It’s been a rough week for British Columbia molluscks.

The province okayed a 63-acre geoduck farm with an eye to supplying the Chinese seafood market. The plan was criticized by environmentalists and the opposition party for overlooking ecological impacts. Then another proposal for a 925-acre scallop farm ran into increasing opposition from fishing and community groups. A retired federal fisheries official said:

“If we wanted to put a Wal-Mart in Qualicum Beach, how many council meetings and public meetings would there be? This is like putting 100 Wal-Marts in Georgia Strait and the implications biologically, for the fish and the birds, are far more significant than a Wal-Mart in Qualicum Beach,” he said