R6 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 21, 1999 CHRISTIANA WIENS \SKEENA-ANGLE!| ROB BROWN “Steelhead trout are being managed as icons rather than biological entities. The bureaucracy openly ad- mits that politics and elitist social directives are the flavour of the day when it comes to regulating Steelhead angling opportunities. Factual informa- tion on steelhead abundance is not welcome and there is an overwhelming effort to keep any in- formation as vague as possible, Recently we have leaned that there is a directive to initiate a province wide policy that angling for wild summer-run steel- head will be managed strictly on a zero harvest basis irregardless of large surpluses in steelhead populations. (sic)’’ **1998 saw a record steelhead mn into the Skeena watershed that exceeds the spawning requirement fact, the escapement may well be over 100,000 steelhead, Despite this, there was no harvest op- portunity for summier-run steelhead in 1998, even though the Sportfish Advisory Board recommended unanimously to support a harvest of one per year when the escapement reached 35, 000 fish past the Tyee Test Fishery on the lower Skeena River. A well coordinated effort by the BCWF, from the president on down, failed 1o bring any common sense to this issue.”” This extract comes from a repart by Mike O'Neil, president of Skeena Region, to the last AGM of the British Columbia Wildlife Federation. This report should give anyone concerned for steelhead some anxiety because its logic is as bad as its syntax, and because BCWF has had a strong influence on the province’s fish management for 50 years. Let’s look at O’Neill’s figures. Scientists used smolt production models and calculations of avail- able spawning aud rearing habitat to put the number of spawners necessary to seed he Skeena at 23,000.: This figure assumed an even distribution of males and females in the Skeena’s many tributaries, and didn’t account for poaching, First Nations alloca- tions, or natural mortality. To offset these deficien- cies, scientisis added twelve thousand fish. Still, 35,000 spawners is inadequate since it didn’t ac- count for biodiversily, genetic integrity, or the ef- fect of oceanic conditions on salmon stocks. Even if you ignore all these issues and opt for the Status quo, you need a reliable method to calculate spawning escapement. Skeena run sizes are calcv- lated using the gill net test fishery at Tyee. This is fine for sockeye, because most can be counted at the Babine fence to obtain a figure that can be calibrated with historic data and the test fishery to get a reliable escapement index. But, steelhead en- ter the system over a much longer lime period making escapement estimations very difficult. Each steclhead gilled at Tyee becomes 245 steel- head with the use of a stalistical device called an expansion factor. This expansion factor was genera- ted from the number of steelhead commercial fishers reported io have caught, historic data, har- vest rates and other statistical magic better ex- plained by scientists. Ultimately, the test fishery gives us crude figures showing there are more or less fish than the year before; it shows the destruc- tive effect large river mouth fisheries have on sal- mon; and it proves we have fewer salmon. When the Ministry of Environment claims a return of some 66,000 steelhead, it knows it’s on Statistically shaky ground. When O'Neil and his cronies suggest the run is upwatds of 100,000, they’re lost in the ozone. The term surplus describes a state where there is more of something than can be used. It’s a word best left to wheat farmers and economists. When BCWF argues the existence of a biological surplus justifies a steelhead harvest, it’s using voodoo science to justify a kill fishery without apprebend- ing the consequences of such an action. A kill fishery says steelhead are abundant when, in the context of historic abundance, they are not. It arms the commercial fishery with another argument fo retum to the aggressive fishing regimes of the past, atid it is likely to cause the kind of allocation problems we have with First Nations on the Fraser. On economic grounds a steelhead kill fishery is stupid. The number of dollars generated by the fishery is proportional to the number of angling en- counters. Since a fish can be caught and released a number of times living to spawn once, or possibly twice, killing it loses money now and in the future. : To these BCWF fellows sport must be covered in blood. Like all extremists, bogcymen populate their world view: when they can’t get their way, it is the fault of bureaucrats, elitist fly fishers, green meanies or animal rights activists. Most steelheaders fish a fly most of the time be- cause summer steelheading is more enjoyable that way. Mast choose to release their catch and will continue to do so. Steelhead are biological entities and icons. It’s the way of the angling world now, and it's the reason thousands of Skeena steelhead wound up on gravel beds instead of beds of glow- ing coals. If this continues we will have a meaning- ful idea of what historic steelhead abundance really means, no thanks to BCWF, ~ of 23,000 fish hy many tens of thousands of fish, In. THAT'S SCOTT RIGLER with his clubs at the Skean and Country Club July 14, Rigler earned his chance to swing with tha best of them at the Junior Nationals in Chatam, Ontario in mid- JUNIOR GOLF RRACE STANDARD. a Valley Golt E ee August. Rigler qualified for the taurnam B.G.'s top 16 players at the BC Tel Open on the rugged greens of Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club July 6-9. 