Sushihunter
Active Member
http://www.canada.com/Remain+objective+about+Cohen+Inquiry/3218043/story.html
Remain objective about Cohen Inquiry
By Jeremy Maynard, Courier-Islander June 30, 2010 12:00 AM
I suppose - or at least hope - that most literate citizens are like me and don't believe everything they read or hear from the various media, otherwise it would be disturbing to think that the broad public could be that gullible. My sense of the "smell test" is honed by those things that I know to be true, or not as the case may be, and that experience informs my response to those items in media about which I am less certain.
I was pondering this after I read the editorial "Inquiry into the Inquiry" (C-I, June 18) and came away hoping that most readers will not be swayed by such nonsense.
If some of the energy that went into conjuring up such alliterative phrases as "mismanaged with mealy-mouthed manipulation" was actually spent on researching reality (good journalism!) instead of parroting the comments of a politician who apparently believes the only appropriate outcome of the Cohen Inquiry into last year's Fraser sockeye collapse is a public roasting of DFO officials then the C-I editorial might have been worth reading.
Instead it was a piece of writing that does a disservice to a readership that hopefully is concerned about Fraser sockeye and depends on media to inform them with some degree of accuracy.
The truth is that the one individual MP John Cummins, and by extension this newspaper, particularly objects to having been appointed as an advisor to the Cohen Inquiry is one of the very best salmon scientists in the world. Dr. Brian Riddell is, in my opinion, precisely the kind of person who should be providing guidance to those whose careers are more usually spent considering legal matters. Brian left DFO, much to its dismay, after a distinguished 30-year career within the department and did so because of his frustration with the inability of it to do the work that needs to be done to better secure the future of salmon. This of course relates to the systemic inadequacy of resources provided by Ottawa to do the task at hand, but that's a different issue.
Don't doubt Dr. Riddell's commitment to the salmon resource here in BC, for instead of heading off into quiet retirement or being lured away by handsome offers from major universities in foreign lands he has signed on with the Pacific Salmon Foundation to assist with the vital work the PSF does.
In any event I hope readers remain objective in their considerations about the inquiry, the outcomes of which one way or another are sure to shape the management of salmon along Canada's Pacific coast into the future. I for one am satisfied Judge Cohen has chosen well of those he will be depending on for advice.
Another piece of writing in this newspaper also caused me some initial concern, this being the headline (which I don't choose) above a column of mine several weeks back that in large print described the chinook fishing locally as "red hot". I'm never entirely comfortable with such hyperbole and thought for sure such a public declaration would be the kiss of death, with the productive fishing surely ending right then.
I'm pleased and slightly relieved that this has not been the case, for the chinook fishing across the north Strait of Georgia has continued to remain impressively productive by the standards of the past 20 years, and if anything the fishing has improved. Long may it last!
One really welcome addition to the catch has been the presence of coho, anglers are reporting them from all around the strait. It has been many years since this kind of coho abundance has been encountered in inside waters, especially this early in the summer. In addition the ratio of hatchery fish (identified by a missing adipose fin) to wild fish is considerably higher than usual, affording genuine opportunity to keep some.
Although we're not quite back to the good old days of coho fishing in the Strait of Georgia just yet, the relative abundance of coho this early summer once again points to good ocean conditions encountered by these fish a year ago when they first entered the marine environment.
With luck this will have been true for all the other salmon species as well and the pink returns later this summer will be a strong indicator for those species that will mature in subsequent years.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Remain objective about Cohen Inquiry
By Jeremy Maynard, Courier-Islander June 30, 2010 12:00 AM
I suppose - or at least hope - that most literate citizens are like me and don't believe everything they read or hear from the various media, otherwise it would be disturbing to think that the broad public could be that gullible. My sense of the "smell test" is honed by those things that I know to be true, or not as the case may be, and that experience informs my response to those items in media about which I am less certain.
I was pondering this after I read the editorial "Inquiry into the Inquiry" (C-I, June 18) and came away hoping that most readers will not be swayed by such nonsense.
If some of the energy that went into conjuring up such alliterative phrases as "mismanaged with mealy-mouthed manipulation" was actually spent on researching reality (good journalism!) instead of parroting the comments of a politician who apparently believes the only appropriate outcome of the Cohen Inquiry into last year's Fraser sockeye collapse is a public roasting of DFO officials then the C-I editorial might have been worth reading.
Instead it was a piece of writing that does a disservice to a readership that hopefully is concerned about Fraser sockeye and depends on media to inform them with some degree of accuracy.
The truth is that the one individual MP John Cummins, and by extension this newspaper, particularly objects to having been appointed as an advisor to the Cohen Inquiry is one of the very best salmon scientists in the world. Dr. Brian Riddell is, in my opinion, precisely the kind of person who should be providing guidance to those whose careers are more usually spent considering legal matters. Brian left DFO, much to its dismay, after a distinguished 30-year career within the department and did so because of his frustration with the inability of it to do the work that needs to be done to better secure the future of salmon. This of course relates to the systemic inadequacy of resources provided by Ottawa to do the task at hand, but that's a different issue.
Don't doubt Dr. Riddell's commitment to the salmon resource here in BC, for instead of heading off into quiet retirement or being lured away by handsome offers from major universities in foreign lands he has signed on with the Pacific Salmon Foundation to assist with the vital work the PSF does.
In any event I hope readers remain objective in their considerations about the inquiry, the outcomes of which one way or another are sure to shape the management of salmon along Canada's Pacific coast into the future. I for one am satisfied Judge Cohen has chosen well of those he will be depending on for advice.
Another piece of writing in this newspaper also caused me some initial concern, this being the headline (which I don't choose) above a column of mine several weeks back that in large print described the chinook fishing locally as "red hot". I'm never entirely comfortable with such hyperbole and thought for sure such a public declaration would be the kiss of death, with the productive fishing surely ending right then.
I'm pleased and slightly relieved that this has not been the case, for the chinook fishing across the north Strait of Georgia has continued to remain impressively productive by the standards of the past 20 years, and if anything the fishing has improved. Long may it last!
One really welcome addition to the catch has been the presence of coho, anglers are reporting them from all around the strait. It has been many years since this kind of coho abundance has been encountered in inside waters, especially this early in the summer. In addition the ratio of hatchery fish (identified by a missing adipose fin) to wild fish is considerably higher than usual, affording genuine opportunity to keep some.
Although we're not quite back to the good old days of coho fishing in the Strait of Georgia just yet, the relative abundance of coho this early summer once again points to good ocean conditions encountered by these fish a year ago when they first entered the marine environment.
With luck this will have been true for all the other salmon species as well and the pink returns later this summer will be a strong indicator for those species that will mature in subsequent years.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
