It could be worse
John DeMont’s cover story on salmon (“Crosscurrents,” CG Sept/Oct 2004) was probably the best example of balanced journalism on this controversial issue that I have seen in some time. DeMont at least made a good effort to get all sides of the story, and for the most part, he concentrated on the science, rather than the outlandish claims made by those who would shut down the industry. But I take issue with a few points.
The story says farmed salmon are “pumped full of dyes and drugs.” The
so-called dyes are synthesized carotenoids, the same natural elements that make the flesh of sockeye salmon red. They are exact replicas of carotenoids found in the foods salmon eat. As for drugs, farmed salmon get less in the way of antibiotics and other medications than most animals destined for our tables. Government hatcheries in British Columbia and Alaska produce billions of salmon to maintain their commercial fisheries. From birth, those fish get the same type of food and, as required, the same medical treatments as do farmed salmon.
The question of fish waste beneath the pens cannot in any way be compared to human sewage. The city of Victoria, for example, dumps all its raw, untreated sewage into the ocean. Included in this disgusting mess are traces of more than 3,000 commonly used pharmaceuticals, as well as bacteria and viruses that impact on humans.
It never fails to amaze me that anti-farming spokespeople can even think about raising salmon in land-based pens. Patrick Moore, chairman and chief scientist with Greenspirit Strategies Ltd., did an analysis of such a scheme. He calculated that the energy from diesel-operated generators at remote fish farms would burn up 3.6 litres of diesel fuel to produce one kilogram of salmon. At that rate, 252 million litres of diesel oil would be required to produce 70,000 tonnes of salmon — the amount grown in B.C. in 2002. All that oil would meet the energy needs of a community of 33,000 people. As Moore points out, there would be a huge increase of greenhouse gases, something environmentalists, among many others, are very much against.
It would seem that Ian Hamilton, the owner of Aqua Fish Farms Ltd., and a marine biologist, had the right idea when he said that people who oppose salmon farming are not pro-environment, they are against salmon farming.
Stuart Morrison
Kelowna, B.C.
I was disturbed by your superficial article on salmon farming. First, there is no disagreement that PCBs are unhealthy, but it’s easy to confuse this issue by pointing to the different limits specified by different agencies. We need to look at these agencies. Health Canada, for example, recently fired three scientists who were doing their job — protecting the Canadian public from unhealthy substances in foods. The fact is, PCBs are bad for you, and there are alternative healthy sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Second, this industry is not being held accountable for its environmental actions. The issues are not trivial — desertification of the seabed, eutrophication of the water, species extinction, fish kills, algal blooms, etc.
Comments such as “the farmed-salmon question is impossibly complex” and “exactly why is a mystery” (in reference to the decline of wild-salmon runs) are a denial of the truth. The issues are not as complicated as fish-farming proponents would like to claim. They are made “mysterious” by behaviour that is all too common these days: contradicting a valid, independent study of a problem with one funded (usually by industry or a government/industry team) to get the results they want.
While the individuals in the fish-farming industry are like any other group, composed of good and bad souls, it is important that we look clearly at the issues confronting us. Let’s work together to fix the problems instead of spreading half-truths that avoid the issues and destroy our world.
Richard Cabell
Nanaimo, B.C.
John DeMont hits the real problem when he writes that providing cheap fish for consumers leaves farmers struggling to stay afloat. I have worked in agriculture for more than 30 years, during which time national and multinational corporations have changed food from an item of respect to a commodity to be traded at the lowest price. As a society, we have lost the concept of food as one of the three essentials of life (along with clothing and shelter). With overflowing superstores growing by the minute and an ever-increasing number of fast-food places, acquiring food is no longer a chore to be respected, and therefore, its value is ignored.
Gerald A. Umbach
Dunrobin, Ont.
This article states that a typical bathtub can hold less than one cubic metre of water. The fact is that a cubic metre of water will fill about five bathtubs to the rim. A cubic metre of water weighs one tonne. A bathtub has a floor area of about one square metre. That would create a pressure of about 10 kilopascals. This pressure on a residential floor is about six times the maximum permitted by the Building Code of Canada and other codes. The cubic-metre-of-water comparison was greatly exaggerated.
Bernard Béland, Eng.
Sherbrooke, Que.
