Gaia 10 – scientists 0

Something’s fishy

For years the salmon fishery in British Columbia has been declining – which is true -- and fears of the immanent collapse of the wild salmon stock and extinction of the species has been gaining credence in the scientific and environmental/green movement.

But this year’s bumper crop of Pacific sockeye salmon has been so overwhelming, that the fishing regulatory ministries are increasing fisherman quotas by the day – in fear of over-population as the fish swim up river to spawn.

It is the best salmon numbers in 100 years!

For half a decade, and at millions of dollars of taxpayer expense, scientists scowered the causes; from reduced river flow due to urbanization, industrialization and a rise in the beaver population and their dams to a reviving Pacific seal populations. Just last year, the west coast fish farm industry was declared the ‘real problem’, as farm salmon tend to have (controllable) lice and it was speculated these vermin somehow spread to wild salmon --killing them off at sea. Activists and scientists called for an end to man-made fish farming -- as a danger to the survival of natural species and the ecosystem!

Now, with this cornucopia salmon harvest, all the above ‘causes’ have been proven false. Only the theory of a local change in water temperature – a la El Nino and La Nina -- is still viable.

It is, again, Gaia and its natural forces and ebbs and flows that are at work. One can no longer blame the activities or ‘environmental’ damage of the human ant (nor a few beavers and seals).

[See Globe and Mail, “The salmon are back, but the mystery deepens” and “Sockeye surge spawns overcrowding concerns”, August 28, 2010, A1 and A8]



P.S. The East coast northern cod fishery off Newfoundland, which did seem close to extinction and has been under a moratorium for some 20 years (since 1992) will probably be revived by next year. The cod are coming back in such numbers that in some east coast areas – based on anecdotal reports -- residents are finding large numbers of cod tossed onto the shore; a sudden return from the dead not anticipated by ocean scientists and counter to general theory.
Gaia strikes again!

[See archive.greenpeace.org/comms/cbio/cancod.html, “CANADIAN ATLANTIC FISHERIES COLLAPSE”]