Blue Fish News – December 16, 2024
What’s New at Blue Fish Canada: The fall hasn’t all been about spending time at the Blue Fish Exploration Centre. The team also managed to take part in numerous conferences such as the St. Lawrence River Institute for Environmental Science’s annual Science Symposium. It was while attending the 3-day Symposium in Cornwall Ontario that we met the producers of the new TV Ontario 3-part series “All Too Clear”. The series explores the underwater worlds of the Great Lakes using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) equipped with all manner of thrusters, lights and cameras. You can find links to the podcast and the videos, as well as the rest of the fishing, fish and habitat news immediately following the below editorial on aquatic research and the role anglers can serve as stewards of aquatic ecosystems.
Blue Fish Canada Update – December 3, 2024
You may have been wondering what Blue Fish Canada has been up to the past few months, and I’m pleased but somewhat exhausted to report that the answer is a whole lot. Thanks to our donors, supporters, granting organizations, and especially our many volunteers, our list of accomplishments is significant – read on.
Some sights at the new Blue Fish Canada Exploration Centre
Get Ready for Fishing was another busy year of working with urban, rural, First Nations and many youth of differing abilities, backgrounds and identities. Blue Fish Canada contributes our success to collaborations with numerous excellent organizations such as Water Rangers, Shimano, Cabela’s, Ottawa Fish School, Mohawks of Akwesasne, and many more including our summer students hired with support from Service Canada’s Summer Job Program. Our focus is on youth who have discovered fishing and want to learn more to strengthen their life-long one-health connection with nature.
Our water quality initiatives, such as founding and chairing the Great Lakes Fish Health Network, and now the new St. Lawrence River Fish Health Working Group, are made possible with support from the Canadian Environmental Law Association, St. Lawrence River Institute for Environmental Science, Maitland Tower, Great Lakes Network, and a diverse group of organizations and experts. The team effort continues to generate greater public understanding of fish health issues specific to both our dependence and use of fish consumption advisories, and the health issues fishes are experiencing due to pollution, climate change, invasive species and habitat loss.
But without doubt, our most significant project, and by that, I mean time consuming, is the creation of the new Blue Fish Exploration Centre. The mission of the 3.5 hector off-grid property stretching along 400 meters of pristine shoreline located just 2.5 hours north of Ottawa is to provide up to ten scientists with the opportunity and tools to conduct fish health and habitat science. The Centre also accommodates up to 20 young people so they can follow and support these scientists as they explore the many lakes, rivers and aquatic lifeforms in the area.
Programming includes tapping into the knowledge of local experts and First Nations knowledge keepers, as well as experts in fields such as nature photography, writing, painting, music, foraging, and numerous other paths for expanding the way we understand and connect with nature in sustainable and respectful ways. Here’s some highlights of what we were able to accomplish so far.
The process of securing a suitable site for the Centre commenced in January 2022. Our search was aided considerably from Quebec’s Pontiac’s Ward, Jane Taller, and the region’s Municipal Regional Council and its 18 municipal mayors. Of all the lakes and shoreline properties we visited, Lac Galarneau ranked number one.
The property is wonderful, and supports a mature forest of Red and White Pine. The land is relatively flat and has near-flat access to a shoreline and beach that extends into the lake over 100 meters. It’s ideal for people of all abilities to move about and directly access the water.
We knew the onsite 195 square meter cabin required significant updating based on reports generated by a 3rd-party home builder, renound Ottawa architect, and a structural engineer. Siding and insulation needed to be replaced, windows and doors needed upgrading, and all doors widened to permit wheelchair access. Interior work included a new kitchen, increasing the bathroom to accommodate wheelchair users, removing the 150-year-old wood-fired camp stove, and installing a new EPA certified woodstove.
Installation of a 4,500-watt solar panel system, storage battery, and backup generator is another upgrade, as is a an exterior 16-meter-long wheelchair ramp.
The dock system was installed in two phases. The end result was an 11-meter long by ramp with railings on each side, leading to a 3-meter wide by 16-meter-long dock system topped with Red Cedar. The dock can easily accommodate wheelchair users, and provides level access to our new wheelchair accessible pontoon boat capable of carrying up to eight people. A second 5-meter-long aluminum boat with a 25hp outboard motor supports water quality, fish health and habitat research. A 3-meter-long propane-powered zodiac capable of carrying four people is our designated rescue watercraft.
The nearby Coulonge River and numerous other lakes and rivers are open to adventure and research by means of ten 12, two lightweight kayak trailers, and two side-by-side vehicles capable of pulling the kayak trailers and carrying a total of 11 people.
Communication is made possible with the use of three Garmin maps and satellite communication devices that can transmit location details and text messages between vehicles and staff at the Centre. Portable VHF radios, and Starlink satellite communications further address our communication requirements.
Two fully accessible Amish bunkies and two accessible outhouses were built using locally grown pine. The bunkies were carefully brought down our 100-meter-long driveway between the towering pines aboard tilt-bed two trucks, as were our two 7-meter-long storage containers that serve as a platform for our solar panels as well as secure equipment storage.
Each fully insulated bunky accommodates up to six guests, and includes a 10×5 screened in porch, propane heating, table and chairs, and solar-powered lighting. 12×12 and 14×16 canvas wall-tents further expands the Centre’s ability to accommodate well over 20 youth in total. Two additional bunkies will be delivered in spring of 2025, and include an accessible meeting and dining hall, and an outdoor kitchen.
