By GLENN DREXHAGE | TERRACE — Last week’s fed- eral government announcement of a multi-million dollar plan to establish a ‘‘model’’: fishery on the Skeena River has drawn guarded responses from those In- volved. In unveiling the four-year, $14. million program last Wednesday, fisheries and oceans minister Ross Reid said one of its main lasks will be to develop a way to maintain commercial fishing on the Skeena while protecting less abundant stocks like summer-run steelhead and coho. Craig Ort, president. of ihe Steelhead Society of B.C, reacted to the news with cautious optimism. “T think it’s.a positive step, and Fisheries Officials disagree TERRACE — Federal fisheries officials are citing improving steelhead returns as the reason for allowing an increase in commer- cial fishing at the mouth of the Skeena River. However, a provincial biologist warms that while some runs are doing well, others are facing ex- tinction. , The Department of. Fisheries and Qceans: gave commercial fishermen the go-ahead for more 24-hour openings ‘last’ Thursday andon Monday.. - “The steelhead index has in- creased very rapidly and con- tinues to climb with no sign of slowing,”’ explained DFO bidlogist Dave Peacock. The Thursday opening was con- tingent upon the steelhead return index.exceeding the #92 numbers, . . Peacock. said. further’ openings will depend on: the strength of the | steelhead run,as well as the coho run, which is extremely poor this year. The number of steelhead enter- ing the river hit more than 7,600 as of last Wednesday. .. That's higher | than the number at the Sime time last year.” But it’s still barely half of the 10-year average, which Indicates more than 14,000 fish should have returned by now. “We're a-little better than last year — which doesn’t say a lot,’’ said environment = ministry fisheries biologist Rob Bison. The environment ministry’s target retum is 44,000, Thats how many spawners the biologists calculate must return in order to maintain steelhead stocks. Although Bison says some runs of. steelhead are doing well, weaker stocks.— like the upper Sustut and Morice River runs — are in deep trouble. The current rate of steethead catch ‘‘far exceeds the maximum sustainable yield’? for many weaker runs, Bison said. . “Theoretically they should go extinct,’” he said, . Those carly summer-run steel- head are the most important com- ponent to the sport fishery and guiding industry, he added, However, Peacock ‘said DFO scientists now consider the. coho salmon to be in greater danger this season than the steelhead. The commercial fishery at the mouth of the river is-also shifting gears as pink salmon start to ar- tive and the sockeye dissappear. “We won't be going more than two days a week,'” Peacock suid, adding the fleet will also be much smaller than it was at the peak of the sockeye run in July. Fed fish. tad ates - I hope it goes in. the right direc- tion,’’ he said, ‘However, he hoped the initia- tive would be more than a study without tangible results. “Tm a bit-worried that it’s just another delaying tactic — I hope that it is something concrete,”’ Orr explained, - Jim Ciccone, president of the Northern Native Fishing Corpora- tion, also had mixed reactions. “From what I’ve-seen, [think it’s a step in the right direction by. the government to address a very complex problem,’? he conceded, However, he expressed concern the plan ‘contained nothing about - stock enhancement (hatcheries). Ciccone’ hoped. that omission was simply an oversight . tather than deli erate. While supporting the sugges- tion of selective harvesting meth- ods on a test basis, he maintained © they must be proven through. scientific data before being fully. implemerited, Paddy Greene of the. Pacific Fishermen’s * Survival: Coalition agreed there was a’need for more scientific research, - “Tt’s a step in’ the: right direc. tion — I’m pleased that the min- -ister made a commitment of these , funds.” * But he reniained ‘cautious about céerlain points of. the’ program, such as weak stock management, - claiming’ the issue was. ‘about al - id - tion,” Gieéne said that: wast. "t the location, not. conservation. : “Ths fact remains that-we’ve had a community gillnet fishery. . in ihe ‘Skeena river for, “neatly. 120 7 Seelheed . needed years ‘and we still have. all our stocks,’”’ Greene pointed out, . He also confirmed ’ his con- limied opposition to the govem- ment’s current three-year plan ta ~ bring about ‘a 50 per cent reduc-— », tion in the aumber of steelhead © caught in commercial ‘néts, Thal ° plan is slated to ran until. the end ~ Of the 1994 season, | “That is totally inappropriate — that is not acceptable, he, en phasized. ~ "While the federal overnite claimed a new strategy - was “because; no oie | ‘is benefiting from the current situa- case, ‘There -was one group tha ‘was . benefiting at the moment, the : SUMMERTIME’ SHARK Wade Flaherty can “¢ided to mix and match wardrobes. Flaherty, Benched 't decide how to: dress for the weather, so he de- a professional goalie with, the San Jose Sharks © and Kansas City Bladas; is one ‘of thé instructors at this:week’s hockey camp, which. ends Aug, 21. The second camp Is from Aug. 23-28, For a Flaherty feature, please se see page a 4 3 *‘elitist’’ steelhead fishermen. Key points of the plan include testing selective harvesting