|
|
In Nanaimo, there was somewhat more optimism and awareness of a more diverse fishing economy (i.e., sport fishing, tourism, etc.). However, even there, people expressed the concern that, between threats from overfishing and from pollution, it was doubtful that the fishing industry could remain sustainable in the long run. Outside of Nanaimo and a couple of participants in Calgary, participants in the rest of the sessions knew very little about the west coast fishery. It seemed from what was said in these sessions that when Canadians think of the fishery, they think primarily of Atlantic Canada, unless they literally live by the Pacific Ocean. There was, however, still some recollection of old conflicts over salmon stocks being intercepted by Americans in the Alaska Panhandle. Notably, there was also the viewpoint that the Atlantic fishery represented the more traditional way of the industry, whereas the Pacific fishery was more modern.
|
