions like closed containment
systems. More>>
June-July 2008
Legislation introduced to ban oil tanker traffic from the Great Bear Rainforest’s coastal waters
British Columbia environmentalists are applauding legislation recently
introduced in Parliament that will protect the province’s North Central
Coast from the threats associated with crude oil tanker traffic.The private member’s bill – Bill C-571 - was introduced by Catherine Bell, NDP Member of Parliament (Vancouver Island North), on June 18, 2008 and it prohibits oil tankers in the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and the Queen Charlotte Sound. This coastal area is some of the most pristine in B.C., and includes the waters of the Great Bear Rainforest. More>>
June 2008
US President Bush calls on Congress to allow offshore oil drilling
To find out what the announcement could mean for the B.C. coast, listen
to Energy Campaign Manager Oonagh O'Connor on CBC Radio One Daybreak North. Oonagh also explains why drilling for offshore oil will not lower the price of gas at the pumps. Listen>>
June 2008
New Marine Protected Areas Report Card Gives Canada a Failing Grade
Canada lagging behind Australia and the United States
Canada has the legislation and policy in place, but its dismal record on implementing a comprehensive network of marine protected areas (MPAs) earns it a failing grade compared to other countries in its class. More>>Click here to see the report card.
June 2008
Time Runs Out on the Federal Government to Launch a Marine Conservation Planning Process in B.C.
Government Misses World Oceans Day Deadline; Fails to Make Noticeable Progress on B.C. Marine Use and Conservation Plan.
The Federal Government has failed to meet the June 8th World Oceans Day deadline to initiate a planning process for B.C.’s threatened North Coast waters, leading environmental groups said today. More>>Click here to sign a declaration for healthy oceans.
June 2008
Vancouver Island MP wants UN to recognize World Oceans Day
Catherine Bell introduced a motion in Parliament calling on the
Government of Canada to take the lead at the United Nations to formally
recognize World Oceans Day. More>>
May 2008
Common Vision for Environmentally Sustainable Seafood
SeaChoice, Canada’s sustainable seafood program, and its five member
organizations, joined nine U.S. environmental groups today in releasing
the “Common Vision for Environmentally Sustainable Seafood.” More>>
May 2008
Thanks, Birthday Boy
Instead of giving out gift bags at his 11th birthday party, this boy made a donation to Living Oceans Society. More>>
April 2008
SeaChoice launches Business Guide to Sustainable Seafood, a ‘first of its kind’ resource for seafood buyers
The SeaChoice program announced today its release of an exciting new
program and a document titled Canada’s Business Guide to Sustainable
Seafood. More>>April 2008
Canada’s progress slow on Marine Protected Areas commitment despite Bowie Seamount announcement
Living Oceans Society today commended the Government of Canada for
establishing the Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area (MPA) and
expressed hope that this is the first of many more MPAs to come in the
near future. More >>
April 2008
Happy Earth Day!
Students from A.J. Elliott Public School in Sointula celebrate Earth Day. More>>April 2008
Hope for the whales of Robson Bight
Living Oceans Society, Greenpeace Canada and concerned whale
organizations are congratulating the governments of Canada and British
Columbia for showing the leadership to mount an operation to recover
logging equipment that sunk in Robson Bight last August. More>>
April 2008
Safeway needs to re-think all farmed salmon
Following Safeway’s decision April 2 to suspend purchasing of Chilean
farmed salmon, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) is
calling on Safeway to phase out sales of farmed salmon from all sources
until the industry shifts to more sustainable practices. More >>April 2008
Robson Bight Update
Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn was asked in Parliament if he had a plan in place to
recover the wrecked fuel truck and logging equipment from Robson Bight
whale reserve before the orcas return in June. He replied:“Sometimes trying to remove things such as the tanker can do more harm than good and we are not going to do that.” More>>
March-April 2008
Australians join LOS on Central Coast and North Island Tour
Two speakers from Australia are coming to the North Island and Central Coast to share their experiences during one of the world’s best examples of community engagement in action – the re-zoning of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.Living Oceans Society is hosting the tour from March 25 to April 4 featuring Russell Butler and Graham Scott. Because a marine planning process known as the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA) is getting underway in British Columbia, coastal residents will benefit from hearing the Austalians' successes and challenges that they faced as community residents, First Nations and fishermen working to rezone the Great Barrier Reef. More >>
March 2008CAAR welcomes reprieve for North Coast, urges action to protect the South Coast
The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform welcomes today’s decision by the B.C. government to institute an indefinite moratorium on open net-cage salmon farming in northern B.C. waters but voiced deep concern over more salmon farm approvals on the South Coast. It is a huge turning point that the provincial government is recognizing the need to protect marine ecosystems and wild salmon stocks from the impacts of current salmon farming practices, however the disregard shown for the health of B.C.’s South and Central coast is troubling. More >>
March-April 2008Robert Bateman | Not a Pretty Picture
Spurred by recent news of proposed oil pipelines and a supertanker port on the Central Coast of B.C., Robert Bateman takes a stand. Not a Pretty Picture is a moving portrayal of the lengths Canada’s pre-eminent wildlife artist is willing to go to in order to protect our precious coast from the threat of oil spills.“If we allow tanker traffic there is going to be an oil spill. One accident is too many,” Bateman says. Click here to see the video.