Credibility is fickle and can be lost in a phrase such as “mad-cow-afflicted cattle collapsing in palsied heaps.” We had one North American cow diagnosed with BSE, and we have millions of cattle. The image presented by the author and the reality of BSE in North America are not the same. Perhaps the author should bring the same standards for context to the BSE issue that he brings to the issue of PCBs in farmed salmon, which he speaks to later in this article.
What are the chances that a writer would seize on this European beef phenomenon to open an article that speaks primarily to the Canadian fish-farming industry?
Hal Weber
Lloydminster, Alta.
On the mark
Brian Gorman’s article on Olive Dickason (“"Late starter,” CG Sept/Oct 2004) is impeccable. The imagery he has implanted in my mind with details such as how Dickason’s eyes move is nothing less than astounding. He certainly did his homework.
Barry Dean Wood
Halifax, N.S.
I had never heard of this wonderful woman and am totally intrigued by her life and ultimately her determination to research and illuminate the “Canadian” heritage for people like me. (I always thought Christopher Columbus wreaked havoc when he was here.) I intend to source both her books and digest them immediately. I long to know of North America before the white man. Thank you for this wonderful article. This is why I buy Canadian Geographic.
Tony Martin
Newmarket, Ont.
Unflattering portrait
Having been a professional truck driver for more than 20 years, I feel the need to comment on “Four O One liner” (CG Sept/Oct 2004).
Overall, there were some interesting and valid points made about the state of the trucking industry and the rigours and frustrations we put up with on a daily basis. It is nice to see the media at least trying to get the facts straight and not simply sensationalizing and adding to the public’s misconceptions about trucks and trucking.
However, the gentleman you chose
to be the ambassador for the trucking industry certainly did us no favours. Comments like “a lot of [truckers] are half asleep at this time of night,” while not at all true, are exactly what the media and the public want to hear. “Killer trucks” make great headlines. Avoiding weigh scales and inspection stations just adds to the lawless image that Joe Citizen has of truckers. The confrontational attitude toward fourwheelers and peeing behind dumpsters make us out to be a bunch of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals. Hard partying, waking up not knowing how he got there, an impaired-driving charge, a major accident, three failed marriages, virtual bankruptcy — this is the face of today’s truck driver? No wonder he never drives his car on the 401!
This is not meant to be a personal attack on the driver. I just feel the writer could have dug a little deeper to find a truer example of who is driving the big rigs today. There are 262,999 more of us out there, and the vast majority are professional, caring operators who are more than a little tired of being stereotyped.
I had never heard of this wonderful woman and am totally intrigued by her life and ultimately her determination to research and illuminate the “Canadian” heritage for people like me. (I always thought Christopher Columbus wreaked havoc when he was here.) I intend to source both her books and digest them immediately. I long to know of North America before the white man. Thank you for this wonderful article. This is why I buy Canadian Geographic.
Mark Reindl
Burlington, Ont.
One of the biggest problems facing Canada’s trucking industry today is the driver shortage, in spite of excellent compensation rates on a salary or owner/operator basis.
One solution is for the federal government to increase the points awarded to potential immigrants with truck-driving experience. Unless the demand for more drivers is met, the chronic shortage will cripple the trucking industry’s ability to fulfill the demands of the Canadian economy, which is ever more dependent on international trade.
Lee Hootnick
Member, Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation
Toronto
Your article states that trucks and trains compete directly for only about 10 percent of freight. If the playing field between them were levelled, they would compete for a lot more. And trains would win.
A railway company must buy the land for its “roads,” build and maintain these roads and pay taxes on the land. Trucks run on roads paid for by our taxes. The licence fees the truckers complain about nowhere near pay for what they do to our highways.
The difference would be even greater if the environment were factored in. For each tonne of freight, trucks put three times more CO2 and other pollutants into the atmosphere than do trains. And trains do not clog our highways.
Alan Craig
Brampton, Ont.
Article protest
“Seal of approval” (“Discovery,” CG Sept/Oct 2004) reads like an ad for the fur industry. When did your publication become a hunting and fashion resource?
Sinikka Crosland
Westbank, B.C.
Capitalism gone amok?
“Euro-bound bergs” and “Who owns icebergs?” (“Discovery,” CG Sept/Oct) raise another interesting question: how soon before some large corporation finds a way to blast icebergs out of the existing ice caps? It’s a scary thought.
Walter Schoen
Dawson Creek, B.C.
