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Ernie Fedoruk is Vice President of the
Outdoor Writers of Canada and former B.C. Director with
the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association. Winner of
26 awards in the last 16 years, the sports/outdoors
columnist retired from a 48-year newspaper career in
1996.
Messages can be faxed to him at (250) 592-7090, or emailed
to efedoruk@islandnet.com
"A man's passion for fishing should not allow it
to interfere with his love of family. But if the glue
binds, then please consider the angler's passion also
a love for family." |
Everyone knows about morals.
The highest-ranking bureaucrats in my country understand
morals, but do not have any themselves. What those bureaucrats
know about morality they proudly relay to politicians, which
is another useless practice.
Canadian fishermen have morals but have created two categories:
the sportsman’s morals are real but the commercial harvester’s
tend to be artificial. Not always, but often.
Two of the five Pacific salmon species are in trouble these
days. The concern over coho and, to a lesser degree, chinook
stocks is such that the Canadian government has introduced
some drastic measures. Salmon fishing is not outlawed in British
Columbia but the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has introduced
restrictions on times and areas that can be fished.
No one can kill coho but all other four species—along with
halibut, cod, rockfish, mackerel and even the occasional skipjack
tuna—can be caught in BC waters.
The sports fisherman must use barbless hooks, thus giving
coho a chance to survive if caught and then released.
Commercial boats can still chase chum, pink and the coveted
sockeye salmon but will do so carefully. Their times and areas
are set so their nets and hooks will not impact on coho, chinook
(kings) or the also-threatened steelhead, a sea-going rainbow
trout.
It may not be a perfect plan, but recreational fishing—so
very vital to BC’s and Canada’s economies—has not been shut
down. Trust me. Many places to fish, and many opportunities
catch trophies.
Sport fishing has a billion-dollar impact on Canada’s economy.
Commercial fishing’s value to the overall picture is not as
pretty. Not by a long shot. Most of the people I know are
"sporties" or recreational anglers. Virtually all I talk to
indicate willingness to take their lumps, fish smaller areas
and do their best with barbless hooks. Although recreational
fishermen take less than 10 per cent of the overall salmon
catch, the majority are prepared to go with "the plan."
A majority in the commercial sector is not as ready or as
willing.
Let me make it very plain "majority" does not paint ALL commercial
fishermen with the same brush.
I have friends who are commercial fishermen, and I know others
in the business who are true-and-blue conservationists and
have great concern for the deplorable way fisheries bureaucrats
have managed the resource. Decimation of Pacific salmon has
been ongoing for more than four decades.
Some of these commercial fishermen were concerned 30 and
40 years ago, but were in the minority. And no one ever listens
to the minority.
These good people worked on enhancement projects, sloshed
in streams to purify fast-deteriorating habitat, donated their
money and tried their damnedest to poke sense into the heads
of the prevailing dullards.
All who work for enhancement still seethe when reminded of
a recent picture in the Victoria daily newspaper. It showed
BC Fisheries Minister Dennis Streifel mucking in a local stream
with a good ol’ union boy from the commercial sector who was
clearing up the environment for $20 an hour— payment from
a provincial government program.
Volunteers—recreational anglers AND unionists, commercial
fishermen, women who don’t mind being called "fishermen",
and others—were doing the very same thing for the past four
decades! Without pay!
The simpletons are alive and well, and making a lot of noise
about the disaster that has been thrown at them by federal
Fisheries Minister David Anderson. Although he is an enthusiastic
fisherman, Anderson was never and is not capable of taking
coho stocks to their present levels. Not alone.
The greedy commercial sector, supported by a union mentality
that considers dollars more important than salmon, controlled
and manipulated past managers. That industry now has to pay
the price.
I was a member of the American Newspaper Guild for 39 years,
longer than any other Victoria journalist. I understand unions.
Vociferous and very noisy. The unionists in the fishing business
have campaigned extensively to protect "our livelihood" or
"our way of life" or "my $500,000 boat."
(I wish I had a $500,000 boat to lose!)
Very rarely has one of the loudmouths suggested he/she wanted
to protect the salmon runs. His/her great concern was for
"me," "mine," "ours" and the other like pronouns.
Even the union-loving Premier of my province has made himself
appear like a devout and practicing jackass by threatening
war against the United States military.
Instead of assailing the idiots in government, sports anglers,
intelligent commercial fishermen, understanding unionists
and many others work and lobby for a way to protect the runs,
contribute to a delicious tourism industry and to leave a
good environment for our grandchildren.
I have noticed sports fishermen have an ability to adapt,
which means they are not yet selling their $15,000 or $25,000
boats.
Mackerel by the zillions have been invading BC waters in
recent years.
They changed swimming patterns because of the weather phenomenon
El Nino. In the process, the voracious mackerel have impacted
greatly on salmon babies (fry) leaving their birth streams
and venturing into the great Pacific.
Victoria-area marinas and a sporting goods store designed
an action that would be the alternative to coho killing.
The Mac Attack.
Anglers had opportunity, during the July 11-25 period, to
decimate the mackerel hordes. The champion mackerel destroyer
could claim a restored 1979 Datsun B210 auto. Lacking the
destruction capability of DFO managers, Victoria-area Sporties,
with a bag limit of 100 a day to work upon, did not ravage
the mackerel stocks. But they had fun.
And those who had ability to adapt found commercial success.
One enterprising crab fisherman offered 25 cents a pound toward
salmon enhancement for unwanted mackerel. Why not? The crab
hunter must pay a wholesale price of around $1.25 a pound.
Mackerel, not an overwhelming favorite with West Coast diners,
sells in the $2-a-pound range in retail fish stores.
The crabber benefited with his quick thinking, salmon enhancement
programs got needed help and the salmon babies were provided
a better break, albeit slight, for survival.
Another commercial fisherman who "adapted" tidied up his
troller, advertised for tourists who could fish with a bona
fide fishboat and went into the guide business. The troller,
a friend, said "treating a tourist to a fishing experience
is a better option than tying the boat to a dock in the harbor
and just sit there, feeling sorry for yourself."
The provincial government, so very anxious to get its union
friends back into the work force, and the feds unite in stupidity
and do not adapt. Both governments have never thought of hiring
commercial boats for auxiliary coast guard duties.
The beautiful but rugged west coast is virtually unprotected,
a haven for drug smugglers and wildlife poachers. The "auxiliary"
would allow regular police forces to be distributed to greater
advantage. Fishboats, some of them reasonably fast, would
allow the federal government to expand its surveillance fleet
from a deplorable handful to reasonable numbers.
Hell. Glen Clark, the Emperor fella in BC, would have his
unionists trained and ready to man the naval vessels he intends
to use in his war with the US military.
Everybody could emerge a winner (but please do not bet good
money on Clark if he decides to punch Uncle Sam on the snoot).
I must close on a pessimistic note. Couple of problems at
the moment. Neither the BC government nor the feds in Ottawa
are over-endowed with moral fibre. And both have trouble adapting.
Copyright ©
Ernie Fedoruk retired in 1996 after a 47-year journalism career as an outdoors and sports columnist, has just completed
14 years as director/officer of the Outdoor Writers of Canada,
also was director of the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association
for 11 years. His passion is fishing – to find and to
protect – and insists his greatest contribution as a
conservationist is incompetence.
Ernie Fedoruk Freelance Journalist
1867 Neil Street Victoria, BC, V8R 3C6, Canada
phone:(250)592-4438 fax:(250)592-7090
e-mail: efedoruk@islandnet.com
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contact efedoruk@islandnet.com
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