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Prince Rupert Regional Information Site

NATURE

Sea, land, river

PEOPLES

Community

 

 

 


For earlier materials see
Table of Contents

Managing

Anglers not fish

Priorities??

Problems in ‘Paradise’

‘World Class’ draws ‘attention’ of too many?

DFO Fact sheet for Steelhead—life history etc

 Says something about the Campbell Government’s sense of priorities--- ‘managing’ the angler’s experience – and profitability of the Tourism ‘resource’ --- while leaving the health of stock to another day

 

(I could find no stock assessment online – only low returns for 2005, 2006 in Tyee test fishery and a suggestion low returns in 2007

 

Thus DFO in Sept 2007:

NORTH COAST SALMON (AND STEELHEAD) MANAGEMENT

---‘We are concerned by the low returns of steelhead to the Skeena system in 2007’,----

Much of the Quality Waters strategy is on their web site – -----including the

Glossy 6 page Brochure 3.2 Megs PDF

·         What the Quality Waters Strategy is

·         What Angling Management Plans are

·         How you can participate

 

Management Plans

Conservation etc will be dealt with later – which prompted a funny ‘image’: suggesting ‘Quality Experience’ of fishing in a river with no fish --- sort of like a target practice shooting range for hunters with booze added analogy – as quality ‘hunting’ experience etc

Planning your Angling

 

 

 

 

For the Members of Skeena Regional Committee --- next step to have local waters committees and ‘Plans’

Making the world ‘better’ for Guides etc?

A few at the meeting wondered if this would turn into a new form of ‘Allotment’ or Quota—

‘Giving’ a prime river to mainly guided tours – and excluding residents etc

‘Quality Waters’ people denied that would be an ‘outcome’

 

But here is a local anglers concern

"Guides will make up almost half of the seats on the committee that can make wide recommendations on river access, licensing fees, and regulations.  In my view, this is a conflict of interest in the classic sense because guides have a vested financial interest in the outcome of the recommendations made.   They have a livelihood to protect.  While there is no doubt that guides (and a number of other economic interests) have a important voice to be heard in the process, this should be achieved through submissions or a presentation to the committee, not through actual decision making power.  The committee needs to be made up of members who have no financial gain to be realized by the outcome of the recommendations."

 

Martin Griffith-Zahner

 

 

Public Process

Web site for input etc

These are the 3 different groupings of Skeena watershed

 

Presumably each will have 7 member committee to come up with ‘local’ plan

 

See below the areas now recognized as ‘crowded’ etc’ Note how they ‘center’ around Smithers and Terrace

 

Terrace Area

‘problem areas’

(Web site)

Kitsumkalum

Lakelse

Zymoetz section I

Zymoetz section II

 

Note Copper (Zymoetz) area along the Skeena River is only area not ‘classified waters’ (dotted lines)

 

Smithers Area

 

(Problem areas)

 

Babine

Bulkley

Kispiox

Kitseguecla

Kitwanga

Skeena IV, downstream of Kitwanga

Skeena IV, upstream of Kitwanga

Suskwa

 

Not only increasing numbers – but ‘aliens’ dominate some rivers – subtext – ‘crowding out’ ‘Residents’

Graphic left from ‘Data Summary’ PDF on web site --- many of the presentation slides at meeting showed who was being guided etc (many ‘aliens’ were not – or using ‘illegal’ guides)

Thus a sub-text to meeting was lost ‘business’ disguised as ‘residents’ being excluded

 

Regulations

Here is how ‘problem’ being dealt with presently – numerous regulations --- but no cap on numbers etc

See PDF area 6 regs

 

Community Experience

These were not just ‘stakeholder’ meetings but intended for ‘angler’ inputs – Crowding on the Copper was mentioned – as were the large number of ‘aliens’ (non-Canadians)

 

One fellow discussed how ‘jet boats’ were degrading not only the ‘wilderness’ experience – but harming habitat with their careless speed and coming into Pink redds etc

Another fellow discussed how Skeena already becoming less predictable (global warming?) – with 2005-06 having some of lowest waters ever seen – and 2007 some of the highest etc

 

 

Some previous articles on Skeena River

See this page for divisions Skeena Watershed into different ‘stocks’ systems’ for example Sockeye and steelhead

Various stories on Skeena R discharge –Feb 2006

July 2006 and July 2007

And here is where SSTs low in 2007 (causing the > snow pack locally?)

 

 

Expecting Water Quality? Example amount of Arsenic etc

How about the Environmental Quality Branch??

Playing with ‘Quality Waters --

Descriptor of water or advertising slogan?

Created by LG on 3/3/2008

Last updated on Monday, March 03, 2008