The Salmon People

Off the coast of BC, wild salmon started dying by the millions.


Chris Bennett runs Blackfish Lodge 300 kilometers north of Vancouver. He was leading a group of tourists on a boat tour when he looked into the water and noticed young salmon – called smolt – acting strangely. He’d found a clue. He took it to an unlikely detective - a whale biologist - Alexandra Morton - who’d be pulled into a battle against government, industry and multinational corporations.


A story like this one should have been a hero’s tale. An Erin Brockovich moment. But it didn’t quite play out that easily. This is the fascinating story of a 20-year battle to save Canada’s wild salmon.


The Salmon People podcast is a co-production between journalist Sandra Bartlett and Canada's National Observer.


Sandra Bartlett is an award winning reporter and producer based in Toronto. She worked on the ICIJ project Secrecy for Sale and Skin and Bone. Bartlett worked as a producer and reporter in NPR's Investigative Unit based in Washington where she collaborated on projects with PBS Frontline, ProPublica, the Center for Public Integrity, the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as individual journalists in Canada and Europe. In 20 plus years at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as an editor, a reporter and producer, Bartlett covered daily news, foreign assignments and special programming. She worked in London, Europe, Israel, Cuba and Pakistan.


We are crowdfunding to cover the cost of this podcast. If you'd like to contribute, as little as five dollars per month can help support this work: https://www.nationalobserver.com/donate/podcasts.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Recent Reviews
  • sage!!!
    Excellent and interesting!
    Found this incredible story today and am intrigued. Super important topic and we need to listen.
  • NeilFrazer
    Accurate and timely
    Thank you, Sandra Bartlett, for bringing this important issue to a larger audience. It is easy for us scientists to drift into the habit of thinking that doing science is enough, but unfortunately it isn’t. Without dedicated journalists like yourself to alert the public, honest science is buried by propaganda from corporations and from their captive government agencies, DFO in this case.
  • Miz Luv
    This is why.
    Very well constructed horror story. Excellent investigative work, with the caveat that this is not a particularly balanced telling of the story. I’ve been refusing farmed ocean fish for decades, and this does still illustrate a few of the many reasons for that choice. If you object to the factory farming of land mammals, well then… this is the ocean version. Assuming you found this eye opening , I recommend listening to THE OUTLAW OCEAN podcast next. These are deeply important issues. Please share these stories with others.
  • Patrick Stoneking
    A story untold
    The details around farming Atlantic salmon are unknown by most people who enjoy eating the results. This podcast provides insight into the industry and impacts of industrial scale salmon farming. Well worth the time spent listening.
  • djsnndk
    Great story telling
    Great story telling
  • Avsfan83
    Awesome!
    This was so great! Such an important message
  • Mt. Shasta Bird
    Deep Dive
    This is a wonderful deep dive on what is happening in our Ocean and what is going off-kilter.
  • Irisbobiris!
    Educational and riveting
    I loved it.
  • TreeLV
    Overall I enjoyed it!
    Very well laid out and delivered. Good audio effects too. It did get a little draggy and repetitive. I still would recommend it. It tells a lot of different stories and really good!
  • Reminiscing80s
    Excellent listen!!!
    A well told, real-life story with so much to offer on so many levels! Interesting, heart-wrenching, stomach-churning, historical, global, ecological, scientific, cultural, honest and inspirational. Thanks for sharing this story - it touches on many key elements of Alexandra Morton’s book “Not on My Watch” (also an excellent listen!).
  • jua.jua
    Eyeopening, inspiring, and horrifying at once
    Thank you for educating on the impacts of salmon fish farms in BC. I was horrified of the practices and complete disregard for the environment of big business, but also incredibly inspired by the relentless effort of Alex and the First Nations. This story really shows how people really can make change!
  • Galvanize1992
    Fantastic Story
    Great narration, introduction and story. Thanks for the entertaining reporting! Well done
  • Alex Saund
    Great Show
    Very, very well done. It’s a rage inducing, bingeable, incredible story. The scientists involved are real life super heroes and the narrator has an amazing voice. Love the show so far!
  • Indy7150
    Awesome podcast!
    This is a very well done and totally interesting story! Thank you for telling it!!
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