Dear editor,

I wonder if DFO knows what shellfish aquaculture now looks like on the western shore of Denman Island. If they don鈥檛 know what it looks like these days, then why don鈥檛 they? And if they do know, then why are they allowing this anarchic destruction of the foreshore?

I assume that DFO accepts responsibility for this remarkably rapid degradation of beach habitat on one of the richest estuaries on the south coast: reconfiguration of beaches to create high berms, embedding of vertical bars of reinforcing steel into swimming and boating beaches, proliferation of poorly fastened horizontal and vertical netting of various kinds, growing piles of industrial plastic waste on beaches, driving of ever larger vehicles over sensitive foreshore habitat, and so on. Are they also using pesticides in our waters? As far as we can understand it, shellfish tenure holders are now themselves defining how their 鈥渇arming鈥� will be done on these public beaches, ignoring their conditions of licensing with impunity, and disregarding the safety and well being of all others.

I will be talking to audiences around the south coast this fall to present my new book on the history of the Strait of Georgia. This travesty on Baynes Sound is sure to figure large in my public talks 鈥� another frightening example of 鈥渞egulatory capture鈥� here in BC. Another rapacious industry uncontrolled by government that seems to spend more on advertising (and perhaps on political contributions?) than it does on environmental safeguards and demonstrably does not have the public鈥檚 interest at heart.

But isn鈥檛 DFO supposed to protect the marine environment and the public鈥檚 interest? It would be awfully useful to have DFO鈥檚 explanation for what is going on because I鈥檓 not sure I understand it. I was born on the Strait and have lived here most of my life and I鈥檝e never seen anything like it. Except perhaps the various deadly complex organic compounds spewed into the sea for so long by the old pulp mills, before they were finally forced to clean up their act. Will people have to die from the uncontrolled practices of shellfish growers on our beaches before something is done?

Howard Macdonald Stewart

Denman Island