Not forgotten
I was somewhat irritated by the tone of your article on Vancouver’s beautiful Stanley Park (“Monuments and memories,” CG Jul/Aug 2004). The author describes, in a rather scathing manner, the numerous historic monuments “lost” throughout the park’s
environs and suggests that visitors will leave remembering few, if any. Well, I certainly remember many of them, and I last saw them 73 years ago.
How could one forget the wonderful figurehead of the SS Empress of Japan jutting out over the harbour, the small, dignified grave of Pauline Johnson or the Lumbermen’s Arch. Sunday mornings, Father used to take us riding on hired horses past the appealing Shakespeare memorial and identify the relevant trees. The Harding fountain meant little until Mother ascertained that the solitary Japanese boy at my school had been given his unusual name after the president.
Of course, there was no bridge then, so there were exciting ferry trips to North Vancouver with the 1927 Buick aboard and crossings to West Vancouver on little water buses.
There is an unfortunate tendency for present-day writers to denigrate links with what was, after all, a much different era, one not without admirable aspects.
Robert H. Johnston
Simonstown, South Africa
Resources exaggerated
“Mixing water and oil” (CG Jul/Aug 2004) is a timely article that clearly recognizes the irreplaceable and unique biological richness of the coast.
There are, however, inaccuracies in this otherwise excellent article that should be pointed out. The Geological Survey of Canada’s estimate that the Queen Charlotte Basin could contain 10 times the resources expected from Newfoundland’s Hibernia oil field is unsupported. According to a recent Royal Society of Canada report, British Columbia’s resources are estimated to be on a par with, or less than, Hibernia’s.
Furthermore, oil industry committees, using the same techniques, suggest that this amount is even lower.
The second error is a common one: the authors quote the Royal Society report as saying that there is “no scientific reason” not to lift the moratorium. The report does contain this language but includes an important caveat — “assuming that adequate regulatory regimes are in place.” A recent legal review commissioned by our foundation clearly shows that this is not the case.
Proponents of offshore oil-and-gas exploration on the B.C. coast are quick to assure skeptics that environmental regulations will be firmly in place and that the many identified knowledge gaps will be filled before any steps are taken toward test drilling and full exploitation. With a regulatory environment that is already underfunded and woefully inadequate, this assertion is difficult to swallow. It is also difficult to believe that any environmental regulations can be airtight, especially on a rugged coast that is prone to heavy storms and unpredictable seismic activity.
The unspoiled B.C. coast has been likened to the Galapagos Islands for its ecological abundance and biodiversity. It is a global treasure that generates millions of dollars annually in tourism revenue and supports essential commercial and subsistence fisheries. Economic comparisons with Hibernia must take into account the heavy government subsidies — approximately two billion dollars — required to get this industry started and the fact that the East Coast was developed prior to free-trade prohibitions on local hiring requirements.
Oil-and-gas exploration on the B.C. coast takes enormous risks for negligible economic benefits. This is an area our government should be protecting for all Canadians and for the globally unique wildlife that calls it home.
Jay Ritchlin
Marine Campaigner
David Suzuki Foundation
Vancouver
I was pleased to see that the British Columbia moratorium on offshore oil-and-gas development is receiving some attention in your magazine. Far too many Canadians do not realize the controversy that is swirling through the province these days. This single issue has the potential to change the economic, social and environmental character of British Columbia.
As a student at Simon Fraser University, I recently helped complete (with eight other researchers) an in-depth study of the environmental, institutional and socio-economic issues surrounding the provincial and federal governments’ intent to review, and potentially abolish, the moratorium on offshore development. Our basic conclusions were:
- The provincial and federal reports on the moratorium, while useful for assessing the consequences of offshore development, exclude crucial information necessary for assessing the merits of the current moratorium.
- Lifting the moratorium will have a whole host of negative impacts on the environment, including the potential for major oil spills. Numerous information gaps are also evident in the literature when it comes to the Queen Charlotte Basin ecosystem.
- Jurisdiction over offshore development in Canada is unclear, and the regulatory regime in place for managing such an endeavour is deficient.
- Economic and social impacts have not been adequately assessed. We found that offshore development would create fewer than 200 direct jobs (whereas the province predicts thousands).
- The process of reviewing the moratorium itself has been deficient and has not adequately addressed issues from stakeholders. A more collaborative planning process was recommended.
