Kelp disappearance led to feed fish and salmon declines – reader

Kelp disappearance led to feed fish and salmon declines – reader Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Dear Editor: This letter is written in support of recent letters to the editor submitted by Norma Janes and Neil Crouch.

Kelp disappearance led to feed fish and salmon declines – reader Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Dear Editor: This letter is written in support of recent letters to the editor submitted by Norma Janes and Neil Crouch. Both were in response to the article on A Lost Kelp Forest.

Our family lived next to the kelp forest at Little River that Mr. Crouch refers to. And, we can corroborate that this forest was harvested in the 1970s. As regular fishers in the area, our anecdotal experience was as follows.

When it was there, the kelp bed sheltered the needlefish and herring populations that, in turn, supported a vibrant coho population and sport fishery. When it was gone, the feed fish disappeared and so did the salmon to a large extent. The June 9 Victoria Times Colonist article entitled “North Salish Sea kelp die-off...” documents the climate change predictors of kelp forest decline.

As Norma Janes points out in her letter, extensive kelp forest harvesting has been a contributor as well. Tom Graham Saskatoon