The Salmon People

Episode 13

October 6th 2023

Shock & Awe Among First Nations

There was good news and bad news in the spring of 2023. There were surprises from the wild salmon. First Nations made a strange alliance that caused anger and conflict in their communities. And parliament released a report that could force a major overhaul of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

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Nominated Canadian Journalism Foundation Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism

Nominated Digital Publishing Awards Best Podcast: Current Affairs

Some victims don’t have voices.

Off the coast of BC, wild salmon started dying by the millions.

Chris Bennett runs Blackfish Lodge 300 kilometres north of Vancouver. He was leading a group of tourists on a boat tour when he looked into the water and noticed young salmon — called smolt — acting strangely.

He’d found a clue.

He took it to an unlikely detective — a whale biologist, Alexandra Morton — who’d be pulled into a battle against government, industry and multinational corporations.

A story like this one should have been a hero’s tale. An Erin Brockovich moment. But it didn’t quite play out that easily.

This is the fascinating story of a 20-year battle to save Canada’s wild salmon.

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