The bottom line of the report — which can be viewed in its entirety online at www.rem.sfu.ca/sustainableplanning/OOGRG.html — is that offshore oil and gas development in British Columbia may be beneficial, but it also may be catastrophic. No one knows. Therefore, to fill information gaps and to ensure for prudent decision making, governments must adequately research the issues and engage the people of B.C. (First Nations included) through meaningful public participation. British Columbians should demand nothing less.
Tim Van Hinte,
Vancouver
Evocative images
I am not from Newfoundland and have visited the province only once, but David Simms’ photos (“Outport album,” CG Sept/Oct 2004) went right to my heart. The effect of black and white pictures is something we have long forgotten in this colourful world of ours. Viewers are not distracted by all the information that comes from colour shots but are free to enjoy the moment in an honest and real way.
Barry Karp,
Ottawa
Reverse racism?
Re “Rhythm of nations” (CG Jul/Aug 2004), I am a white person who has lived my whole life amongst native folks. I recently went to my first ever powwow and found it excellent. Lots of friends were there; some were dancers. I think the powwow is a superb event for native people to practise their cultural heritage but also to share it with all nations.
Drew Hayden Taylor wonders in his article why white, African-American and Asian people go to powwows and hopes it is not to look at exotic natives. Any hint of racism such as this should not be allowed in your magazine. I went to a powwow to expand my mind and my experience. Mr. Hayden Taylor should not exclude others in a negative fashion.
Leslie Nielsen,
D’Arcy, B.C.
I was impressed by Nance Ackerman’s breathtaking and vibrant photo collection and Drew Hayden Taylor’s witty reminiscence of powwows past and his proficient observations on the culture and spirit of his people. Indeed, Hayden Taylor has, once again, facilitated our journey toward considering ourselves — and his culture — from a fresh and unique perspective. I genuinely appreciate that you chose artists who are particularly adept at sharing with us the celebration of who they are. It left this reader feeling as though I’d just received a gift!
Clare Sheedy
Gilford, Ont.
Reverberations Online!
Going deep on salmon farming
I am writing in regards to John Demont's article "Crosscurrents" which appeared in the September/October 2004 issue of Canadian Geographic. Although informative and balanced on many issues, I am concerned that readers were left with the impression that seafood farmers in Canada take their environmental responsibilities lightly. This is just not the case. Mr. Demont was correct to point out that the aquaculture sector is a relatively new farming industry and for the past twenty-five years has undergone a tremendous growing phase. In that time, seafood farmers have developed a mature and highly responsible food production sector in Canada, a sector that has taken every effort to ensure compliance to strict environmental standards.
Despite tight operating margins, the industry has not backed away from spending significant dollars and resources on fish health and environmental management measures. The New Brunswick industry alone spends $13 million a year on fish health measures, on everything from vaccination to research to stringent biosecurity measures at all levels of production. These aggressive and costly measures have resulted in a dramatic decrease in the incidence of disease. For almost a decade, farmers have collaborated with provincial and federal regulators on an annual Environmental Monitoring Program, which samples under each cage site for environmental impact and have partnered on numerous environmental management projects. Each farm in this country must undergo a thorough and costly environmental assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act before it is allowed to operate.
The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), together with its many regional associate partners, and seafood producing members, has established a National Code System for Responsible Aquaculture, built on the principles of food safety, environmental management and traceability. The Canadian aquaculture industry has every reason to protect the environment, as it is unquestionably our most important resource. This has led to countless technological innovations, led by Canadian researchers, to reduce waste, protect fish health, protect natural habitats, and develop new sources of protein-rich feeds and new seafood products.
It is unfortunate that Canadians are left with the confusing task of having to sift through so much rhetoric when they stand at the seafood counter, but the facts are clear. Global seafood stocks are not expected to increase and we must find a way to preserve Canada's rich aquatic industry tradition if our children are to have enough seafood to eat. Canada's salmon farmers will continue to do their part by growing healthy food and by supporting vibrant and healthy coastal communities.
David Rideout
Executive Director
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance
Walking the line
I have great concerns with the story "Walking The Line" by photographer J. Kevin Dunn (CG March/April '04). It is my opinion that this story portrays our communities and rail line in a very negative image with words and phrases such as old, dying and trapped in a time warp coming to mind. In the "Features" section on page 38 you use the words "abandoned rails of southern Saskatchewan". This is out right false.
