Steelhead Letter Response

IronNoggin

Well-Known Member
Yes, A</u> response. One</u> thus far from the entire list. One that looks suspiciously like a standardized bulk mailing, but a response nonetheless. Better than the dozen or so who simply deleted the original Email without even bothering to open it (can you say Arrogant?).

Received this date:

quote:From: Reid.MLA, Linda &lt;Linda.Reid.MLA@leg.bc.ca&gt;

Subject: RE: Elections And State of Fisheries

Thank you for contacting my office expressing your concerns over ensuring the future of the wonderful steelhead trout in our province. I share your concerns over the abundance and survival of this iconic British Columbia fish.

Reflecting these concerns, a third of the BC Liberal government caucus recently engaged in a consultation meeting, briefing, and discussion of the troubling situation. That “Steelhead Summit” meeting was in workshop format and attended by approximately 60 representatives from the angling community, sports fishing, fishery biologists, government experts, and conservationists.

Arising from that meeting, experts such as Al Lill, former DFO executive and author of the Greater Georgia Basin Steelhead Recovery Plan, and Rod Clapton, B.C. Federation of Drift Fishers President and Chair of the South Coast Steelhead Coalition, are synthesizing findings and advice arising from the Steelhead Summit for presentation to the entire BC Liberal government caucus shortly. This report will take into account the concurrent recommendations of the Pacific Salmon Forum Final Report recently released under the chairmanship of the distinguished John Fraser, and Living Water Smart, the provincial water strategy recently released by the Ministry of Environment under Hon. Barry Penner.

We understand that the answer to the long-term survival and prosperity of this unique and important fish species cannot be easily addressed. Please be assured that we are doing all that we can to reach that goal.

From Ministry of Environment:

There is no doubt that steelhead face many challenges and we share your concern for this species. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for steelhead management and is implementing a number of initiatives with our partners and stakeholders to restore habitat, rebuild populations where numbers are depressed, and improve the management regime to maintain the quality angling experience for this species. The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and the Living Rivers Trust Fund have invested millions of dollars in priority steelhead projects throughout the Province and they will be continuing to do so in 2009

Among the most significant initiatives is Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan. This plan includes provision for changes to the Water Act to recognize water flow requirements for ecosystems and species. Changes to BC’s water laws will improve the protection of ecological values including those values associated with BC’s wild fish resources. Particular attention will be directed to those areas experiencing or expected to experience water supply shortages.

Steelhead conservation management has been an important challenge for the Ministry, particularly since the abundance of steelhead throughout southern BC declined sharply in the late 1980’s and since. This decline is now understood to have been the result of dramatic decline in survival brought about through changes in the ocean environment. This change has been linked to climate cycles, but may also be linked to climate change. The provincial government has made climate change a top priority. Our strategy is one of mitigation and adaptation, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon sinks that remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

The Ministry of Environment has dedicated staff that are responsible for the management of all freshwater fish in the province (which includes steelhead). To ensure conservation objectives are achieved and sustainable fishing opportunities maintained the Ministry also relies heavily on our partners and stakeholders for assistance.

Honourable Linda Reid, M.L.A
130-8040 Garden City Rd.
Richmond, BC V6Y 2N9
P:604.775.0891
F:604.775.0999

According to this reply, All sounds Fine on the Western Front...
Perhaps it's just me, and of course I could be in error here, but I have a few basic misgivings about what I have just been spoon-fed:

- The Liberals "contribution" to the Steelhead Summit: "There is NO additional funding available for steelhead".
Ahhhh, but we WILL get a REPORT that combines both the findings of that summit with John Fraser's Pacific Salmon Forum Final Report and the provincial water strategy recently released by the Ministry of Environment (Living Water Smart). Wonder who's bookshelf that report will end up collecting dust on, alongside the hundreds of others that ain't exactly Life According To Gordo?

