Clayoquot Action

03/16/2026

Keep them wild! 🎏 What a fun parade celebrating the return of the whales to this beautiful part of the coast.
Thank you Pacific Rim Whale Fest and all ocean protectors 🙌🏾🐋
Conservation also means celebration of all the amazing wild creatures surrounding us.

📸 Jérémy Mathieu - Photographie et Film

03/14/2026

The whales are back. 🐋

Each spring, the return of the grey whales to Clayoquot Sound reminds us that the ocean is alive and deeply connected. As the Pacific Rim Whale Festival begins in Tofino, we celebrate these incredible travellers returning to this part of the coast.

For thousands of years, coastal Nuu-chah-nulth Nations have lived with and respected these waters and the whales that pass through them, holding deep cultural connections and knowledge.

Let’s celebrate the return of the whales by doing everything we can to protect them and keep their home healthy, for today and for generations to come. 🌊

📸 Jérémy Mathieu - Photographie et Film *photo taken with telephoto lens

03/10/2026

FREE WEBINAR - THE RIGHTS OF NATURE
Join us to learn more about this emerging legal concept, which is being applied around the world to protect mountains, rivers and species. Applying the concept of personhood to natural entities helps shift modern society away from an anthropocentric to a biocentric worldview, aligning the Anglo-Canadian legal system more closely with an Indigenous worldview. What would our world be like if migratory salmon had the right to exist, and the right to continue to exist? 🎏

Based on a brand-new Clayoquot Action report authored by Nicole Grant (she/her), a second-year law student at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University with a specialization in Environmental Law.

👉 The author Nicole Grant and Master Carver and Tla-o-qui-aht Elder Tutakwisnapšiƛ, Joe Martin, will be joining the webinar.

➡️ Sign up now: https://www.simpletix.com/e/the-rights-of-nature-webinar-tickets-261349

03/05/2026

🚫 This should not be happening!

During a recent Clayoquot Salmon Investigation (CSI) trip, we found a Marbled Murrelet trapped inside a salmon farm operated by Cermaq near Tofino in Clayoquot Sound. Cermaq’s own records report five murrelets killed at two farms in 2025. ☠

Marbled Murrelets are extraordinary seabirds that depend on both ancient forests and healthy oceans. They feed at sea but nest high in old-growth trees, laying just one egg per year. Listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, their population is already in decline.

Their lives reflect a truth long held by the Nuu-chah-nulth: Hishuk ish ts’awalk — everything is one and connected.

Endangered seabirds should not be dying in industrial nets, especially not in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

If we are serious about protecting wild salmon, ancient forests, and ocean life, open-net fish farms must be removed from these waters.

👉 NEW BLOG ALERT! Read more here: https://clayoquotaction.org/deadly-nets-marbled-murrelets-die-on-cermaq-fish-farms/

03/03/2026

Every spring, magic returns to Clayoquot Sound.
The waters turn a luminous turquoise as Pacific herring gather to spawn. This event is a breathtaking reminder of how abundance begins. 🐟

These small, shimmering fish are giants in the ecosystem. Herring feed migratory salmon, whales, sea lions, seabirds, and countless other marine species. When the herring return, the entire coast comes alive. It is the heartbeat of a healthy ocean.

For the Nuu-chah-nulth Nations of this region, Pacific herring are far more than a species. They are relatives, teachers, and a sacred food source that has sustained communities since time immemorial. Spawn-on-kelp harvesting reflects deep knowledge, respect, and stewardship rooted in thousands of years of relationship with these fish.

Protecting herring means protecting culture, food sovereignty, and the intricate web of life along the coast. When herring thrive, we all thrive. 🌊 ✨

📸 * Official DFO Spawn Survey Flight Program

02/26/2026

The Hesquiaht First Nation sent a strong message to the Federal Government demanding the immediate removal of open-net pen fish farms from the Pacific Coast. 🚫

Additionally, the Nation is requesting immediate action to install cameras on all currently operating fish farms and fish handling vessels to monitor fish handling procedures. 🎥

Swipe and read the full letter.

Together, we stand for wild, migratory salmon! 🐟

02/25/2026

NEW BLOG: Big Win For Salmon! 🎏
The news cycle is so relentless these days—but every now and then, good news comes through!
Such was the case this January, when CBC reported that the Discovery Islands appeal had been lost—by fish farming giant Mowi. This case has been dragging on since 2020, when Minister of Fisheries Bernadette Jordan announced a phase-out of open-net pens in the Discovery Islands. Those farms were never re-stocked…

👉 Read more here: https://clayoquotaction.org/big-win-for-salmon/

📸 Tavish Campbell

02/21/2026

You can feel the anticipation in the air. Eagles are gathering, sea lions are arriving in impressive numbers, and their presence draws in Kakawin (Orca), completing a powerful circle of life. The waters are alive with movement and sound as the entire ecosystem prepares for the return of the herring. It’s one of the most exciting times of the year. The first spawn has already taken place in Barkley Sound, marking the beginning of this remarkable seasonal renewal. 🐟

At Clayoquot Action, we are working toward a pristine, vibrant, and healthy Clayoquot Sound. A place where herring can spawn freely, where wild fish thrive, and where the broader ecosystem is no longer impacted by polluting industrial fish farms. Together, we are standing for an abundant environment for future generations of all living beings.

📸 Jérémy Mathieu - Photographie et Film

02/17/2026

We’re thrilled to share that our award-winning documentary Salmon Secrets will be screened at this year’s Herring Fest on Hornby Island! 🎬🐟

Join Clayoquot Action’s Bonny Glambeck and Dan Lewis for a live Q&A following the screening, where you can connect, ask questions, and dive deeper into the story behind the film.

Come celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Herring Fest presented by Conservancy Hornby Island, and honour Pacific herring, a cornerstone of BC’s coastal ecosystems and cultures.

We hope to see you there for an evening of film, conversation, and community. 💙

More details and tickets here 👉 https://www.conservancyhornbyisland.org/herringfest

Conservancy Hornby Island

02/16/2026

So exciting!

We'll let you rest on the Friday daytime after your busy evening of performance and art (and buying art) but then it's right into our second evening of HerringFest with Film Night. This year, with live Q&A with Bonny Glambeck and Dan Lewis of Clayoquot action, about their film Salmon Secrets (and yes it has a lot to do with herring!). Tickets here: www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/chi-association-for-conservancy-of-hornby-island/events/film-night-at-herringfest26

02/13/2026

Hello Substack! We joined a new space, and we’re bringing all the latest conservation news, updates on Clayoquot Sound, wild salmon, and efforts to protect the environment.

Join us on Substack to stay connected and make a difference! 🌲🐟

See us here 👉 https://clayoquotaction.substack.com/

📸 Jérémy Mathieu - Photographie et Film