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With your membership, we amplify your voice on the issues that matter to you like protecting the Bay of Fundy.
Once again it is membership month at the Conservation Council of New Brunswick!
CCNB is a membership-based organization that has been at the forefront of environmental action in our province since 1969. CCNB’s campaigns to protect our air, land and water are run by a small, dedicated staff. We depend on our members to give us the independence we need to speak out on behalf of the environment and our communities.
Each week during our membership month, we will feature a different area of priority and action for CCNB to update you on our work. In our fourth week, we will feature our Marine Program, Fundy Baykeeper!
CCNB has been working on marine issues for decades. Ten years ago we expanded our marine program to the next level by forming Fundy Baykeeper. A member of the over 200 member strong international Waterkeeper Alliance, Baykeeper brings an on-the-water watchdog presence to our marine work. In addition to important research, education and advocacy work we are on the water, on the shoreline (and occasionally in the air) investigating pollution reports from citizens, looking out for pollution and harmful activities, and connecting with coastal residents.
Monitoring the impacts of salmon aquaculture
CCNB has been raising concern and researching the effects of dense salmon farming in the outer Bay of Fundy since the late 80’s. Our Science Advisor, Inka Milewski, has been involved in this work all along. The last few years she has been conducting a study to assess the recovery of the sea bottom under an abandoned salmon farm. What she has found confirms that salmon farms can have a significant and destructive footprint and that recovery of sea bottom is far from rapid. Check out this video our summer student, Amelia Secord, made highlighting some of this work.
We have worked closely with fishermen’s groups to raise concern about and monitor the impact of legal and illegal pesticides used on salmon farms. We also formed the Atlantic Coalition for Aquaculture Reform to ensure that diverse groups who are concerned about, or have experienced the impacts of large scale salmon farming can effectively work together.
Gaspereau restored to the St Croix River!
There was a lot to celebrate last spring. After two decades of blocked fishways, the St Croix River was finally opened to gaspereau (alewives). Gaspereau are a keystone species and serve as a food source for cod, pollock, whales, seals, porpoise, sea birds as well as eagles, land mammals, and freshwater fish when they are upriver to spawn. They’re pretty tasty smoked too. The St Croix River was seeing runs over 2.5 million fish in the mid-80’s, only to have the river closed to the fish by the State of Maine in the early 90’s. We are proud to have worked alongside Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, Canadian, and US groups who collaborated effectively to convince Maine to open the river. We expect to see several million fish back within the decades. It really can’t be overstated how important this restoration will be to the health of the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine.
These are just some of the ways CCNB puts your membership contribution and donations to work!
New members, members renewing their membership and donors will be entered into a weekly draw to win a prize — a second CCNB membership that you can pass on to a family member or a friend. This would make a great Stocking Stuffer! This week’s winner is Susan and Wayne Eddy from Chamcook. Congrats Susan and Wayne!
To become a member, you can:
1. Join via the PayPal link below.