Artifishal is a film about people, rivers, and the fight for the future of wild fish and the environment that supports them. It explores wild salmon’s slide toward extinction, threats posed by fish hatcheries and fish farms, and our continued loss of faith in nature. 

Conrad Gowell, from Oregon, former WFFC member and now one of the leaders of the Native Fish Society in Oregon, has offered us the opportunity on August 20^th to show the film “Artifishal”, a recent Yvon Chouinard and Patagonia production that is touring the country and being shown at selected sites. If you are familiar with Chouinard then you may have seen either of his previous high quality films DamNation about dam removal or Free the Snake.   The film explores the disastrous impacts of hatcheries and fish farms and documents the hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on an industry that does more harm than good. Chouinard said in a statement “If we value wild salmon we need to do something now. A life without wild nature and a life without these great, iconic species is an impoverished life. If we lose all wild species, we’re going to lose ourselves”.  To  view the film’s trailer click on the following link: https://www.patagonia.com/artifishal.html#facts.  In response a San Francisco company called CLEAN FISH has launched a social campaign to counter the film’s narrative and promote hatcheries and fish farms.

The film itself will define the difference between wild, hatchery and farm fish. It will help answer the questions: “Don’t we need hatcheries to make up for habitat loss? “;  “How can putting more fish in the river result in fewer fish to catch?”; “Who pays for and manages fish hatcheries?”; “What about tribal fishing rights?”; “But wouldn’t more hatchery fish provide immediate relief for starving orcas?” “Can I eat salmon without supporting hatcheries and net-pen fish farms?” . “How quickly can wild fish recover when we restore habitat and remove hatcheries and dams?”

Bring your friends and partners to see this provocative film.

Henke Danfred will be this evening’s Fly Tier.