The pollution of shellfish in Coles Bay has deprived families of a critically important food source, inflated food budgets and been a major blow to community nutrition and health.
This tragic situation is common along the B.C. coast. Similar long-term sanitary closures exist along hundreds of kilometres of coastline.
Canadian governments have failed to put a priority on restoring our ongoing traditional harvests. The province of British Columbia and local municipal governments have turned a blind eye to pollution — triggering long-term sanitary closures on our traditional and ongoing harvest sites. In addition, in recent decades Ottawa has slashed budgets for identifying and remediating polluted beaches. Instead, Ottawa has chosen to simply close beaches — with no mandate or real plan for restoration.
Such government indifference stands in stark contrast to our neighbouring Washington State. In response to court decisions recognizing treaty rights to fish, Washington law requires that within 180 days of a shellfish closure, a specific program must be implemented to find and correct the pollution source. In contrast, here the federal Sanitary Shellfish Program closes beaches for decades — while provincial and local agencies fail to fix the septic and other pollution problems.
Washington State’s Shellfish Initiative has enabled Washington Tribes to collaborate with local, state and federal agencies to rehabilitate vast areas of shellfish beds. With government support, the U.S. tribes take the lead in identifying and fixing sources of pollution such as septic leaks, agricultural run-off, boat sewage, and toxic algae blooms.Pauquachin environmental steward and closure notice on Coles Bay beach.We can learn from Washington State.
Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, we urge Canada, B.C. and local governments to stop ignoring our treaty rights to fish as formerly — and establish a Healthy Shellfish Initiative along the entire B.C. coast, with Coles Bay as the first trial site.
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