It's a fishy week in Campbell River
Courier-Islander, Wednesday, August 25, 2010
This is a most fishy week in Campbell River, and not just because we're the salmon aquaculture capital of BC and/or home to the Tyee Club.
Our aquaculture and commercial fishing backgrounds certainly helped to bring Fisheries Minister Gail Shea to town Monday to announce funding for small craft harbours and a number of aquaculture projects.
It was nice to see funding put towards closed containment efforts and intriguing to hear about sea lice vaccine research.
Also of major importance is this week's visit from the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River. Struck last November, the commission will make recommendations for improving the future sustainability of the sockeye salmon fishery.
Campbell River was an obvious location for a commission visit, given the wealth of diverse experience to be found here on all matters pertaining to salmon.
Meanwhile, this week has seen the floatilla of Painter boats bobbing and weaving off the mouth of the Campbell and pulling in more promising numbers of Tyee as the season heads into its final stretch.
And if that's not fishy enough, the 60-day public comment period for Ottawa's draft aquaculture regulations, continues to draw local responses as time runs short.
The Salmon Capital of the World moniker might be the subject of some good-natured debate, but Campbell River sure feels like ground zero this week.
