Via National Review:
In 2012, the British Columbia–based Native American Haida tribe launched an effort to restore the salmon fishery that has provided much of their livelihood for centuries. Acting collectively, the Haida voted to form the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation, financed it with $2.5 million of their own savings, and used it to support the efforts of American scientist-entrepreneur Russ George to demonstrate the feasibility of open-sea mariculture — in this case, the distribution of 120 tons of iron sulfate into the northeast Pacific to stimulate a phytoplankton bloom which in turn would provide ample food for baby salmon.
The verdict is now in on this highly controversial experiment: It worked.
In fact it has been a stunningly over-the-top success. This year, the number of salmon caught in the northeast Pacific more than quadrupled, going from 50 million to 226 million. In the Fraser River, which only once before in history had a salmon run greater than 25 million fish (about 45 million in 2010), the number of salmon increased to 72 million.
In addition to producing salmon, this extraordinary experiment has yielded a huge amount of data. Within a few months after the ocean-fertilizing operation, NASA satellite images taken from orbit showed a powerful growth of phytoplankton in the waters that received the Haida’s iron. It is now clear that, as hoped, these did indeed serve as a food source for zooplankton, which in turn provided nourishment for multitudes of young salmon, thereby restoring the depleted fishery and providing abundant food for larger fish and sea mammals. In addition, since those diatoms that were not eaten went to the bottom, a large amount of carbon dioxide was sequestered in their calcium carbonate shells.Good news all around, right?\
Wrong!
Silvia Ribeiro, of the international anti-technology watchdog ETC Group, also voiced her horror at any development that might allow humanity to escape from the need for carbon rationing. “It is now more urgent than ever that governments unequivocally ban such open-air geoengineering experiments,” she said. “They are a dangerous distraction providing governments and industry with an excuse to avoid reducing fossil-fuel emissions.”
See, it's all about making us toe the Green line - about power: theirs over ours - and really nothing at all about the environment. That's why true believer Greens don't need any real evidence to support global warming, and why the demand that you simply shut up if you question their "science," as it's really about controlling every aspect of your life, and taking every cent they possibly can from your pocket. Screw the salmon and the Indians and their success, it's not supportive of the narrative!
Nobody would be more angered at a stable (no climate change what-so-ever) planet with abundant species than the Green Lobby.
ReplyDelete...it is easy to quadruple the fish ...aren't these the same people who a few years back put a net across the river and caught virtually every fish going up stream to spawn, then several years later complained that the subsequent cycle 4 or 5 years later there were no fish going up river to spawn.
ReplyDeleteI also like the term "used their own savings" ...when the governments of Canada provide the equivalent of about a million dollars per year per Native person.
I applaud they are trying to fix the problem but one must remember who caused said problem.