President’s Blog

Aug 26 Vancouver BC

After a long summer cruising the west coast of Canada supporting the elimination of open pen salmon farming, I was uplifted to find even those earning a living from the industry understand the situation. Where salmon farms are, wild salmon are not.

If we humans want wild oceans we need to not only understand, we need to act.

Ask yourself what is more important: do you want a future for your children and grandchildren, or do you want a bigger house or new truck. As a person immersed in western culture myself, I’ve decided to change my focus and forget about the bling and go all in for a future. I find many young people today are agreeing with me.

We all need to make a living to live, but there are choices…

In a world that continues to be divided by extreme views, I suggest we step back and realize that even our enemies think they are doing what is right. Instead of condemning the other side, open your mind and make differences in yourself that will convince the other side; not through threats and lawsuits, but through conversation and respect.

To deal with the salmon issue by blaming others is ignorant: we must blame ourselves and try to do better.

Recently the story about the death of a baby orca, and the mourning of a mother has dominated the news and has brought the distress of orcas front and center. Who do we blame? Sea lions, fishermen, native tribes and anyone else but ourselves. The city of Victoria, B.C. dumps raw untreated sewage directly into their habitat. Whale watching tours with as many as 75 boats follow a pod to get a view of these magnificent animals… are we loving these animals to death? Think of trying to live in an environment with numerous rock bands playing in your vicinity. How can the whales, talk, feed or raise their young? I couldn’t live that way. I doubt you could, and either can they.

I certainly understand the educational purpose of people seeing whales. They are special. You can feel their presence and they deserve to live in harmony without with their environment without human intervention. Let’s face it we humans have had a larger effect on the earth then any other species. We have over populated to an extent that we deplete the finite resources of our planet. We have eaten our way through numerous other species, and have caused more species to go extinct then anytime in history. Volcanoes, an asterroid or other worldly disasters drove the dinosaurs to extinction… we humans are doing the same to the planet today. Interdependence is a law of nature. By destroying one species we affect all others… and who is to blame? Corporations, governments, or maybe just look in the mirror, we have met the enemy, and it is us.

Today I am returning to Port Hardy and the M/V Wii Seeks to continue our campaign against open pen salmon farms. I was lucky enough to be invited to the fish camp of the eagle clan of the Gitxsan people on the Skeena River for a few days to renew my soul and discuss the future with an old friend and activist Gordon Sebastian.

Gordon and I worked together back in the 90s when and number of Native People from Canada confronted, and ended the 500 year celebration of the “discovery of America” by Columbus. The government of Spain plus a number of moneyed interests planned to sail replicas of the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria to America to attend celebrations in 22 cities that would last the entire year of 1991. A small group of First Nations warriors from Northern BC , Canada decided to ruin their day. They contacted Sea Shepherd and arranged to lease the ship for a dollar to stop the celebration. The M/V Sea Shepherd II was in the Caribbean looking for driftnets so the boat was available and it was crewed by none other then the original “vegan death squad” and they were game. The celebration in fact began with a huge event in Spain as the ships left for Porto Rico to start the celebrations here.

Now at the time I was an ocean activist while holding a fulltime job and raising a couple of kids so it was not an issue I would have had time to pursue, but I was heavily involved with the sea shepherd conservation society at the time and was asked to help.

First I traveled to Spain for the send off and as things go, spent the night in a pouring rain storm on board the Santa Marie with a night watch woman as there were no rooms in town. This was a huge event, attended by the King of Spain, and I must admit I was not prepared for the amount of people attending. I arrived a day early and toured the ships then visited the two war ships, a frigate and an ocean going tug who were escorting the flotilla. Using my camera and skills I was ultimately invited to lunch with the captain of the frigate. During lunch he was bragging about the event and I asked how he intended to answer Native American critics who “I assumed” would protest their coming. He was not worried as he had been assured a welcome in 22 cities and in his words; “he was not concerned”. To get the ships there safely he had a plan. After coffee he took me to the chartroom and showed me the plan. I must admit it was very clever indeed. They had planned to sail the replicas into a small island port outside Porto Rico and hide them there until the big day of the celebration. It probably would of worked too, if he hadn’t been so cocky as to show me. I, of course, vowed to keep his secret…I lied.