I am the General Manager of Great Western Railway (GWR). I have been part of this new company since it's inception in September of 2000. We are a private short line company presently owned by a company out of Abbotsford, B.C. (Westcan Rail Ltd.). I have attached a map of our railway for your reference. I was on maternity leave in the summer of 2002 so I never had a chance to meet Mr. Dunn, but I think it is clear from his story that he never spoke to GWR. Yet, he was walking along our VERY ACTIVE rail line. I will comment on the safety issues later in my letter.
I believe it is essential that you understand why I am taking this personally, so I will give you a little background on myself. I grew up in Shaunavon, one the communities the writer did not include in his photographs. It is a thriving community and one of the major centers along our railway. I left, like many other 18 year olds do, to the land of concrete and urban opportunity. I Finished by B.A. and moved over seas to worlds that look, smell or sound nothing like Southwest Saskatchewan. After 7 years of living in major cities in the world, I returned to my roots. Mr. Dunn did get one comment right, "(this) is the kind of place where every kid should grow up." I am now 30 years old and managing a railway and enjoying every minute of rural Saskatchewan life and it is a great place to raise our daughter. I thank the writer for noting this.
Canadian PaciFic Railway (CPR) did sell the 308 miles of track to the present owner to run a railway and CPR is our partner. I take great issue with the comments and the slant of the story that the writer took. He states on page 83, "...during a 400-kilometre walk along a largely unused rail line." Where did he get such a comment? Did he come and speak to our company? Did you talk to the many people who use our line weekly? Just because CPR is not here does not mean we are "unused". We have shipped over 7000 cars in over 3 years of operating.
The writer also states on page 81, "I followed an outdated strip of railway". I Find this comment out right offensive. We are not outdated in any way or form. Will your readers think of all of us who live here as "outdated"? This is my point on perception. This is very negative when you are a railway offering a service to an entire area. A service that takes a huge amount of stress off already over stressed taxpayer funded rural highways and roads. Our track is safe, in good condition and most all we are very much needed as an essential service for Southwest Saskatchewan.
The large grain companies that moved out of this area never took into consideration the cost to the local people to move all the grain north, including roads, businesses, and basic economic growth. GWR and our many supporters are showing that there is another way to move the grain and it is not outdated - it is progressive and economical.
In fact, we run more trains a year now than CPR did in its Final years before selling the line. We run weekly and CPR would run maybe half that much. We can service this area better than the large Class one railway because we do not require a large amount of cars to make a train run and we offer that personal service that these communities need. We are also open to new ideas and easily adapt to changes. Large corporations do not have such advantages. Yes, some grain companies have walked away from this area, but the grain is still here. The farmers have a choice here unlike other areas where the rail line has been removed. We are one of the good stories where the rail was saved.
There has been some elevators lost in the last 4 years, but I am very proud to say, that because of our company there was 16 elevators saved, along with a large number of new loading facilities developed. Some of these elevators are now locally owned businesses that are offering services that would have been lost. This provides a competitive environment for the farmers - they have a choice and do not have to be forced to move to the north and the large concrete terminals that sit next the CPR's main line.
We are the largest producer car shipping short line in Canada. We have 32 active loading locations along a 308 mile track. This is an area that is progressive and working very hard to grow high quality grain and cattle that many in the urban centers enjoy.
My friends in the cities, like Calgary and Vancouver often wonder how I can live here. What a ridiculous statement. What they picture is a world with nothing left. I often wonder why. Why do they think this way? It is my belief that stories like this one depict an old, dilapidated, dying world. As he states, "In some towns, doors and windows are boarded up." This is very negative and perception can be a very powerful tool. You may not see the connections to modern day urban life, but they are here. Our company alone works with individuals and organizations from all around Canada every day, planning train runs, working on provincial and federal issues facing railways and grain transportation across our great country.
I agree that some of the communities along our railway are "ghost towns" but what about all the ones that are not. Why is it that writers and photographers love the old barns, dilapidated fences and towns that are no more?
On page 90 of his story he does mention Great Western Railway but he did not get the comments quite right. The producers do not pay Great Western Railway directly but they do save money in many ways, not just the trucking cost. My other comment here is the picture itself. It is a great photo of a wonderful teenager and his classic old truck, but do you wonder how this looks to those in the urban centers. You make it look like we are all "trapped in a time warp". Do you know that most of our area drives trucks, SUVs and cars that are brand new and some trucks are worth as much as a foreign sports car?
