For immediate release – Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

33,000 Salmon Petition Signatures Denied Delivery to BC Government Cabinet Offices

Vancouver, British Columbia – Today Alexandra Morton and the Wilderness Committees salmon mascot, "Tum Tum, Voice of the Wild Salmon," along with concerned citizens, tried to deliver over 33,000 petition signatures in a wheel barrow to the BC government cabinet offices at the World Trade Centre at Canada Place urging them to protect wild salmon from fish farms, but were denied entry.

"BCs wild salmon are intrinsic to the West Coast culture and many runs are facing extinction," said Geoff Senichenko, Wilderness Committee Research Director. "Salmon farms breed sea lice that further threaten juvenile wild salmon, which is why we need the government to close salmon farms now."

Upon the Wilderness Committees arrival, security staff locked the doors of the public building barring entry and explained that there was no one upstairs in the cabinet offices to accept the petitions. The security staff then went on to explain that they could accept the petitions on behalf of the BC government.

"I think this is outrageous that concerned citizens are unable to access a government office or a government representative to explain our concerns and deliver our petitions," said Senichenko. "We were only able to talk to security staff. What kind of government representing the people do we have?"

Wilderness Committee supporters were then able to contact staff people by phone who then sent supporters to the BC Liberal campaign office. Wilderness Committee supporters then marched to their office in Gastown only to find that there were no elected government officials in this office either to accept the petitions. When supporters asked where the nearest office of an elected government official was that could accept the petitions we were given the constituency office address of a member of the official opposition Spencer Hubert some distance away.

13,000 signatures (posted at www.adopt-a-fry.org The Letter), urges the provincial government to protect wild salmon by immediately removing the marine feedlot industry from wild salmon migration routes and applying the Fisheries Act, which is the law in Canada. The other 20,000 signatures, collected by the Wilderness Committee demand closure of BCs open-net cage salmon feedlots.

"The ball is in the BC governments court. We would still like to deliver our hard earned petition signatures to them, preferably to the premier, and we wont give up until we do", said Senichenko. "Alexandra Morton will keep collecting signatures, as will the Wilderness Committee. How many will it take for the BC government to respond".

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For further information:
Geoff Senichenko, Research Director, Wilderness Committee — 604.683.8220 or 778.230.5560
Alexandra Morton, www.adopt-a-fry.org — 250.974.7086