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VOL. 12 NO..14

WEDNESDAY
June 23, 1999

ted again

And while limited fishing may be al-
lowed, all taking of salman will be
banned in August when the pink rua
happens.

“The problem is they return at the
same time,”’ he said of coho and pink
Skeena rns, ‘There might only be an
opportunity for a First Nations fishery.”’

Saito explained that fish wheels and
other selective fisheries run with mini-
mal damage to coho and sockeye.

Anderson acknowledged enforcement
of a more complex fishery system with
three zones may be more difficult.

But, be said, the system would be regu-

lated by 20 new coastal fisheries officers
and an honour system.

Take

Coho catching restri

By CHRISTIANA WIENS
ALMOST A YEAR to the day after the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
téleased the 1998 salmon management
plan, which devastated Skeena gillnetters
and anglers, fisheries minister David
Anderson has done it again.

He’s announced mass shutdowns, or
red zones, that completely ban all sal-
mon fisheries downstream of Terrace
from Aug. 9 to Sept. 5 in an attempt to
preserve severely depleted returning
coho spawning stocks, Salmon fishing
upstream of the railway bridge is
restricted Aug, 15 to Dec. 31.

“The thought is someone might ac-
cidentally kill upper Skeena coho,” ex-

plained fisheries representative Wayne
Saito.

Although the red zones start two weeks
Jater than lst year, anglers face immedi-
ale restrictions in the form of “special
Manageme it zones’’,

The zonzs allow locals to fish selec-
tively — using single barbless hooks and
Proper catch and release techniques for
all species except coho,

“We're saying let’s be smart about
fishing here,’’ Saito said. ‘You can’t
target upper Skeena colo but you can
‘fish here.’

The zones are (outed to allow greater
Managentent flexibility during minimal
or non-existent coho runs.

Saito says officers recognize there are
local zones where salmon are abundant
cnough to support a limited fishery,

And while coho runs are at risk, Saito
says other stocks such as Skeena sockeye
are also in trouble,

He expects 378,00 sockeye to return
to the Skeena River system in 1999,
while Nass River stocks are also below
average, Saito said 900,000 sockeye are
needed to ensure survival.

“There will be no commercial sockeye
fishing season,’’ be said.

Chinook and pink runs, be said, are ex-
pected to be higher at 1.8 million com-
bined on the Nass, Skeena and Kitimat
Rivers.

“We're saying let’s be
smart about fishing here.
You can’t target upper
Skeena coho but you can
fish here.”

“We recognize upper Skecna coho are
not found in these areas at that time,”
Saito said,

Special pockets called yellow zones”
near the Kitimat hatchery, Rivers Inlet
south of Bella Coola and inland areas of
the Queen Charlotte Istands, allow
anglers and First Nations fishers to catch
and keep coho.

Rising Skeena
hits low areas

AFTER A WEEK which saw rising water
levels in the Skeena cause flooding in the
low-lying areas, officials are keeping a
weary watch as the amount of water pass-
ing through the river system recedes.

Several areas in and around the city were
flooded as a combination of suddenly-hot
weather and rain increased the flow of the
Skeena and of other rivers.

The Usk water gauge, which is the central
point for taking river measurements,
measured 11.87, metres at 3 p.m. June 17,
the height of the high water. It then began a
Steady decline,

Old Remo in particular was badly hit and
residents from approximately 30 homes
there were evacuated.

As many as 500 volunteers responded to a
general call for help at several sandbagging
locations before the Skeena hit its crest.

Forest fire crews from around the region
were called to lend a hand and inmates at
the regional correctional centre were also

pressed into service along Queensway on -

June 16,

An emergency station was set up at the
Terrace arcna to help people displaced by
flooding or in need of help,

The arena station was shut down June 18,
but Terrace fire chief Randy Smith, the

area’s emergency services co-ordinator,
said it played a vital role in organizing local
people who wauted to volunteer.

**We had over 500 registered volunteers

sign up. The community response has been |

tremendous,’’ he said.

A variely of government officials were

first mobilized Monday, June 14, after a
weekend of hot weather. They opened the
region’s flood response centre manned by
people from the highways ministry, the
Provincial Emergency Program (PEP), lo-
cal emergency services and the RCMP,
Workers from various companies hired by
the highways ministry were called out June
15 to help with sandbagging and dike

fortification. A call for volunteers and _

olhers was soon issuca.

Smith said fire crews who were called in
brought with them stability.

‘'Fire crews bring an organization in with
them and that helps to organize local

ie

volunteers,’” he said.

