The Salmon Adventure

Oct 25 2009

Written by Ava

Phil Magistro and Apryle Craig knew they wanted to promote awareness of the plight of the wild Pacific salmon and chose a unique and unconventional way to do so. On May 2nd, they began in Gig Harbor, WA, paddling 1,251 miles to Glacier Bay, AK in a total of 111 days, averaging 17 miles a day. Along the way, they stopped by many salmon farms and salmon streams along the route, spoke with wild commercial fisherman and locals to find out about their experiences, and raised money for the Living Oceans Society! It was an exhausting but worthwhile journey and they've lived to tell about it!

We were lucky enough to speak with Apryle about the incredible excursion! For more on the adventures of this marine powerhouse team, check out their site: Elevated Attitude.

Please each tell me a little bit about yourselves, including how you got to the point where you are now.

My paddling partner Phil and I both grew up in Pennsylvania and met in college at the University of Pittsburgh. I have always been passionate about conservation and the humane treatment of animals, particularly those animals that are going to give their lives to improve human life. I have always taken a particular interest in animals that are used as human food and animals that are used for cosmetic research. Since I can remember, I have been trying to live out my convictions through my food choices and other consumer power.

Where do your interests range in marine science, ocean conservation, etc?

My interest lies heavily in public education and empowering consumers to make informed decisions about the product and services they support through their purchases. I believe that consumers have the power to choose what products they will and will not buy and that those choices directly affect what types of products are offered, how those products are created, and what wastes are involved with the product. By purchasing foods and products that are produced with a conscious, there will be no market and no opportunity for companies that exploit our natural resources.

How did you come up with this particular trip beginning on May 2 and why?

Phil and I moved to Colorado in spring of 2005 and soon found ourselves caught up in day-to-day frustrations, not living the same adventurous lifestyle we had lived in college. We needed to make a big change; to reignite our passion for living a simplified wilderness existence. Inspired by a kayaking trip the previous summer to the San Juan Islands, we set the wheels in motion for the Inside Passage expedition for 2009. We toyed with starting the trip on May 5, which is Phil's birthday; however, I wanted to organize a local event and invite the community to join us, so Saturday, May 2 seemed like a better choice. Gig Harbor Rent-a-Boat promoted the launch event and we had a great group of about 13 kayakers turn out despite the rain. We were happy to have the Gateway Peninsula cover the event.

Why are the issues facing wild Pacific salmon so crucial that they need awareness?

Wild salmon are the backbone of the ecosystems, communities, and econonmy. The eagles and birds, bears, wolves, and orcas depend on wild salmon for their food supply. Declines in grizzly bear and orca populations have been linked to salmon declines. After spawning, the wild salmon die in the streams and the old-growth riparian forests use the nitrogen from the carcasses as fertilizers for the trees. Native First Nations communities depend on wild stocks for food supplies and commercial salmon fishermen and their families depend on the wild stocks for food and income. Tourism is a huge part of the economy along the coast, employing sport fishermen, hunters, eco-tours, whale watching, and more. Personally speaking, our trip to the Pacific Northwest would not have been the same without the wild salmon and wildlife that depend on them. Many wild caught salmon are canned, which provides more jobs at the canneries. The wild salmon population is a valuable resource to the environment and economy and the trickle-down effect is devastating both.

The situation is critical. Extinction is looming. According to Declining wild salmon populations in relation to parasites from farm salmon, by M. Krkosek, J.S. Ford, A. Morton, S. Lele, R.A. Myers, and M.A. Lewis, published in the journal Science in December 2007, salmon in the Broughton Archipelago of British Columbia are approaching extinction and will collapse by 99 per cent in four years, or two salmon generations, if the sea lice infestations continue. The peer-reviewed study investigates the impacts of sea lice from fish farms on returns of wild pink salmon to British Columbia’s Broughton Archipelago. The results show that recurrent sea-lice infestations have driven a rapid four-year decline in the pink salmon populations. The scientists calculate that sea lice have frequently killed over 80 per cent of the annual wild salmon returns to the Broughton.

