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Submitter: Kim Fulton
Community: Armstrong
Date Submitted: October 18, 2010
Summary:
Education of the public is one of the keys for maintaining Pacific salmon runs. It is important that educational programs such as DFO's "Salmonids in the Classroom" and "Stream to Sea" continue to be funded and supported. The precautionary principle must be applied to the aquaculture industry and the use of chemical compounds in consumer products. The environment must be made a priority over the economy.
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Submission:
If you are thinking one year ahead, sow seed. If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate people.
—Ancient Chinese proverb
I believe education of the public is one of the keys for maintaining Pacific salmon runs. The much maligned DFO has designed and supported education for over 30 years through "Salmonids in the Classroom" and "Stream to Sea" programs. Children witness first hand the phenomenon of the salmon life cycle. Community Advisors and Education Co-ordinators have been hired through out the province to ensure and maintain these programs. Thousands of students have gained knowledge and empathy for the salmon. That knowledge and empathy has grown over the years, from salmonid enhancement to the understanding that a healthy environment is essential for all species - including humans. Students who have developed understanding and empathy for salmon are now informed decision makers on City Councils and on backhoes and skidders. It is very important that these programs continue to be funded and supported.
'In the end, we will protect only what we love.
We will love only what we understand.
We will understand only what we are taught.'
Senegalese poet and naturalist Baba Dioum
I believe that we need to start believing and living "The Precautionary Principle" This principle is cited in the DFO produced Wild Salmon Policy but is it acted upon? For example, there is significant evidence that fish farming is causing paracite and disease threats to salmon runs, yet these operations are allowed to continue almost unfettered and unsupervised.
Another example, thousands of new chemical compounds are approved for use, to make "life better" for humans with out examining the potential harmful effects to salmon or our ecosystems. "THERE IS NO AWAY!" Many of these compounds or their derivatives remain in our waterways and cause problems forever. The precautionary principle would say if there is a risk don't do it. We don't need more studies. It is much easier and less expensive to prevent problems than to clean them up after the fact. It is better to be safe than sorry and extinct is forever. Copper causes problems for salmon and is a component of brake pads on vehicles and ends up in the waterways. Options exist yet we still use brake pads with copper in them!
What really takes priority the environment or the economy? It seems to me that currently the economy wins. With out the environment we have no economy!
I summary: continue education, use the precautionary principle, and put the environment first.
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