I came back to the states with the film and plan, and that was to be the end of my participation. It was a couple of months later, just before Christmas when I got another call to help. You see the First Nations warriors were hunters, trappers, and fishermen a breed of human that the vegans found disgusting. The poor Natives had no idea I am sure of what they were in for.

This is when I met Art Loring , wing chief for the eagle clan and one of the bravest men I have ever met. It was Art’s bear claw necklace that got me back into the fray. Back in the 90s the vegans ran the engine room of the old northsea trawler, and most of the other crew were glad they did. The brave captain Watson never entered their domain and for good reason. It was an old ship, badly ventilated, stinking of diesel fumes, hot, dark and quite frankly the nearest thing to hell on earth. The vegans, as far as I was concerned could have it, and they claimed it during these times as their own. Even the officers left them alone… as long as that engine ran, we stayed out of their exalted territory.

Well, Art Loring was a logger and trapper and had brought bear claws to include in a ceremonial necklace that he had intended to wear for the confrontation. Trouble arose when he went to the engine room to get a claw drilled for the necklace, and all hell broke loose… I was called to establish peace.

The vegans were refusing to operate the boat with the Natives on board… a stand off of major proportion. Now I had always had good relationships with the vegan tribe and gave them the respect they deserved, something Paul Watson never did. Watson had his own galley and cooked the food he wanted with little or no regard for the rest of us. He often went out of his way to show he was boss; like in Alaska on the Devine Wind when I traded vegan cookies for a halibut. We were a conservation ship, not a vegan ship so this was not the end of the world per say, but to make his point the captain butchered the fish on deck for all to see, even removing the beating heart to taunt the young idealistic crew. Now at the time I was all for eating the fish, and I am for it today, but the “beating heart” taunt was even too much for me. To say the least in 1991 Watson had little respect of the crews’ numerous indiscretions, and most I am sure they never forgot.

Anyhow I was brought in to negotiate a deal. First I went to the vegans and made the promise that the galley would remain vegan and that I would explain things to the natives so horrible things like the necklace incident did not happen again. Then I went to meet the natives.

To this day I remember them gathering in the parking lot around the bow of the ship. My first question was; who was the chief so I knew who could make the deal… 15 hands rose as they were all chiefs! This began the adventure that 30 years later brought me to Art’s clan territory.

I write about this campaign in my upcoming book but to make a long story short: We made lots of threats and were dogged by the US coast guard the whole time. We pretended to chase the replicas around the Caribbean until crunch time. Then we went to the island the Spanish captain had told me about, and low and behold caught the replicas in open water, and chased them into a private marina on Porto Rico blowing the planned arrival and ultimately the whole celebration, not only on Porto Rico, but it was cancelled altogether. Columbus was never idolized again and history was changed… all because of Art having the guts to stand up and take the ships. Two others and a member of our crew joined him, and it helped change our view of history.

The Gitxsan went home with an apology to them and all native people signed by the government of Spain. To get this apology there was a major stand off, with cops , divers, and a swat team posed to shoot us at any sign of trouble. Quite exciting for a few hours, but it all ended peacefully, Art and his compatriots got home for Christmas, the vegans got their boats back, and by coincidence I got audited the next year by the IRS… I assumed it was just a coincidence.

In the following years I have often asked other Native American activists I have worked with why they weren’t there? Art, Gordon, Wii Seeks and the others were from northern BC… a bit out of the “Original Blast zone” so to speak… I never got a good answer but truth be told, a small band of brave warriors from the forests of Canada made a stand against colonialism… led by Art Loring that changed history.

His children and grand children will no longer suffer the indignity of Columbus being idolized, and like any event where individuals take on governments and win, the incident hardly made the press. Only the few that do know the truth, were there.

I was honored to be able to relate the story to his family and clan, and I hope it will stand as an example to all that individuals change history. The fight is a story for another time, but I am proud to be associated with the event. The Gitxsan now control their territory, and are now fighting for control of their river.

The Porto Rican police, and anti-terrorist unit called Art the “mean one with the stick”. I called him a friend and know that his spirit continues to lead his people, and hopefully the rest of us into the future.