We forced the wild Atlantic salmon populations down to the point where they is no longer a viable commercial fishery for wild Atlantic salmon. For the good of the environment and the communities, I hate to see the Pacific salmon meet the same fate. How many species must we destroy until we learn?

You heavily promote awareness of the issues facing wild salmon. What do you have to say about aquarists who are not necessarily harming the salmon but keeping them in their homes?

I go back and forth on aquariums, zoos, and wildlife kept in captivity. Not everyone has the opportunity to paddle 1,200+ miles in the salmon's natural habitat, so for folks who are unable to have that natural experience, perhaps zoos and aquariums are the best substitute. I believe it is difficult to form a bond with an animal that is seemingly so far removed from your life. I believe that bond is necessary to inspire lasting lifestyle changes and aquariums give people a chance to bond with an animal. I have certainly seen children and adults alike delight in captive animal exhibits. If these exhibits inspire people to form a connection with these fish, or inspire them to learn more about the fish and their environment, they might be inspired to preserve this fish's home. In this way, I can see how one captive salmon may save many others of its kind.

Tell us about your journey in a nutshell

Our trip began on May 2 with a small send-off party in Gig Harbor, WA. We paddled 1,251 miles to Glacier Bay, AK ~111 days. We averaged 17 miles/day. We are using the trip to raise awareness for the issues facing wild Pacific salmon, particularly the farming of non-native Atlantic salmon in key migration routes of wild salmon. We can all do our part in supporting wild salmon by purchasing wild Alaskan salmon. Most canned salmon is sustainable, too; however, all Atlantic salmon is farmed and, therefore, contributing to the decline of wild stocks along the coast. Communities depend on the wild stocks for tourism and food, and bears, orcas, bald eagles and more depend on these salmon for food. We paddled by numerous salmon farms along our route, as well as wild salmon streams. We spoke with wild commercial fishermen and locals along the coast and in the interior US to find out what their experience has been with salmon. We found that most coastal folks recognize the negative impact of the salmon farms; however, a majority of folks from the interior US do not realize there are any issues surrounding the sustainability and practices of the salmon farms. We are raising money for Living Oceans Society.

You say that most people do not recognize the negative impact of the salmon farms or the issues surrounding salmon. How can we get the word out to the average person?

Monterey Bay Aquarium publishes a business card-sized Seafood Watch Guide, which is also available as a free iPhone app. The guide is a compact little card that helps you to make sustainable seafood choices in grocery stores and at restaurants. By referencing this guide, others at your restaurant table or in the deli line will be curious as to what you're looking at. Carrying a few extra pocket guides allows you to explain the plight of the salmon and other fish and hand them out. I believe that word of mouth is still the most trusted form of communication.

Why did you choose to raise money for the Living Oceans Society?

We appreciate that Living Oceans makes an effort to work with industry rather than in opposition to industry. They are encouraging salmon farms to switch from open-nets, which flush all wastes and parasites into the ocean to closed containment systems.

Besides salmon, what are some of the issues facing the marine world that are important to you?

We are very concerned with bottom trawling, a method of fishing where large weighted nets are dragged across the ocean floor. According to Oceana, "Bottom trawling destroys far more ocean habitat than any other fishing practice on the West Coast." As the nets are dragged across the bottom, habitat is destroyed that will take centuries to heal. In addition to devastating the coral, sponges, and bottom habitat, there is a huge problem with bycatch from this process. The fishing vessel keeps the targeted commercial species and discards the remaining, unwanted fish and animals-virtually all of it dead or dying as it is shoveled back into the sea.

What’s your next big marine adventure?

We have considered paddling in Baja. We are both excited about the idea of paddling the length of the Susquehanna River, a large river that cuts through my hometown in Pennsylvania and empties into the Chesapeake Bay on the Atlantic. Kayak guiding is definitely appealing, as we would have the opportunity to share our technical experience and teach others how to enjoy and respect the wilderness.