Þetta nístir inn að beini. Birnir i Kanada svelta þar sem ástand villtra laxastofna er svo slæmt. Loftslagsbreytingar og ýmis mannanna verk, þar á meðal laxeldi í opnum sjókvíum, eru að leika þessar fallegu skepnur grátt.

Í frétt CNN kemur meðal annars fram:

“The Mamalilikulla First Nation has been monitoring the bears, specifically those in Hoeya Sound and Lull Bay, for several years.

“They have drastically changed within a couple months,” Jake Smith, guardian watchman manager for the Mamalilikulla First Nation, told CNN. “The bears are in trouble.”

Ástæðan er sögulega slæmt ástand villtra laxastofna:

“The bears’ main food source, salmon, is at an all time low in the area. Commercial fishermen in British Columbia are calling this the worst salmon season in nearly 50 years.

In August, a report released by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada noted that Canada’s climate is warming twice as fast as the global average, drastically impacting the salmon’s ecosystems. The report also cited marine heatwaves, increased floods and droughts as causing greater stress on the fish.”

Ein alvarlegasta ógnin sem steðjar að villtum laxastofnum Kanada, og þar með skógarbirninum er laxeldi í opnum sjókvíum:

“Another factor for the wild salmon population loss is the open-net fish farming that critics say are spreading disease and pollution in the water.”