Pacific Wild's Spring 2014 Newsletter via Bears Matter

Spring 2014 E-News

4 THINGS WE’RE DOING – and 4 THINGS YOU CAN DO!

#1 – Pacific Herring

Sunshine, hail, rain and snow in quick succession are common spring indicators that herring season is here – when herring drop their tiny eggs by the billions and all manner of hungry predators come out to feed on the flush of nutrients this keystone species brings to the coast. But this season there was a new sign of the impending spawn: heavy RCMP presence in Heiltsuk territory, preparing to protect a controversial commercial		*IMAGE: A wolf feasting on herring roe.* Pacific Wild is hosting filmmaker Jeff Turner during the herring spawn. Jeff recently completed the Wild Canada series and is now filming for the BBC.
gillnet opening for herring. Federal Fisheries Minister Shea went against the advice of her own scientists and declared the central coast open to a commercial gillnet roe herring fishery. Pacific Wild continues to support First Nations opposition to this unsustainable fishery. Without herring, we would not have bears, salmon, whales or wolves. What you can do: Help us make sure that this was the last year that the herring spawn was marked by controversy and an unsustainable fishery. Write to Federal Fisheries Minister Shea and urge her to protect this critically important species that has supported our coast and communities for countless generations. Twitter @CPCGailSheaRead Ian McAllister’s blog piece Lament for Herring.

#2 – A New Season for Great Bear LIVE

Thanks to your support of last fall’s Indiegogo campaign and other generous donations, we have added underwater and night vision filming to our repertoire. Check out our live streams today and watch the Great Bear Rainforest come to life as the herring spawn along the shore. We have been capturing incredible footage of seals and sea lions chasing herring from both above and below the water.

Pacific Wild is once again expanding our hydrophone network this year and incorporating HD remote cameras to photo ID whales and other marine mammals. The data gathered with this project will help to increase understanding of whale movements and habitat use, as well as the potential impacts of increased shipping noise on these acoustically-sensitive animals.

What you can do: Sign up for Great Bear Alerts and follow us on Twitter for live updates when there is action on the cameras and hydrophones.

#3- Spring Grizzly Hunt is OPEN

The B.C. spring grizzly hunt is upon us but the province’s “rationale” for allowing the hunt doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Budget estimates that show provincial revenue from trophy hunting at a paltry $414,000, while bear-watching tourism already generates over 12 times the revenue in visitor spending and 50 times the number of jobs as trophy hunting. Worse yet, approximately one third of the 3,500 grizzlies shot from 2001-2011 were females, many of them leaving orphaned cubs behind. Approximately 1,800 tags have been issued, the highest in decades. Pacific Wild continues to press for a ban on trophy hunting of grizzlies.
LISTEN to a podcast from April 6, 2014 with Charlie Russell discussing the hunt on CKNW.

What you can do: visit our Take Action page and let the B.C. government know that you oppose this brutal hunt.

#4 – No Tankers

Several Gitga’at Nation women in Hartley Bay are drawing the line on Enbridge’s proposed tanker route through their territorial waters by crocheting a line that will stretch from the village right across Douglas Channel on National Aboriginal Day, June 21st, 2014. The Gitga’at have filed for a judicial review of the JRP process and are fighting Enbridge and the panel’s support of the project.

What we can all do: In the brief time leading up to the federal government’s decision on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project, we can support First Nations’ legal battles against this and other pipeline projects that threaten aboriginal constitutional rights. Join others as they get creative in finding ways to keep saying NO to Enbridge and tanker traffic. Contact your MLA and MP. Educate yourself and others through social media and other channels.

Also, stay informed about the cumulative social and environmental effects of proposed LNG development in northern B.C.. Stay tuned for dates and locations of a Pacific Wild speaking tour to discuss impacts of LNG and oil development as they relate to the Great Bear.

We want to know what YOU think!

Contact us or visit our Facebook page with your ideas on how we can best confront these issues together. All of our projects and campaigns rely on the support of individual donors, supporters and volunteers like you.

We need your help.

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