Peter Jay Brown

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We are still in Port Hardy as the ferry I was planning to take broke down so I will go up to Prince Rupert tomorrow to visit my old friend and activist Gordon Sebastian. Gordon and I sailed against the Columbus celebration ships in 1991, and hopefully meet others who came with him. Wii Seeks was a leader of the group and our boat is proudly named in his honor…a great man and true activist. If you are interested in the story, read Bob Hunter’s book: “Red Blood”.

Yesterday another old friend showed up in for medical treatment from his lighthouse station up north. Paul Whalen just showed up, and he is the best. It was great seeing him again and he hooked us up with others who can certainly help. As all our stops and delays on this adventure have opened up opportunities unimagined. It is interesting how things, even screw-ups, work out for the best if you have the right attitude.

While I’m gone for a few days, Frances, the mate, will stay with the boat and take a deserved break, I hope.

Frances Buchanan is by far the hardest working person I have ever met. She came to me recommended by Scott West and what a find. She is “old” Sea Shepherd and I am proud to be able to sail with her. Young people like Frances give me hope for the future. She is dedicated to the cause like no one’s business and she is not afraid. About I’d guess a hundred pounds soaking wet, she has the backbone of a tiger and heart of a lion. We all could learn from her. I have to admit that my trying to keep up has worn this old man out. For those with doubt about the future, look to humans like Frances to carry the torch. There are others in my past who were great, but this is now, and Frances is out there doing what is necessary for us all to survive.

So the rest of you need to get off the couch and do something… anything positive to help. It is your future after all, make it count. Frances will be thereto set an example. I am sure.

 

Aug 6^th

We’ve spent the last few days on a salmon farm tour of the Queen Charlotte Straits, British Columbia, Canada. This wilderness teems with eagles, bear, whales, rare seabirds, and wild salmon… well that is now, the future is still in doubt. The last two days we have visited a dozen farms and or proposed farm sites in a very small geographical area… the boat only goes 8 knots so we are not speeding around by any means.

These farms have colorful names like Midsummer Farm, Arrow Pass, Upper Retreat, Blunder Pass, Potts Bay, Glacier Falls, and even a couple called Cecil and Maude. Actually the last two were my favorite. Cecil was empty with abandoned pens and buildings, and Maude was gone, hopefully forever.

Now where they went, and why they were closed is research for another day, but I have my suspicions that once these corporations pollute and contaminate one cove, they move on to another. We also visited two “proposed sites” perhaps getting to view them the last time in their natural state.

Another coincidence appears to be that the marinas and local tie-ups where we stayed the night were all once famous and well known to salmon fishermen. They too have quaint names like Alert Bay, Echo Bay, and Sullivan Bay, but the fisherman are no longer catching fish. As we sit and watch the sun set around communal tables you hear the stories of old. The great catches that all fishermen brag about, but today they all end with: “well I got nothing today”.

At Pierre’s marina where you could once catch 100 pound salmon off the fuel dock; now there is nothing. Today, Pierre has a well-known pig roast each Saturday night to attract the yachting crowd. One has to think back to when the main dish must have been salmon, wild salmon.

Have we humans come to the point that we are just accepting the death of wilderness, or have we just lost the courage to face the unknown?

The crew of Gaianetwork.net are not afraid of the wild. We cherish it, and I relish the fact that nature is in control, not me. We believe that these open pen salmon farms should go, not only for the health and pollution reasons, but for downright primal reasons. Who are we as a species? Must we control and dominate everything, or can we revert back to our ancestors’ way of thinking to become more in tune with nature. Primitive tribes are in touch with their environments; they need to be to survive. Most humans today are not, and we as a species are not better off for it.

A great conservationist Doug Tompkins once explained it like this: if you are walking a path and come to a cliff, do you precede forward to your death, or is the prudent thing to do to take a 180 degree turn and continue forward… just in the opposite direction. Modern thought seems to say step forward no matter what, but I’ll listen to Doug. Progress is not just forward, and we as a species should beware.

It is a question all of us must answer now, or we will pass the problem down the road to our children and grand children. I will make the stand today and hope others will join me.