One other concern I had was the safety issue. It is not safe to walk along railway tracks. There is not only trains to be concerned with but also our maintenance staff in trucks that run the track, hunters in hunting season that shoot across our tracks, and there is the horrible scenario that an individual will be injured along a very remote area of the track and with no one knowing they are out there. I do invite hikers, tourists, campers and Mr. Dunn back to our rail line, but ask that they call our ofFice at 306-297-2777 to get clearance to walk along our track. We will provide them with reflective vests and current train run and maintenance staff plans. By contacting us we know who is on our property and we can make sure that they and our staff are safe.
Trains are very important to modern day transportation. I am proud to say that this railway will be sold by the end of this year to new owners who are part of the many communities that we service. Our potential is only limited by the imaginations of the great people of the Southwest. I invite all your readers to come and visit our very active railway. I truly hope that Mr. Dunn will return and we can show him an even better adventure.
I do thank the writer for bringing just a small taste of our wonderful world to the readers of your great magazine. This is a unique place in modern day where the history of bandings and elevators are kept alive and the romance of the train whistle can be heard every week. I stress that we are opting out of the decline of rural Saskatchewan. We are Finding a balance between our traditions and modern conveniences and it is a wonderful way to live. We invite anyone to come and enjoy the hospitality of our railway company and our communities.
Stacey Wallis, B.A.
General Manager
Great Western Railway
Shaunavon, S.K.
My best memories of my childhood were spent in Mankota with my Auntie Helen and Uncle Charlie. Shopping at Kouri's Market was a part of it. The last time I was in the store brought you back, as if you were suspended in time. I believe Allan their son is still there managing the family store.
For anyone who lived this life, this was a wonderful walk down memory lane. Well done!! I shall save this edition.
Carla Weddell
Kamloops, B.C.
Ethanol hype
In "Gas from Grain-Energy Entrepreneurs" (CG May/June 2004) John DeMont does Canadians a disservice by vastly elevating the prospects for ethanol. Let me make three points.
First, he correctly says that Canadian production is far behind Brazil and the United States. But these countries are hardly exemplary. Owing to government subsidy cuts, Brazil has backtracked on its output from sugar cane. According to americanrenwables.org, over the 2002-03 crop year consumption was 190,000 billion barrels. That is barely 10 percent of the amount of crude oil (almost all reFined for liquid fuel) consumed in that country (BP Statistical Review 2003). Further, from a variety of sources, it is clear that, despite congressional handouts that primarily help agribusinesses such as Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill, not farmers, ethanol contributes wwll under one percent of U.S. liquid fuels. Hardly sterling.
Second, he refuses to accept David Pimentel's analysis over many years that ethanol is an energy sink with negative net energy. DeMont prefers Natural Resources Canada consultant Don O'Connor's assertion: "He [Pimentel] just doesn't do a very good job examining these numbers." Now, I would be more inclined to listen to a seasoned and respected researcher than a consultant who, one suspects, like many consultants, tells his sponsor what the sponsor wants to hear. Even if one wishes for a positive return on energy invested, scant comfort will come those who argue for a positive return. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture can come up with a very low amount — far below the dense fuel created ancient photosynthesis through plants covering vast areas of shallow Silurian seas: one gallon from a hundred years. A society cannot build its liquid-fuel needs on one year's photosynthesis — unless we don't want to eat.
Finally, in short, ethanol can hardly be more than a niche fuel. When oil, apparently about to reach its peak of production, begins to run down, the result will likely be a much diminished pace of human activity, which given our predilection for growth, will not be pleasant.
Dr. Jim Lemon
Professor Emeritus, Geography
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ont.
Agricultural residues destined for ethanol production are hardly "stuff that no one used to care about" (CG May/June 2004). Farmers have long known that crop residues are crucial for maintenance of soil organic matter and fertility and for erosion control. Frequent removal of biomaterials from any ecosystem, including agricultural land, has signiFicant consequences. A balanced analysis of ethanol production from agricultural "waste" should consider long-term sustainability and productivity of the soils that produce our food. Then we may be ready to "see the light."
Wayne Liebau
Fenwick, Ont.
