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From the Archipelago
Winter Watch
Speeding west through Fife Sound on
steel-gray, calm water, I spotted what
appeared to be a ‘Scotchman’—a brilliant
orange float used as a fender to keep boats
from rubbing themselves raw against docks.
I veered towards this valuable bit of flotsam,
but as I drew closer, it became clear
the smooth pink globe was a pair of lungs!
As the boat pulled abeam I could see intestines,
stomach and the head of something
dangling below.
I kept going, thinking an orca might rise
out of the depths to reclaim this high calorie,
marine mammal snack. Drifting at a
distance, I observed that all was still, so I
scooped the carcass into my boat. There was
just enough of the animal left to see it was
a very large harbour porpoise, cut neatly
in two. Typical of orca kills, the entrails had
not been consumed and the blubber was
stripped clean.
For anyone studying marine mammals,
this find held a wealth of information. The
porpoise had been feeding on herring and
was so old that its teeth were worn almost
to the gum line. I took and packaged samples
for various other researchers and gave
it back to the scavengers in need of this rare,
rich, December meal.
The next day, a pod of transient orcas,
perhaps the owners of the kill, came quietly
through our area. They remained in
stealth mode until they killed a harbour
seal, and then called back and forth as the
mother with youngsters was allowed sole
ALWAYS ASK
Photo: Wild BC spring salmon by Alexandra Morton ©
Wolf mask.
access to the kill. Then they moved gently
east, further into the inlets, to destinations
unknown.
•••
The dolphins have arrived in groups of
hundreds, and this year there are lots of babies.
It took over ten years for the mothers
with young babies to come into the archipelago
and now they are not only here, but
allowing the babies to play with my boat.
The little fellows rocket about with astonishing
speed. Most days are too rough
and stormy for me to join them, but it’s good
to know they can make a living here again
this winter. Their careless, noisy, fun-loving
nature is evident as they race about,
leaping in trios and quintets, but I know
they are always on patrol for the whales
that would eat them. And they are staging
their play directly above the schools of
pollock, herring and other fish species
which sustain them. Their behaviour is not
as random as it appears.
Is it wild or farmed?
Netcage salmon farming pollutes
the environment and threatens
the survival of wild salmon.
Go Wild!
Check out our new DINER’S GUIDE
at www.GeorgiaStrait.org
Georgia Strait Alliance: 250-753-3459
Alexandra Morton
•••
The chum salmon or ‘dog’ salmon, as
they are known by many First Nations,
came home in spectacular abundance this
year. These fish went to sea before the fish
farms’ sea lice outbreak and thus were not
affected, unlike the smaller pink salmon
whose runs collapsed. These fish carried
enough nutrients home to fill the stomachs
of bears and make hibernation possible. Next
year these salmon may not be as fortunate.
•••
The verdict is in—the salmon farms have
been found to be the most likely cause of
the devastating sea lice epidemic which destroyed
98% of the pink salmon runs of the
Broughton Archipelago. The salmon farmers
have opted to take the low road and
disregard the wise recommendation by senior
fisheries scientists to fallow this entire
archipelago.
An extraordinary alliance of commercial
fishers, sport fishers, First Nations communities,
tourism operators, environmentalists,
scientists, lawyers, writers, filmmakers, and
radio talk show hosts are coalescing to prevent
destruction of the pink salmon, which
are a vital life force for our coastal ecosystem.
In an effort to leave no stone unturned,
my good friend Beatrice Smith from the
nearby community of Kwicksutaineuk-Ah-
Kwak-Ah-Mish, is guiding me in planning
a healing ceremony for the last of the young
pink salmon that will embark on their life’s
journey this spring.
“Make sure the fish farmers know they
must come too,” Bea told me, wisely pointing
out that healing needs all sides to come
together.
A timeless meld of love, pain, motherhood
and leadership clads this woman as
perfectly as the bark envelopes the cedar
tree. She is solid ground for her community,
which is trying to re-grow roots in a
time of shifting quicksands.
I will do what Bea tells me. Her wisdom
is plain as the snow-frosted mountains which
embrace these inlets. Her power is as pure
as the glacier melt water. Everything must
be done to allow life on this earth to continue
in the face of near demonic greed. ❏
© Text and photo by
Alexandra Morton (R.P.Bio).
She is a marine mammal
scientist and author in
British Columbia’s
Broughton Archipelago.
Visit her website at
www.raincoastresearch.org.
40 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com February/March 2003