It’s clear that inspiring people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and identities takes more than teaching. People connect with nature through all manner of interests such as poetry, music, photography, painting, storytelling, and more. My good friend and mentor Carl Safina, founder of the Safina Institute on Long Island NY has clearly proven that connecting people to nature and establishing true one-health relationships with nature can take many forms. Foraging and fishing are just two such activities, and without doubt represent some of the oldest known to man. Now more than ever people need to learn how their wellbeing is linked to that of natures, and that our actions matter.
Finally, I’d like to thank the Cox family for selecting Blue Fish Canada as their charity of choice when organizing a celebration of life in honor of the passing of John Cox, a life-long nature and fishing enthusiast. John’s family isn’t the first to select our charity in memory of the passing of a family member who loved fishing and spending time in nature. Having functioned for over a dozen years, The Blue Fish Canada charity is becoming a multi-generational icon. Much like my own late father who believed strongly in conserving and celebrating nature’s bounty and passing on the opportunity to youth to experience the same.
Stay tuned for more issues of The Blue Fish News and links to exciting new episodes of The Blue Fish Radio Show to be landing in your email boxes. In the meantime, if you have outdoor equipment that would be of service to the Blue Fish Exploration Centre or our Get Ready for Fishing programs, please reach out.
BlueFishCan@Gmail.Com
Donations are also gratefully accepted as always: https://bluefishcanada.ca/donations/
Yours sincerely,
Lawrence Gunther Euteneier, M.S.M. M.E.S.
Poisson Bleu Canada
À propos de nous
Statut :
Poisson Bleu Canada a été constituée comme société fédérale en janvier 2012 en tant qu’organisme à but non lucratif et a ensuite été enregistrée en tant qu’organisme de bienfaisance auprès de l’Agence du revenu du Canada au mois de novembre suivant. Poisson Bleu Canada fonctionne avec un nombre limité de membres qui siègent au conseil d’administration de l’organisation. Notre siège social est situé à Ottawa.
Mission:
Poisson Bleu Canada se consacre à la conservation, à la protection et à la restauration des environnements d’eau douce et d’eau salée du Canada et de leurs stocks de poissons sauvages. Documenter et promouvoir le patrimoine halieutique du Canada et les pratiques de pêche durables, et veiller à ce que les générations futures de Canadiens aient accès à des pêches aquatiques et marines saines.
Objectifs et Activités:
Les activités et objectifs caritatifs de PBC favorisent la restauration et la conservation de l’environnement marin et d’eau douce, ainsi que la promotion de pratiques traditionnelles durables de gestion des stocks de poissons. Des politiques et des programmes sont recherchés, élaborés et mis en œuvre pour restaurer et conserver les écosystèmes marins et d’eau douce et les stocks de poissons sauvages afin d’atténuer les impacts négatifs directs et indirects. PBC recueille et facilite l’accès aux connaissances traditionnelles et locales avec la participation des dirigeants communautaires reconnus, en partageant des stratégies, politiques et réglementations et les données scientifiques communautaires prouvées efficaces en tenant compte des tendances émergentes qui soutiennent des écosystèmes sains et des pratiques de pêche durables.
Éducation et sensibilisation:
PBC offre une formation aux bénévoles comprenant la protection des habitats des poissons, l’éducation des jeunes, l’engagement des anciens combattants et l’animation de conférences de recherche. Cela comprend la collecte et la transmission de l’accès aux connaissances traditionnelles et locales et celles des dirigeants communautaires reconnus.
Communications:
PBC élabore et communique des politiques, des projets et des stratégies solides pour aider ceux de toutes les régions du Canada faisant face à des défis pour leurs écosystèmes et leurs stocks de poissons sauvages. Une variété de plateformes interactives ainsi que de multiples outils de partage et de formation sont utilisés pour assurer des communications bidirectionnelles solides. Le transfert de connaissances sont également facilités par la production et la distribution de bulletins d’information, de contenus multimédias présentant des problèmes environnementaux et des réussites locales, des plans d’action et des stratégies visant un écosystème durable des stocks de poissons sauvages.
La société subit une transformation dans la façon dont nous percevons la générosité de la nature. Nous ne pouvons plus supposer que cette ressource est infinie.
Les peuples autochtones nous enseignent l’importance d’être connectés à la nature par la récolte de ses richesses et que le maintien de cette connexion est essentiel. Les progrès technologiques, les changements climatiques de la Terre et les 9 milliards de personnes attendues qui habiteront bientôt la Terre signifient que la durabilité de nos ressources sauvages dépend à la fois de directives de récolte fondées sur la science et de meilleures pratiques fondées sur l’expérience.
Les programmes, partenariats et ressources de Poisson Bleu favorisent l’exploration responsable et la jouissance de la beauté profonde et de la richesse remarquable de la nature grâce au partage des connaissances traditionnelles et de la recherche scientifique, tout en informant et en inspirant les pêcheurs récréatifs à s’engager dans la science citoyenne.
Les ressources documentaires sont traduites sur demande.
Notre siège social est situé à Ottawa en Ontario, cependant nos initiatives s’étendent partout au Canada, y compris au Québec et au Nunavut.
Adresse postale :
230 avenue Blackburn
Ottawa, ON
K1N 8A8
Téléphone : 613-232-2028
Adresse courriel : BlueFishCan@gmail.com
Blue Fish Canada Newsletter
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Blue Fish Canada is a grassroots charity dedicated to protecting the health and future of Canada’s water and wild fish stocks.
Blue Fish Canada is a registered charity dedicated to protecting the health and future of Canada’s water and wild fish stocks. CanadaHelps provides Blue Fish Canada with an affordable online donation service to facilitate on-line donations and the issuance of tax receipts.