meth- ods, improved methods of .col- lecting information, habitat pro- tection and chinook development. The province, fishing groups, communities, industry and Native groups are all being asked for their comments on the plan. The announcement.came at a- time. when fishing practices on the Skeena river continued to be hotly debated. ; The federal fisheries depart- ment recently restricted the com- mercial fleet to only one fishing day a week In the river mouth area owing to poor steclhead returns, Sports fishermen have linked declining steelhead and coho plan gets a cautious welcome numbers to commercial fishing techniques. . While commercial fishermen use gillnets to-catch sockeye sal- mon, less abundant species ‘are also caught and killed in the nets. In response’ to’ ‘the . imposed limit, commercial fishermen wrapped nels around DFO offices in Prince Rupert -arlier this month., The three-day siege énded witen the department allowed two more days of - commercial fishing, ‘that week. In expanding ‘the fishery, DFO officials pointed to Improved numbers of returning steelheat, DFO director’ of ' operations David -Bevans said further com- mercial openings “epended on steelhead numbers, Youth death, Injury figures... higher here — TERRACE — Young people in - the northwest are more likely to suffer injury or death than their peers elsewhere in the province. That’s the finding of a report prepared by Skeena Health Unit unit employees Lesley Cerny and Shirley Tank. The document examined injury, death and hospitalization statistics from 1987-1991 among those 0-19 years. , During that period, there were a total of 76 injury deaths in the region. That transiates to a mortality rate more than twice the B.C, average. . “The bottom line is our rate is much higher,” said Cerney, “I it’s probably fair to say that it - thor figure) suprised: * revery® body,’ she added. : Most «deaths occurred. in. ‘the transportation category, which in- chided motor vehicle occupants, cyclists, pedestrians, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, | This category accounted for 37 fatalities, all but four of whom — were males. Other leading ‘causes of death were fires, suicides and injuries by others. . There were id fire deaths, a staggering 7.6 times the provine cial average. Suicide rates. were nearly twice as high with seven of the cight sulcldes being by males. However, females were the view tims in three quarters of “the deaths due to injuries caused ‘by others such as rape and homicide, Hospitalization. rates were ‘also up to twice the provinclal average with transportation, falls, injuries by others and pojsonings being among the leading causes. The report sald incidents of in- jury were dependent on the vic- tims age and development. ~ For example, while’ falls and poisonings were common among _ very young children, the main causes in the 15-19 age. group were motor vehicle accidents and ° suicides. The Skeena Health ‘Unit covers Almost the entire noithwest corner .Ofthe- provinces; “with the: excep" tion of the Telegraph ( Creek area, ‘The ‘“réport’:also looked at statistics for smaller ‘“local health areas’? (LHAs), based on school ’ district boundaries, ° Terrace was Included in LHA #88, along with the Hazeltons and Stewart There, the report said, the main cause of death .was gain frans- portation, resulting in 14 fatali- ties; 13 of which were males.. ‘Deaths ‘among young ptople in the LHA cost. 1,719 potential years of life, : -calculated -as, the “number: of. years “of ‘fe lost when a 1 person dies before the age of 75.” Cont'd Page Ad Parkers. paying up TERRACE — The money Started to pour in as soon as city officials began handing unpaid tion agency. More. than $1,900 In cheques has come in since city hall issued final warnings In May that the heavy hitters would be called in. “The response has been over- whelming,” sald clty bylaw en- forcement officer Frank Bowsher. A company called Equifax has been contracied by the city to pursue " unrepentent illegal patkers. payment in the province — at 52 per cent The provincial average is 41-per cent. - More than 1,100 -tickets have. been Issued sines the City of Ter- race got into the parking ticket business two and a half years ago. About 650 of those have been paid, 124 voided and the remain- ing 376 are still outstanding. All outstanding ilckets will eventually be tumed * over to Equifax as the time limits for. . voluntary payment run out. ~ : parking tiekets over to a collec- 7 . ticket-holders who'll be: receiving Bowsher has long lists of. other. calls from Equifax next month. “Thére are still a few out there: who think we’re not golng to go for them,’’ be said, “But they’ re, in fora sho Bowsher notes. that. ticket- holdezs get a bargain by paying their $25 now instead of waiting, ~ A $10 surcharge is added. to cover the Equifax costs if.a. ticket _ is sent out to.the bill collectors Bowsher’ claims the ‘city now : has the’ highest rate of voluntary he explained, 0°". - Bowsher clainis the city's 8 ket ‘offensive is working. “If you go- downtown to the 4600: block: there's room to park, * he polnts out, “People aren't staying: there all daylong”? - He said the city has also opened up some new parking places in the downtown area by removing -no-parking yellow curbed sec- tlons on Lakelse Ave. from Eby to Emerson.