Like many, Jennifer and Alyssa Madill were saddened to hear of the loss of an orca, known as Tahlequah or J35’s calf. But this sadness motivated the two friends and sisters-in-law to do something about it.
Jennifer and Alyssa are planning to swim from Denman Island to Hornby Island, a distance of around 2,200 metres, to raise money and awareness for the damage that is being done to the coastal ecosystem.
Jennifer said after learning about the killer whale calf’s death, she began to research the effects of fish farming on the ocean.
“Basically it started off with the whales and then I got into the salmon and then just realized that this is a huge issue that’s directly affecting all of us that live here and the world,” said Jennifer. “I just thought that if we could just swim and get people talking about it and just raise awareness then we could hopefully get people to do what they can and make changes so that we can protect our coast and our salmon.”
One of Jennifer’s personal heroes is Alexandra Morton, an independent biologist currently working with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Operation Virus Hunter. Morton and the rest of the crew of the R/V Martin Sheen are studying the effects of farmed salmon on wild salmon populations. All the money raised from the Jennifer and Alyssa’s swim will be donated directly to Operation Virus Hunter.
Jennifer said though she and Alyssa are both swimmers, ocean swimming is “totally out of the box” for the two of them as their experience up until now has been confined to pools and lakes.
“It’s weird when you’re swimming in an open ocean because you’re looking into emptiness almost and it takes a lot to get used to and you’re worried about - I know they’re just fish and stuff, but when they surface in your vision, it kind of startles you,” said Jennifer with a laugh.
Though both Jennifer and Alyssa live in Victoria, Hornby Island holds a special place in their hearts as their family has roots on the island. It therefore seemed fitting that their swim would end at the place they both love.
“We all have our favourite spots out here on the open ocean and on the coast,” said Jennifer. “You do develop a deep connection to our environment but I hope people… realize that it needs protecting.”
Jennifer and Alyssa have been training and are planning to complete the swim on the weekend of Sept. 22, depending on the conditions. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/salish-sea-sisters-swim
jolene.rudisuela@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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