The stench of salmon farming in Clayoquot Sound

Salmon farming is big business in Canada and around the world with global sales exceeding ten billion USD last year. Leading producing nations are Norway, with 33 per cent of global production, and Chile, with 31 per cent. In BC, the salmon feedlot business is a foreign affair with 98 per cent of the industry controlled by Norwegian companies. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course.




While there are a few land-based feedlots, most raise hundreds of thousands of salmon in open net-cages suspended in the open waters of the ocean, that are anchored close to shore.

In Clayoquot Sound there are 21 salmon feedlots, with 16 operational at any one time. This surprised me as Clayoquot Sound was always a battle ground for environmentalists. It seems a strange place to find that many salmon feedlots.This one we passed early one morning. The fog was heavy and the size of the operation was difficult to take in from our boat, even more difficult from the photos. However the stench of rotting garbage was overwhelming; a putrid smell beyond comprehension. And they want us to eat this stuff?

Bear watching at Tofino

Ah, yes. Let's get up at five in the morning, in the dark and the cold, to see some bears. It seemed a good idea.





 Anyway, we took an excursion with one of the many tour operators offering all kinds of trips around Clayoquot Sound. We were the possibly the only Canadians aboard our boat, apart from the Captain. Most of the forty or so on board spoke German, Dutch or Italian. Even the Captain's first mate, speaking a form of English, hailed from the UK.

Initially it was difficult to see much of anything in the fog but it wasn't long until we saw the first of five black bears.







Bears like to come out early in the morning to turn over rocks along the shore to find a breakfast of shell fish. They don't seem to mind the boats but are extremely cautious of each other and like to keep their distance.









There is a population of about 120,000 black bears in Canada and 30 per cent of them have chosen BC as their permanent residence. Not all black bears are black. In BC one can see black bears that are actually blonde, brown and cinnamon. Sometimes a white black bear is spotted, and called a Kermode or Spirit Bear.




Adult males can measure up to 90 cm in shoulder height and approach of weight mass of 300 kg. Females are smaller with a maximum weight up to 140 kg.

A bonus for our tour of  the inlet, was seeing seals, then returning to shore to find a nice double espresso.

 All photos copyright 2013 by Jim Murray.

Long Beach near Tofino

Long Beach is part of a collection of beaches in Pacific Rim National Park (the only National Park on Vancouver Island), located between Ucluelet and Tofino. The beaches run about 25 km in length, with Long Beach being the longest, not surprisingly, at 10 km.

Is that Jeem out there, catching a wave?

Surf. Wind. Fog. Pounding waves. A place to think.

All photos copyright 2013 by Jim Murray.