Little Hawk
Active Member
Had this one forwarded to me from Don at the Pure Salmon Campaign.
Opinion 250, 29th December 2009
Standing Around Watching The Salmon Die
By Ben Meisner
I talked with Dr Gordon Hartman over the holidays. Doc Hartman is an internationally known fish scientist. He has done work in many countries looking at how to re establish fish populations, or how to prevent their decline.
He said he hoped that he wasn't around when the fishery in the Fraser River takes its last gulps of air, I echoed his thoughts.
Looking back at the year 2009, the Fraser River is not far from becoming a river of the past unless we take some very strong measures to prevent its demise, so far we haven't.
Federal Fisheries should be taken by the boot straps turned upside down and given a good shake from the top down. We invariably have a Minister from the east coast, telling us how to manage the west coast fishery. The Cod fishery is an example of how not to manage a resource. The Federal fisheries have been dismal failures in looking after the interests of the fishery, which is supposed to be their mandate. They do often take on some little sports fishermen, perhaps a farmer on a river bank, but when it comes to taking on a major player, they suddenly are lurking in the shadows. They like to pick their fights, only ones that they can win, and major players are not on the page when it comes to that effort.
The Fraser River has seen a major increase in the Native Food fishery/commercial catch without any regard to the future of that fishery. When it comes to looking after the fishery first, it moves to the back of the line. The government of the day is reluctant to take on the fish farm issue, look the other way and the matter seems to go away. The matter of the condition of our rivers receives scarcely a passing mention. The Nechako River, which has all but seen the demise of the Sockeye population, faces a yearly problem of over heated water, but Fisheries, hiding behind the skirts of industry, fails to act.
Rio Tinto (Alcan) makes the claim that the Chinook population that they control is at an all time high, while at the same time every single river around it sees a major decline in the Sockeye returns, but those claims are never challenged.
Instead of looking for the root cause of the declining salmon populations, the Fisheries people are out on the stream checking for sports fishermen, hoping to get a pinch and the subsequent fine for no license.
Will it all change? Yes it will one day when someone suddenly announces that there no longer is a run of Salmon in the Fraser River. On that date, I do hope that both Doc. Hartman and I are not around.
I'm Meisner and that's one man's opinion.
http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/15022/1/standing+around+watching+the+salmon+die
"Some could care less if there's any fish left for our kids!"
Opinion 250, 29th December 2009
Standing Around Watching The Salmon Die
By Ben Meisner
I talked with Dr Gordon Hartman over the holidays. Doc Hartman is an internationally known fish scientist. He has done work in many countries looking at how to re establish fish populations, or how to prevent their decline.
He said he hoped that he wasn't around when the fishery in the Fraser River takes its last gulps of air, I echoed his thoughts.
Looking back at the year 2009, the Fraser River is not far from becoming a river of the past unless we take some very strong measures to prevent its demise, so far we haven't.
Federal Fisheries should be taken by the boot straps turned upside down and given a good shake from the top down. We invariably have a Minister from the east coast, telling us how to manage the west coast fishery. The Cod fishery is an example of how not to manage a resource. The Federal fisheries have been dismal failures in looking after the interests of the fishery, which is supposed to be their mandate. They do often take on some little sports fishermen, perhaps a farmer on a river bank, but when it comes to taking on a major player, they suddenly are lurking in the shadows. They like to pick their fights, only ones that they can win, and major players are not on the page when it comes to that effort.
The Fraser River has seen a major increase in the Native Food fishery/commercial catch without any regard to the future of that fishery. When it comes to looking after the fishery first, it moves to the back of the line. The government of the day is reluctant to take on the fish farm issue, look the other way and the matter seems to go away. The matter of the condition of our rivers receives scarcely a passing mention. The Nechako River, which has all but seen the demise of the Sockeye population, faces a yearly problem of over heated water, but Fisheries, hiding behind the skirts of industry, fails to act.
Rio Tinto (Alcan) makes the claim that the Chinook population that they control is at an all time high, while at the same time every single river around it sees a major decline in the Sockeye returns, but those claims are never challenged.
Instead of looking for the root cause of the declining salmon populations, the Fisheries people are out on the stream checking for sports fishermen, hoping to get a pinch and the subsequent fine for no license.
Will it all change? Yes it will one day when someone suddenly announces that there no longer is a run of Salmon in the Fraser River. On that date, I do hope that both Doc. Hartman and I are not around.
I'm Meisner and that's one man's opinion.
http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/15022/1/standing+around+watching+the+salmon+die
"Some could care less if there's any fish left for our kids!"
