Take the time and watch Salmonwars
In 2010, strongly encouraged by Nova Scotia’s NDP government, international salmon-farming corporations moved to establish massive new salmon feedlots in three pristine bays and harbours, and to expand existing feedlots in other inlets. Galvanized by the threat to wildlife habitat, tourism, salmon runs and the all-important lobster fishery, Nova Scotia’s coastal communities furiously opposed the plan, to no avail.
Silver Donald Cameron, then a columnist for the province’s leading newspaper, wrote a column (which you can read below) denouncing the expansion — and got a call from a worried salmon conservationist who wanted to know how opponents of the feedlots could most powerfully publicize the issue.
Cameron was also the host and executive producer of the environmental web site The Green Interview, which provides video interviews with the world’s leading environmentalists. With his colleague Chris Beckett, he had the capacity to produce a video documentary for non-traditional distribution via cable, the web, village meetings and the like. He wrote a proposal (see below) and the conservation community set out to raise the production costs.
And the Salmon Wars project was born. The film is was launched on June 13, 2012. For more details, click here.
“An impressive piece of work that brings the issue in all its dimensions into the light of day, where it belongs.”
— Ralph Surette, journalist
On January 25, the South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians hosted a showing of Salmon Wars in Mahone Bay. The meeting was well attended. One of those present was Pam Birdsall, the NDP MLA for Lunenburg. At the showing, Ms. Birdsall said that she had identified a number of concerns and issues with the film, and offered to send out notes about them.
To read Ms. Birdsall’s comments, with Silver Donald Cameron’s response, click here.