I took great interest in your article on ethanol in Canada. The piece on David Pimentel saying "Take the government subsidies out of it, and the whole thing would collapse" are the truest words every spoken, in southern Ontario with the commercial alcohol plant in Chatham us Canadian subsidy this plant 10 cent on every litre of ethanol that it produces, but also while it is importing American corn,which is subsidized by the US government it is offering Ontario corn producers 30 cents less for their corn than the corn that is imported from Michigan. So actually the Canadian farmer is subsidizing the ethanol industry twice in Canada. Through our taxes and the price we receive for our corn.
Chuck Guyitt
Ridgetown, Ont.
Polar Bears at the North Pole
Further to the letter from Chuck Harris ("Reverberations," CG May/June '04), Commanding OfFicer of USS "Honolulu" reporting three polar bears on the ice where the submarine surfaced some 800 kilometres from the North Pole (which works out to about latitude 83 degrees North). On the three voyages I have made to the North Pole (90 degrees North latitude) aboard the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker "Yamal" in 1999, 2000 and 2003 respectively, we have regularly sighted recent polar bear tracks on the pack ice up to 88 degrees North latitude (120 nautical miles or 220 kilometres from the Pole). In the MillenniumYear 2000 a large pool of open water happened to be at the Pole position and we found several seals swimming there. Though not close enough to positively identify their species, they were thought to be ringed seals. Wherever there is a combination of ice and seals, one can expect to Find polar bears, so we always take anti-bear precautions at the Pole in the same way as anywhere else in the Arctic, even though we are over 600 nautical miles (1,100 kilometres) from the nearest land.
There is a letter published in the Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America "Arctic", Volume 56, No. 3, September 2003, reporting a polar bear sighted on August 5, 2001, from the "Yamal" only 13 nautical miles (24 kilometres) from the North Pole, so I think it can be safely assumed that polar bears can be found roaming all over the Arctic Ocean, the North Geographical Pole included. The same letter to "Arctic" cites the presence of ringed seals at or near to the North Pole in 1992, also sighted from "Yamal".
Captain Patrick R.M.Toomey,
Canadian Coast Guard (Retired)
Kingston, Ont.
Great lakes
"Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior, but Lake Michigan-Huron." ("High and dry", CG May/June '04)
I understand that Lake Superior received its name from a French explorer who named it because it was the "farthest" westernmost lake, and because it was the lake of the highest elevation — hence its French name "Superior". Upper Canada is upper because of its geographical elevation, Lower Canada is of a lower elevation than Upper Canada.
Also, the Great Lakes are actually draining. The water flowing over the Niagara Falls is actually the Great Lakes basin draining. Eventually all the water within the Great Lakes will drain away into the St. Lawrance and into the sea. Perhaps the process is now visually veriFiable.
Maurice Rose
Ottawa, Ont.
For years we have been saying we're losing water in Lakes Huron and Erie. No one has ever mentioned the canal from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River!
The United Sates has been draining for years, at least three times the water than was agreed upon by treaty many years ago. This has also allowed southern Fish life to come up into Michigan and Huron.
I saw Gar Pike from Huron back in the late 1950's! It could also be where the Lamprey Eels came from.
Do you not think this needs investigation?
Gene Graham
Saltspring Island, B.C.
Marsh poetry
Never before have I read an article ("Spring between the tides", CG May/June '04) of prose that so accurately
conjures up my memories as a boy growing up in the country. Harry
Thurston poetically describes the absolute wonder of spring. And, as I
now live in the hustle and bustle of the city, never has an article
calmed me more. Wonderful.
Mike Duncan
Toronto, Ont.
Eco-nuts
Evidently it is not enough that I must protect my eight-year-old daughter from the influence of TV, the internet, and newspapers. Now I must protect her from the likes of Canadian Geographic as well.
Your sad rag appears to provide a voice for every enviro and eco-nut on the planet. Every problem faced by every creature, desert, wetland, forest...is linked to "uncaring" human behavior. What a crock. The latest episode {on the cougar} ("Cougar attack," CG May/June '04) is just one of an endless series of diatribes against our every action. As usual, there is no supporting evidence to prove the case.
Allow me to point out that the areas that involve most cougar attacks are places we have inhabited for 100 or more years. So how can "encroachment" be blamed for a rise in attacks? On the one hand we are encouraged to get off our couches and hike and walk for our health, and to explore the wild beauty around us. On the other hand, these econuts don't want the public to wander into their private reserves on public land. Who are these people that only they should have access to the wild country?
