Sandra Bartlett

Dec 24, 2024 | nationalobserver.com | Sandra Bartlett

I spent some time this fall on northern Vancouver Island preparing new episodes of The Salmon People podcast. It was a different experience from my previous trips to the Island. This time, I heard encouraging stories about whales and salmon. The southern resident killer whales or orcas surprised everyone by returning in July and staying on. Most recently, when I wrote this, some of them were still hanging around. We're committed to telling these vital stories about our changing environment.

Dec 12, 2024 | nationalobserver.com | Sandra Bartlett

The Salmon People podcast is back and there have been some big developments. The first is a decision by Canada’s government on banning fish farms in B.C. But episode 17 isn’t just about the decision.It is about the future. Will the Norwegian-based companies move their operations onto land? They say land-based farming is too expensive and particularly difficult in B.C. Should First Nations build land-based farms on their territories?And if the farms close, will the wild salmon fishery recover?

Dec 12, 2024 | nationalobserver.com | Sandra Bartlett

The big decision to ban fish farms from B.C. waters by 2029 was a long time coming.  It dates back to 2012 when the Cohen Commission released a report suggesting salmon farming might have to end unless it could be proven by 2020 that fish farms didn’t harm wild salmon. The inquiry probed the decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River, a major highway for fish travelling to the ocean.

Dec 10, 2024 | nationalobserver.com | Sandra Bartlett

A Summer of Whales and Salmon tells the surprising story of the sudden change in the waters off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Orca and Humpback whales came back by the dozens and stayed for months. They spent the summer gorging on salmon - Chinook, Chum and Pink, in particular. Tour operators, fishers, First Nations and researchers like Alex Morton saw it as a sign - a sign that the closure of 42 fish farms has given the salmon fishery a chance to recover.

Dec 10, 2024 | nationalobserver.com | Sandra Bartlett

The summer of 2024 on B.C.’s West Coast was full of good surprises. Orcas came back and stayed around a long time, and everyone was gobsmacked by the salmon returns. The Salmon People  is back, too: we checked in with salmon biologist Alexandra Morton who spent last summer counting salmon and watching whales return. Morton has a whale watching lab in her home that includes a camera, underwater listening devices, a high-powered telescope and a marine radio.