- Millions of dollars invested in "priority steelhead projects"? Really? As far as I am aware, there has been blessed little (if any) monies expended on projects directed at steelhead since this Government came to office - rather budget slashing appears to be the operative word here. Nowhere do I see "implementing a number of initiatives with our partners and stakeholders to restore habitat, rebuild populations where numbers are depressed, and improve the management regime to maintain the quality angling experience for this species." In fact, with the new budget severely stripping the Stewardship component of any real funding, one is left to ponder who will be left at the table to even be considered "our partners and stakeholders". Rebuild populations? Huh?? Everywhere I look I see populations under stress and decline, but for the life of me I can't recall anything this government has done to address that matter (excluding those directly financed by outside funding sources). Restore habitat? Oh right, the current logging practises, the turning over of hundreds of acres of woodlands for real estate purposes, and the controversial hydro projects we hear about are all favorable to increasing available habitat. Right?? Improve the management regime? Kinda tough when you've hacked their budget to pieces methinks.

- The new Living Water Smart plan appears to be in direct contrast to the run of the river hydro projects. Wonder which will weigh out at the end of the day? Oh right, steelhead and other species/ecosystems don't have a whole pile of money to toss into the governments coffers to ensure their concerns are fairly met. On the other hand, those in favour of privatizing hydro production for export to the US not only know who their friends are, but have proven they are not only capable but know full well which hands to grease to ensure their aspirations will carry the day.

- And while ocean survival was obviously amongst the contributing factors to the decline in steelhead populations we have borne witness to, to suggest this was the ONLY casual agent is ludicrous. Conveniently forgetting such issues as habitat destruction (oh right, the gov makes money off of that), pollution (ever wonder why the decline of all salmonids in the Strait is occurring?) and many many more. But it IS convenient to draw in a relationship with Climate Change. After all, the gov sincerely wants us to buy into the Gas Tax and all other cash grabs conducted in the name of combating the evil Climate Change!

- So MOE relies heavily upon partners and stakeholders for assistance in steelhead management? I guess this is best effected by slashing funding levels (as witnessed again in the latest budget) and largely ignoring any advice/requests for action to address the deteriorating steelhead situation?

Finally: "We understand that the answer to the long-term survival and prosperity of this unique and important fish species cannot be easily addressed. Please be assured that we are doing all that we can to reach that goal."
OUCH! Methinks they are DOOMED![xx(][V]

Will post the reply I will send to this one when it's been fired off, as well as the draft I am currently working on for all those who chose to simply delete rather than respond...

And THAT ain't so Cheery,
Nog
 
Hey IronNoggin (like the moniker),

for some ideas of what needs to be done - and you could pull-out specific questions to ask the BCMOE minister for a follow-up letter in regards to whether or not they are doing these specific things; have a read of the Skeena Independent Science Review Panel that talks about steelhead-specific needs at:
http://www.skeenawild.org/uploads/reports/sisrp.pdf

There is a section on page 38 on "Responses to demands for protection of non-target species such as steelhead", and on page 78: "Monitoring of Fish - Steelhead"

Have a look at the recommendations on pages 13-18.

There's also some good quotes to throw back at the minister:

1/ (p.5) "Another component of the Skeena in-season management process in recent years has been a computer spreadsheet model that attempts to estimate cumulative exploitation rates of steelhead based on daily fishing efforts, expected steelhead run timing, and a collection of assumptions about interception and survival rates of steelhead taken through supposedly selective practices. The model can give some “worst-case” guidance about maximum possible steelhead exploitation rates, but that is as far as it should be taken. Use of the model in recent years to give unrealistically precise estimates, and to compare these with some agreed-upon maximum interception rates (like 24% in 2006), is scientifically indefensible, and creates a false sense of certainty that is inappropriate for all concerned (DFO, MoE, First Nations, and commercial and recreational fisheries). "

2/ (p.7): "The state of affairs today is that we actually have no idea how reliable DFO’s estimates of steelhead exploitation rates are." (includes all capture fisheries, including sports-)

3/ ONE OF THE MOST TELLING QUOTES</u> (p.8): "We were not able to include steelhead in the analysis of tradeoffs because there are no long-term trend data for most of those stocks. The lack of steelhead stock trend data is perhaps the most serious failing of the MoE's historical monitoring and management system. Provincial biologists have identified several reasons for this failure, ranging from difficulties with available field methods to lack of financial resources. The Panel perceived a lack of MoE priority on getting such data. Something must be done to help managers make better-informed tradeoff decisions that involve steelhead. There is no indication of recruitment overfishing in the historical trend data (mainly Tyee index) for the stock complex as a whole, though there are indications of potential recruitment overfishing for the populations monitored upstream at the Sustut counting fence. "

Throw this back at the "Honourable" Linda Reid, M.L.A
 
Back
Top