No Fish = No Blackfish
We have been hearing this a lot lately and it is true. Chinook Salmon are in huge decline and it is this very fish that is the main diet of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. If the Chinook disappear so will the whales! As it is, the endangered population is down to 75 members and possibly soon to be 74 with J50 “Scarlet” being so ill. These whales need us to take action and that is exactly what the owner of SpringTide is doing!
Dan Kukat, SpringTide’s owner and operator, has spent a large amount of time over the past three years releasing healthy Chinook Salmon back into the Ocean. This community effort, which is administered by the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, has reared and released a whopping 731,000 Chinook to date! The project is named Sooke Chinook Initiative, and it’s expanding production to reach one million reared and released Chinook salmon by next year. Dan says “This will require a doubling of our infrastructure and results in additional costs, which can only be made possible by the continuing generous donations by local businesses, including the whale watching industry.”
We encourage anyone who would like to contribution to this much needed project to contact Chris Bos directly at South Island anglers coalition, who is spearheading the administration of this effort:
SpringTide has been a large cash contributor, and Dan has spent countless hours on this and other convservation projects. He will continue to work hard to increase Chinook numbers but can’t do it alone. He says “I still truly believe that these whales need more fish, and I am doing everything I possibly can to help make this happen.”
You too can help make this happen. Volunteer at your local hatchery or donate to projects such as this one. These whales need our help. Let’s stop talking about it and take action now!
To learn more about how we are helping check out our Contribution to Conservation Page.