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LETTER: Why is DFO silent on destruction caused by aquaculture?

Dear editor,
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This photo shows some of the industrial waste collected at the 2016 Denman Island shore clean-up.

Dear editor,

I wonder if DFO knows what shellfish aquaculture now looks like on the western shore of Denman Island. If they don’t know what it looks like these days, then why don’t they? And if they do know, then why are they allowing this anarchic destruction of the foreshore?

I assume that DFO accepts responsibility for this remarkably rapid degradation of beach habitat on one of the richest estuaries on the south coast: reconfiguration of beaches to create high berms, embedding of vertical bars of reinforcing steel into swimming and boating beaches, proliferation of poorly fastened horizontal and vertical netting of various kinds, growing piles of industrial plastic waste on beaches, driving of ever larger vehicles over sensitive foreshore habitat, and so on. Are they also using pesticides in our waters? As far as we can understand it, shellfish tenure holders are now themselves defining how their “farming” will be done on these public beaches, ignoring their conditions of licensing with impunity, and disregarding the safety and well being of all others.

I will be talking to audiences around the south coast this fall to present my new book on the history of the Strait of Georgia. This travesty on Baynes Sound is sure to figure large in my public talks – another frightening example of “regulatory capture” here in BC. Another rapacious industry uncontrolled by government that seems to spend more on advertising (and perhaps on political contributions?) than it does on environmental safeguards and demonstrably does not have the public’s interest at heart.

But isn’t DFO supposed to protect the marine environment and the public’s interest? It would be awfully useful to have DFO’s explanation for what is going on because I’m not sure I understand it. I was born on the Strait and have lived here most of my life and I’ve never seen anything like it. Except perhaps the various deadly complex organic compounds spewed into the sea for so long by the old pulp mills, before they were finally forced to clean up their act. Will people have to die from the uncontrolled practices of shellfish growers on our beaches before something is done?

Howard Macdonald Stewart

Denman Island