Engineer, photographer and environmental activist Andrew Wright is inviting local residents into a dynamic world were "spirit" bears roam eternal and ocean fish farming faces extinction.
The author of the book Emeralds at the Edge is hosting a free lecture at Quest University on Monday (Nov. 16) to share his collection of photographs taken over 25 days in the Great Bear Rainforest and explain how the salmon farming industry can make the transition to closed containment production and still make a tidy profit.
An engineer by trade, Wright has recently shifted his focus toward a passion for photography, and yet his purpose for taking pictures is not purely aesthetic, he said.
"The pictures I take now have to be important. The awe has got to be there but if I can tell a story about the problem or large impact, then getting that message out to the world is terribly important," he said.
One of his most powerful photos depicts a female grizzly bear wondering forlorn and calling out for her cub. Moments before Wright's camera snapped, a large male bear appeared and ran off carrying the lost cub clenched in his jaws. It is uncertain whether the male bear's actions were triggered by hunger or the desire to bring the female back into estrus.
In either case, the image of a mother calling out for her vanished offspring works as a metaphor for the entire coastal ecosystem, said Wright. Loss of habitat and food sources is putting wildlife under extreme pressure as the human footprint widens.
A very different photograph, entitled "Extinction Point," reveals the image of juvenile pink salmon infected with sea lice in the last 24 hours of life. The beauty of the fish is offset by the repulsiveness of the sea lice in the black and white photo.
But Wright does not plan on lingering on the problems we face during his lecture. He intends to offer solutions.
"You can use your anger to jump up and down and demand the farmers get shut down," he said. "But I took exception to one of the government ministers saying closed containment fish farms are technically not possible."
After visiting the Broughton Archipelago and seeing firsthand the plight of wild salmon populations, Wright began traveling the world researching closed containment in other species and the technologies that support the practice. He has since created a 40-page engineering document explaining the steps for developing a profitable closed containment fish farm. He will explain his methods during his lecture at Quest.
"I know it's possible. And it's profitable," said Wright.
Wright's interdisciplinary approach fits right in with the school's focus on well-rounded education, said Quest University president David Helfand.
"And as a scientist, I was very attracted to his start at first principles approach," he said. "He's just a very interesting, dynamic guy."
The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room. Copies of Emeralds at the Edge will be available for sale.
Find out more on Andrew Wright's website, www.cold-coast.com.