My family lives in an area inhabited by cougar. It doesn't bother us as long as the cougar keeps to his own. When he doesn't, the sound of gunFire after dark resolves the problem without the expenditure of millions of tax dollars and without the arrogant lecturing of the "privileged class."
Dale Stavroff
Robert's Creek, B.C.
Shark poison
Wayne Grady’s article on Greenland sharks (CC March/April '04) was very interesting, but there was some confusion in his discussion of the poisonous flesh of this species. Grady uses the terms
ammonia and urea interchangeably. In fact, the two are distinct (albeit
related)
chemical compounds that are produced as byproducts of protein metabolism. Ammonia is far more toxic than urea; only aquatic animals such as Fishes excrete it to any signiFicant extent because large amounts of water are required to rapidly flush it away from the gills. Urea, on the other hand, can
be accumulated in greater amounts in the body before being excreted due to its
relatively low toxicity, thus reducing water demand and making it the “favoured” waste in mammals (birds and reptiles excrete uric acid, which is
even less toxic and needs less water for excretion).
Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are unusual among aquatic animals in that they primarily excrete urea, but this is because they retain high levels of urea in their body
to help regulate water balance. Thus, the large amount of urea in the Greenland
shark has less to do with its polar habitat than with the fact that it is a shark.
That said, Elasmobranchs do contain high levels of methylamines such as
trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) to counteract the perturbing effect of urea on proteins, and a breakdown product of TMAO has been implicated in poisoning following consumption of Greenland shark flesh. As Grady states, however, this
is only a theory and questions remain. Other commonly eaten sharks, for example, have amounts of TMAO in their flesh similar to that found in Greenland
sharks yet apparently do not cause poisoning. It may be that only excessive consumption of Greenland shark flesh is the cause of the poisoning, in which case I reckon we have little to worry about given the gastronomical potential
of hákarl. (Incidentally, although Greenland sharks are closely related to the
dogFishes of the family Squalidae, they actually belong to the family Dalatiidae, a group of mostly deep-water sharks that are commonly and confusingly called dogFishes.)
Ben Speers-Roesch
Department of Zoology
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ont.
Bathurst Inlet Port & Road
I grew up and was raised in Bathurst Inlet ("Bathhurst Inlet," CG March/April '04) area until I went to school and continued to live there until I moved to another community. Why are people like Senator Adams and Charlie Lyall telling people what to do; or do they realize that they are still treating Inuit the way it has been for the past century? Can they imagine how they would feel if someone just up and told them that this project is good for them even though it is going to disrupt their whole way of living and survival? It is a good idea for people who do not actually live there and do not see the consequences it is going to have on the people of the area and their way of life now and in the future. Having to live in a community that has all the services that connects you to the south is great; but there are consequences that the people of Bathurst Inlet/Bay Chimo do not have to live with daily: ie: liquor/drugs/suicides/mental health problems that come with growing communities and will be irreversible once the project is complete. The job/money is great for a short time, but our land is precious and cannot be put back the way it was after it has been uprooted and used, as we are one of the lucky people in the world who actually have our fresh air and water. It will have a devasting affect on the migration route of the caribou herd which the people of the area depend on, rivers and ocean may not as be clean after the road is done (pollution of air/gas/fuel/fumes from trucks and ships) is going to affect the wildlife (ie: Fish/fowl/small game/caribou) and may disrupt burial sites and heritage sites that have been there for years.
Martina Maniyogina
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Reading the river
This interesting story reminded me of a technical paper "THE EDMONTON WATERWORKS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM dated 1939.
After flowing some 315 miles from the Saskatchewan Glacier, some of the water of the North Saskatchewan River enters the intakes of the City of Edmonton Waterworks System and progresses through a modern treatment plant to serve a city whose population was approaching 90,000.
The river with its headwaters in the mountains is fed largely by glaciers, the biggest of which is the Saskatchewan. During the peak months of the years 1916-21, on arriving in Edmonton, was composed of almost 60% glacial water. Percentage glacial flow was assumed that all water passing the hydrometric station at Saunders, which is at the gap leaving the last mountain range,
was of glacial origin.
I had been on the survey for the location survey of the Banff-Jasper Highway in 1935 below the glacier and visited again in 1945 in 1970 and 1990 and the retreat of the glacier was very noticeable. The population of Edmonton has now reached one million.
Charles K. Hurst P. Eng
Chief Engineer, Canada Public Works, Retired
Ottawa, Ont.
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