Report on Skeena Salmon Calls for New Way to Manage Fishery

Saturday, May 17, 2008 04:54 AM

Terrace, B.C. - An independent scientific review of BC's Skeena River salmon fishery lays out a bold agenda for changing the way wild salmon are managed, say conservation advocates with SkeenaWild Conservation Trust.

A panel of four scientists that spent the last six months looking into the future of BC's second-largest wild salmon fishery released its final recommendations yesterday.

"We feel the panel's recommendations represent a sound approach to the major issues facing Skeena salmon," said Greg Knox, Executive Director of SkeenaWild. "We'll be working closely with all sectors to ensure implementation minimizes impacts on current users. We're also confident that new opportunities will be created in the process."

The review panel, convened by the Pacific Salmon Foundation, was made up of James Lichatowich, Dr. Carl Walters (UBC), Dr. Randall Peterman (SFU) and Dr. John Reynolds.

The Panel's recommendations include:

- Create a collaborative management arrangement for the Skeena that includes government agencies, user and interest groups, and the broader community.

- Reduce Alaska's interception of Skeena salmon.

- Cooperate to address threats to habitat, including coalbed methane, oil and gas pipelines, mines, roads, pine beetle infestation and climate change impacts.

- Reduce marine harvest rates for Skeena salmon to protect weak stocks.

- Make selective fishing gear mandatory at the mouth of the Skeena.

- Improve in-season management decisions using tagging and radio tracking.

"The panel has embraced the opportunity to create a genuine and significant shift in Canada's fisheries management practices," said Knox. "Continuing to manage salmon in the way we have in the past is simply no longer an option."

The panel was tasked with determining whether the current management and assessment framework for the Skeena fishery is sufficient to meet the objectives of Canada's Wild Salmon Policy, and whether adequate stock information exists to inform sound management.

The panel's report is available for download at www.skeenawild.org.

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Posted on Saturday, May 17, 2008 04:54 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on May 17 2008 7:57 AM

The use of drift nets, fish weirs, sonar and better gaffs is the answer. Clearly traditional fishing for native needs will continue. So lets clean out the last salmon and get it over with. The feds should supply bigger reefer trailers so the bears don't get anything either.

Posted by: kevin1006 on May 17 2008 10:20 AM

More skimming over the whole truth which lies deeper but selfish humans don't want to face, and I predict, never will until the Salmon are gone: We are an awful species focused like a laser only on "me" and whatever "me" wants. "Me" wants a weed free lawn so I dump chemicals everywhere; "me" wants an SUV spewing toxins into the air, which ends up in the water when it rains; "me" wants to be lazy so "me" clear cuts instead of cutting timber sustainably, etc.

Here it is, May of 2008, and humans are as clueless now as they were a hundred years ago, refusing with whatever lie needs to be told to avoid the real truth: humanity is insane. Blame the beetles, that's the new lie.

Posted by: diplomat on May 17 2008 12:55 PM

Kevin1006, we have a small 4-cyl SUV. It gets a much better gad mileage than the 6-cyl sedan we had before. And since it is 4WD we have a much safer vehicle for winter driving.

Everyone one picks on SUVs, but the best-selling domestic vehicles in both Canada and the USA have been Pickup Trucks. They have been forever the mainstay, the bread and butter of the big three domestic manufacturers.

They are if used for everyday pleasure driving (as most of them are) the biggest gas eaters - and they are everywhere. Often it looks as if at least every second vehicle one encounters is a pickup truck.

Nobody picks on pickup trucks.

We have not used any pesticides or herbicides on our lawn and garden for at least 25 years. Dandelions can be pulled out with a weed puller. They disappear anyways if the lawn is mowed often and kept short.

Mankind learns its lessons only if it goes through the school of hard knocks and even then it looks as if each new generation insists on making all the obvious mistakes which screwed up the previous one.

The 20th century is a good example. Politicians fomented wars, dropped bombs on other countries, killed tens of millions of innocent civilians, women and children and the old and frail. Lesson NOT learned: war is the pits, it kills people and destroys property - it is impossible to conduct any war without killing the innocent and the settling of disputes by war often creates the foundation for yet another war to follow!

Fast forward to the 21st century: Mankind is already at it again, dropping *smart* bombs, shock and awe, napalm, white phosphorus, wiping out hundreds of thousands of civilians = collateral damage, in military lingo.

Insanity in action and perpetrated by those who should know better!

What to do?

Posted by: northern taxpayer on May 17 2008 6:43 PM

Diplomat - we should have taken the miltarys nuclear bombs away and they might have been able to put the money, time & effort to things like fish management and other human desirable goals, but it is too boring for the banksters and their war mongering buddies to be doing worthwile endeavours toward the human race.we know who they are they are just untouchable unless there is a revolution or insurrection like it says in your insurance policy!A small country near the chinese border has a two word constitution "infinite happiness" too simple can't fit a nuclear bomb into that. i'm afraid we are doomed to stupidity.

Posted by: diplomat on May 17 2008 7:13 PM

Actually, they have not used the nuclear (or like Bush would say: nukelar) weapons since 1945.

Now it is non-nuclear warfare that is used against countries which do not have the deterrent umbrella of nuclear retaliation capability - yet.

This non-nuclear weaponry becomes more sophisticated and deadly all the time: Smart bombs, remotely controlled unmanned planes that carry missiles, depleted uranium ammunition, etc.

Aerial warfare in Iraq is conducted from a comfortable air conditioned command control room in another country - via satellite signal communications.

It's just like a video game! Only it's the real thing with real blood, spilled guts and real people roasted burned alive.

Posted by: Harbinger on May 17 2008 8:20 PM

New way to manage fishery? I guess it is a good thing if it doesn't change anyone's way to catch as many fish as they can and figure they deserve. That goes for everyone who fishes.

Posted by: northern taxpayer on May 18 2008 9:16 AM

same old story, dr. dr. dr. making the rules, where's the old fisher person who knows the truth and does not have any conflict of interest,here goes nobility making the rules for the peasants.yup we are still in trouble.

Posted by: Foo738 on May 18 2008 4:03 PM

We are, indeed. All based on greed?

Posted by: lostfaith on May 19 2008 12:00 AM

The only salmon anyone should beable to have in their possession, is one they have caught themselves with a rod and reel.
Outlaw commercial fishing completely and natives only allowed to use traditional methods from hundreds of years ago for their share.

Posted by: Harbinger on May 19 2008 10:35 AM

fisher person? A fisher is a fissure which is a crack which has been misspelled. Better watch out or I will remove the cover of a "person hole" and throw you in. Leave my English language alone. You don't impress. You just get noticed. Hey, pal. Wars start over this stuff, ya know.