638-7283 : ant by finishing amongs He’s going national He’s 18, just graduating from high school and going to play golf with Canada’s best junior golfers. _ Life is sweet. . poe dy, 4 TO SCOTT RIGLER, entry into the junior national golf tourna- ment in Ontario this August, golf isn’t just a game, its an obsession. ““You could drop me off at the course at 6 a.m. and I'd be here all day long,’’ he said sitting comfortably in the clubhouse lounge July 14. Of course, Working at the clubhouse and shar- ing tips with seasoned golfers doesn’t hurt ci- ther. “T play pretty well every day,” be said. ‘It’s easy to just shoot nine holes after I get off.” Rigler swung his first club at age seven and owned his first set of clubs by the time he was ten, crediting his dad for teaching him the ropes. om hab or Térrace’s. newest - **My dad got me into the game,”” he said. So, by the age of 18, after a full season of working on the greens and, admittedly, watch- ing a lot of golf on TV, it’s no wonder he lives for the game, “You lean new shots that way,’ he said, _ defending his TV habits. : .His.shots have ‘gotten so good that be tied for... ' sixteenth, at the BC Junior--Champiouships, .. shooting four 77, 71, 74 and 77 round games for - a 299 tournament tolal. ‘You could drop me off at the course at 6 a.m. and I’d be here all day long,’”’ Three shots lower and Rigler would have made one of two BC teams attending the tournament. As il is he’s happy to compete as an independent. “There was some good competition there,’ he said of B.C.’s best junior golfers. ‘‘I came pretty close to Matt Makinson.’’ Makinson placed second in the tournament wilh a 291 total. : He finished 13 shots behind winner Cameron MacKenzie and tied the defending champion Kevin Klebe, Backed by the knowledge his game was in good shape going into the tournament, Rigler says the Sunshine Coast, known for its narrow greens, and.deep rough traps, had its challenges. Even though he enjoys, plenty of sports such as hockey, mountain biking and soccer, the berth into nationals has encouraged him to think about following locals Tyler Gibson and Nathan Little as they golf their way through college at Camosun College, Eventually, Rigler said, he'd even like to eam the big bucks and play professional golf, fol- iowing in the footsteps of Canadian Mike Weir, his favourite pro-cizcuit player. He even inas a favourite golf course in B.C., after three years of playing in the high school circuit, “Crown Isle near Courtenay has challenging fairways and a good clubhouse,’’ he said, His average score on the greens here is a 74, three higher than before last winter’s changes, THE NEED FOR SPEED: Don Sharpe can't wait to take his 1968 Acadian out to the races July 24-5. Sharpe and his crew do all the work an his dragster and hope to blow the competition away this weekend. Riverboat drags change to lure crowds IT’S TIME FOR engine rev- ving, tire screeching excite- ment. Starting at 10 am. July 24-5, drag racing fans will be able to line the side of one of the Terrace-Kitimat airport runways for the an- nual Terrace Drag Racing Association (TDRA) races. The drag races are usually held on Hwy16 during Riverboat Days, but have been moved up a week to try aud draw more drivers into the area, “There should be more drivers this year because there will be two days of racing,” said TORA mem- ber Roger Bal. The TDRA has changed their venue, but Bal thinks that it will make the event bigger and better, ‘It’s something that's becoming more popular up here,’’ Bal said. By partnering up with the airport, Bal added, there is also the possibility of hav- ing more than one event a year. “Tf we can do it we'd like to get more events.’ Fans will have prime views as racers rip down the strip, aid a campsite will be set-up outside the airport for people who are coming in. from out of town, Last year, speed limits were put on the racers, but with the races at the airport the speed cap has been lifted. Bal said the love of speed drives the sport, but safety is highest on their list, ‘Every single driver bas to go through a technical in- spection before they race,” he said, The faster racers go the more safety gear has to be on the cars,’ he added, Technical inspections for drivers start at 7 aim., and the races get underway at 10 a.m. Sports Scope it’s back DUST OFF your rackets and break out the tennis shoes, the Terrace Tennis Club is bringing the Tennis Fair back lo town. The three-hour clinic will be held Aug. 4 from 6 pam. to 9 p.m. at the Halliwell tennis courts. It will be coached by Jeff Player, a Vancouver-based level three pro who works for Tennis B.C, The clinic is meant for adults interested in brushing up their skills, leaming the bare basics, or those just looking for other people to play against. The $8 entry fee includes a hat and is well worth it considering the {evel of instruction, says Terrace Tennis representative Grant Holkestad, To register call Grant at 635-9406 afler 4 p.m. but hurry, registration is limited 10 a maximum 30 players or Aug. 3, whichever comes first, Private or semi-private lessons with Player can also be arranged for Aug. 5. 400 Club winners DR. GREG LINTON (#192) and Prince Rupert’s Alf Ritchie (#058) are June’s 400 Club winners. Alan Shepard (#165) and Peter Lester (#114), of Prince Rupert are July’s winners, The 400 Club helps pay for travel and accomodation costs of the 127 north- west athletes attending the B.C, Senior Games in the Elk Valley. Athletes will also run a hamburger stand in the Safeway parking lot July 23-24 from 11 a.m. to 5 pnt. to raise extra moucy, RCMP take Kermodei Cup The RCMP beal competitors from the Terrace and Prince Rupert rod and gun club teams and the Sheriff's department at the Tenth Annual Kermodei Cup July £1. The cup is a challenge match that follows police practical combat courses. [t's open to shooting club members and peace officers. The team score is made up of the averaged score {maximum 500 points per shooter) over a 100-round double course of firc, The Terrace Rod and Gun Ciub’s Ron Fowler, of Hazelton, won the individual round, While. the RCMP’s Trevor Osborn, of Smithers, took second and Buddy Quant, of the Prince Rupert RCMP, took third.