Fish Habitat it's Everyone's Business

Fish Habitat it’s Everyone’s Business

What is fish habitat and why does it matter?  Fish Habitat is any place that fish go that provides fish with food, shelter, space to reproduce and spawn as well as migration routes.   What does this mean to water quality? Everything, good fish habitat proves that the water provides healthy fish populations and this is a good indicator of water quality.  Also under the fisheries act fish, shellfish and even marine mammals are considered “fish”. 

Why is fish habitat protected?  In Canada, Fish Habitat is protected under the Fisheries Act, which is federal legislation enforced by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).  The Act states that anyone or organization that wishes to work near water must ensure that they do not cause any Harmful Alteration Disruption or Destruction (HADD) to fish habitat.   Working near water includes private landowners putting in a deck, new factories, city bridges, and oh yes even mines, pipelines and oil sands.  

So what’s the problem?  You may have guessed it.  What is Harper’s favourite resource oil, therefore it is more important than our other resources fisheries, and even freshwater.  Would you be surprised to know that the next legislation that Harper plans to gut is the Fisheries Act?  Why to speed up the Enbridge Pipelines process. How would this achieve this you ask?  Well under the fish habitat guidelines every project must submit proposals how they will avoid any HADD to fish habitat and if they cannot they have to explain what they will do to rebuild it.   Before a project is allowed to start an environmental assessment must be preformed to ensure that there will be no harm to the fish habitat.  

By removing this law the government will eliminate the need for these assessments and will allow projects and developments to occur in these areas.  Therefore those pesky environmental professionals wont be getting in the way of the pipeline Harper is so insistent on.  Not only will this have serious harmful effects on the fish habitat at the site, it will effect all the fish populations in these rivers and other habitat.  These fish are food to other wildlife including grizzly bears, walruses, otters and whales.  Fish habitat is not only important to coastal communities most of the communities along the pipeline route are in BC’s interior and will suffer enormously if the fish habitat laws are removed.   Other provinces will suffer as well, our worst fear arctic gas exploration may be possible.  

First, to challenge the Fisheries Act one would need to prove that the activity in question was having an “adverse effect” which would be like saying we can’t prove conclusively that smoking causes cancer or that eating cake leads to weight gain.  Just because we cant prove it does not mean people wont get cancer form smoking, just like destroying fish habitat will kill the fish.   Second, a person would need to prove that the fish population was of “economic, cultural or ecological value” but values are based on social and cultural perspectives, which vary widely, and are infinitely difficult to nail down.

 Former DFO Scientist Otto worked for the federal government for 32 years, says “Mr. Harper and his ministers plan to remove a decades-old requirement in the Act to protect all fish habitats. Instead, the protections would apply only to fish that are of “economic, cultural or ecological value.”  This really baffles the 600 scientists that work for DFO they argue that “All species are of ecological value, a fact recognized by the current Act,” they write, “For example, some of our most economically and culturally valued fish species feed upon minnows and so-called ‘rough fish’ species, which allow them to survive and grow.”

We need to protect all of our fish species, as they are all important to the aquatic ecosystem and the food chain.  In order to protect the fish we must protect their habitat and keep the Fisheries Act the way it is.  Fish are the glue that holds our country together.  Fish support our economy, shape our cultural and are passed down to our children. 

The current Fisheries Act allows us to understand that fish need habitat to survive, and harming their habitat will inevitably cause harm to the fish.   This act has been around since the 1860s and has been serving well since, in other words “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. DFO used to pass out on pencils saying “No Habitat – No Fish”.  

Another message from DFO, I have a fish that says Fish Habitat, it’s everyone’s business.  This is so true and we need to stand up for it.  Sign the petition now:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/124/389/037/keep-protection-of-habitat-in-the-canada-fisheries-act/?cid=FB_TAF

Here are my links

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/dont-gut-fisheries-act-scientists-urge-harper/article2377774/

http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2012-03-23/article-2937465/Opposition-grows-to-possible-Fisheries-Act-changes/1

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/fish-habitat-why-rock-the-boat/article2375800/

http://blog.wwf.ca/blog/2012/03/15/hadd-enough-keep-habitat-protection-in-the-federal-fisheries-act/

Littering is Lame

I haven't blogged lately.  Not really sure what I have been busy doing. I hurt my elbow 2 weeks ago but other than that I guess I am just lazy. This weeks roundtable question was on littering.

This week's question focuses on the issue of litterbugs and what we can do about them. Traditional approaches to managing litter such as clean-up projects act as a temporary solution to remove the litter and do little to prevent its recurrence. The annual London Clean & Green campaign is a perfect example of a program that works for a couple of weeks, then attention to litter apparently peters out over the rest of the year.

 Probably because of our early spring this year, the unsightliness of litter seems to be everywhere. It is especially visible around bus stops, major roadways, and even in neighbourhoods and parks. Plastic bags, paper cups and wraps, small and large, are quite literally in the air. Litter, of course, is a very visible example of the "tragedy of the commons". If it's public property; just toss it, somebody else will pick it up -- or not. Instead of shoving that pop can or plastic bottle in your purse, bag or jacket and putting it in the blue box when you get home, somebody will pick it up -- or not. Littering is a nasty habit for people acting out social disaffection, self-centred behaviour, or simply not caring. Managing litter in London consumes financial and human resources that would be better directed to more productive activities.

Does litter bother you, or are you resigned to it? What can we do, if anything? Run education campaigns, call out by-law enforcement, post photos online, seek cooperative action from community groups, businesses and business associations, or nothing at all? What's the answer? 

Litter really does bother me and it bothers me that so many people are resigned to it or chose to ignore it.  If I buy a chocolate bar or drink or whatever if I cannot find a garbage can I keep the wrapper until I get home or find one.   Now I don’t go out of my way to pick up garbage but I really wish I did this.   There are garbage cans downtown or around the city, usually near bus stops, so really there is no excuse for littering.   I live in Summerside and when I do see garbage around my street or at the park I do try to pick it up and throw it out.  I assume it is from kids. 

 I think that action should be taken in the form of education from posters or pamphlets, but will these just become garbage themselves.   Perhaps if people actually understand the effects or impacts of garbage they will stop and even help clean it up.  Littering on the street could be carried to the sewers via rain and wind and end up in our Thames River, which people already believe is polluted but is actually improving and they should care about polluting it not only because of the chemicals it could release but fish or wildlife could choke on it, or it could wreck habitats of fish or turtles or other creatures. 

If people are caught littering by law enforcement why not enforce a ticket and a small fine, maybe then it would actually be taken seriously.   Yeah there are harsher crimes but littering is a real issue too, it would be hard to track but maybe it could work.   I have had friends post photos and status’ regarding littering to their facebook pages, one even claimed she cleaned up garbage at the bus stop but the can was full so they tried to bring it on the bus to throw out and the driver yelled at her and told her to take it off the bus. 

Maybe we need proper city maintenance of the garbage cans on city property, as well as street clean ups, but how much of this could be controlled and how often.  Perhaps community or environmental groups could get involved, organize clean ups regularly and for these groups to also encourage people to stop littering.  Just some food for thought!  There is no excuse for littering, its bad for the environment, the community and our own health.  Its not only not pretty its rude.  Would you like it if someone littered on your lawn, no so why are you doing it?