The Salmon are back!

But the enviros are not happy. From National Review:

The Pacific's Salmon Are Back -- Thank Human Ingenuity
In 2012, the British Columbia-based Native American Haida tribe launched an effort to restore the salmon fishery that has provided much of their livelihood for centuries. Acting collectively, the Haida voted to form the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation, financed it with $2.5 million of their own savings, and used it to support the efforts of American scientist-entrepreneur Russ George to demonstrate the feasibility of open-sea mariculture -- in this case, the distribution of 120 tons of iron sulfate into the northeast Pacific to stimulate a phytoplankton bloom which in turn would provide ample food for baby salmon.

The verdict is now in on this highly controversial experiment: It worked.

In fact it has been a stunningly over-the-top success. This year, the number of salmon caught in the northeast Pacific more than quadrupled, going from 50 million to 226 million. In the Fraser River, which only once before in history had a salmon run greater than 25 million fish (about 45 million in 2010), the number of salmon increased to 72 million.

And a bit more:

In addition to producing salmon, this extraordinary experiment has yielded a huge amount of data. Within a few months after the ocean-fertilizing operation, NASA satellite images taken from orbit showed a powerful growth of phytoplankton in the waters that received the Haida's iron. It is now clear that, as hoped, these did indeed serve as a food source for zooplankton, which in turn provided nourishment for multitudes of young salmon, thereby restoring the depleted fishery and providing abundant food for larger fish and sea mammals. In addition, since those diatoms that were not eaten went to the bottom, a large amount of carbon dioxide was sequestered in their calcium carbonate shells.

But the enviros are unhappy that someone didn't play by the rules:

Native Americans bringing back the salmon and preserving their way of life, while combating global warming: One would think that environmentalists would be very pleased.

One would be very wrong. Far from receiving applause for their initiative, the Haida and Mr. George have become the target of rage aimed from every corner of the community seeking to use global warming as a pretext for curtailing human freedom.

"It appears to be a blatant violation of two international resolutions," Kristina Gjerde, a senior high-seas adviser for the International Union for Conservation of Nature told the Guardian. "Even the placement of iron particles into the ocean, whether for carbon sequestration or fish replenishment, should not take place, unless it is assessed and found to be legitimate scientific research without commercial motivation. This does not appear to even have had the guise of legitimate scientific research."

Silvia Ribeiro, of the international anti-technology watchdog ETC Group, also voiced her horror at any development that might allow humanity to escape from the need for carbon rationing. "It is now more urgent than ever that governments unequivocally ban such open-air geoengineering experiments," she said. "They are a dangerous distraction providing governments and industry with an excuse to avoid reducing fossil-fuel emissions."

I would invite these in-duh-viduals to take a long walk on a short pier. This work was sponsored by an independent Native American nation and the results are verifiable and very positive. That these fools and their ilk can find something to protest speaks volumes for how out of touch with reality they are. This passage really displays their agenda:

Even the placement of iron particles into the ocean, whether for carbon sequestration or fish replenishment, should not take place, unless it is assessed and found to be legitimate scientific research without commercial motivation.

That it was done for commercial reasons is bad. Can't have anyone making a profit. After all, what would Karl Marx say. And their desire to have it assessed and studied -- guaranteed to be found wanting and they would just say no. Technology like this is simple, cheap, easy to implement and has direct results -- a huge fish run. The Malthusian doom and gloom sayers will loose their traction if stuff like this is allowed to bloom. As I have said before, I have never, ever run into a Malthusian prediction that ever came to pass... Russ George's website is here: Russ George