The flooding was accelerated by the
warm weather, but David Belford, a com-
munications officer attached to the flood
cottrol centre, said provincial officials
were prepared for it. ;

*"We had_ identified areas that coild be
problematic, But the Warm weather caused
things to be stepped up,”’ he said.

.The emergency station at the arena helped
to organize familics whose homes were
flooded. Approximately 15 families from
Old Remo were put up in hotels or motels
in the area while water seeped into their
homes.

As the end of last week approached, a
dike on the south side of Queensway wasn’t
considered high enough and has now been
extended down to Thormhill Creek, Belford
said,

Back-hoes and dump trucks full of rip-rap
were at work all week extending and
heightening the dike,

This extension, said Belford, brings the
dike up to the 200 year level — a measure-
ment that is equal to the'river’s highest re-
corded point in the past 200 years,

Belford said the dike extension couldn't
be done before flooding started because the
official flood centre wasn’t opened until
June 14,

Dirk Nyland, the key provincial official
tunning the flood centre, said flooding
preparations were made before water levels
teally jumped up on June 15.

“We had about 60 or 70,000 sandbags on
hand, rip-rap sites strategically located and
lots of sand sites identified,” le said.

Nyland said saow packs up stream on the
Skeena River and not ones in the immediate
arca caused the flooding problems.

“The majority of the problems came
from snow packs that were up stream,”
said Nyland, Snow packs in the Bulkley
Valley and Hazelton arca melted faster then
those in Terrace, he added.

“The snow pack here isn’t that much of a
problem and is melting quite slowly,’ he
said.

For more, please see Page A1S

DIKE EXTENSION: crews were working constantly as they extended the dike on
the south side of Queensway to Thomhil] Creek, An evacuation alert was issued
to home owners June 16 and was canceled June 19. Sandbags still surround
some homes on Queensway. With the extension and raising of the dike to the
200-year level officials think home owners will be bettar prepared when the
Skeena rises next summer.

FLOODED OUT: Oid Remo was one of the hardest hit areas when the Skeena
River forced the evacuation of approximataly 30 homes. Robin Road was closed
down all week, but re-opened June 19. As water levels. decrease, home owners
are returning and assessing the damage. MICHAEL COX PHOTO

What happened

FLOODING CAUSED problems and
responses ia the following areas:

Mm Skeena Ave, was flooded and sand-
bags were placed around homes.

Mi Braun’s Island had minor flooding.

WM At Queensway and Mark Road,
several houses were sandbagged,

W The dike on Queensway has been ex-
tended to Thronhill Creck and raised to
200-year flood fevel.

iM Kitselas Road on the north side of the
Skeena River was shut down.

Old Remo wag flooded and about 30
homes were evacuated. Robin Road was
closed in Old Remo.

@ In North Usk several houses were
flooded and sandbapeed.

@ The Usk ferry connecting South Usk
to the Hwy16 side of the Skeena River
was shut down June 14. and is scheduled

to go back In service early this week. Ac-
cess to North Usk across the river was via
a people-only carrier.

Wi The Kitsumkalum River rose almost
to the level of Hwy16 where it flows un-
der the bridge crossing the river and is
being monitored,

@ In New Remo, Royal and Kilby
Roads were closed to traffic. Gagnon and
Wichman Roads were covered by water,

Mi The Nisga’a Highway was closed
from Lava Lake to 84km.

MM The highway from Greenville to New
Aiyansh was closed to all traffic, and
crews were checking bridges and culverts
for washouts.

Gi Water and debris were a problem on
Hwy. 16, especially at Carwash Rock
west of Terrace, where flag personnel
were directing traffic,

"Steele said it

that,
says

Steele

SKEENA CELLULOSE’s
dramatic return to
profitability is being driven
by the determination of em-
ployees fo prove the compa-

_ hy’s critics wrong,

Company president Bill
Steele says the botiom line
is where he and his workers
will exact their revenge on
oulsiders who hack the com-
pany and the government’s
investinent in it.

“You have to go on the
basis that one day you'll be
able to prove them wrong,”’
Steele told the Standard last
week in his first interview in
a year,

News stories about SC] —
most criticizing the gavern-
ment’s expenditure as a
waste of moncy — fill three
big binders in the compa-
ny’s communications office.

Despite the beating the
company routinely takes in
the media, Steele never
responds.

“Its a really deflating
thing for the employces,”’
he said. ‘‘But there is no
response in a newspaper you
can make without provoking
more,”

Instead, he says, he chan- -
nels their frustration into
making the operations per-
form better and better.

“I tell them to make it
happen. Show them up,’’ he
says. ‘‘And that’s what they
did at Carnaby.’’

That sawmill’s production
costs are down 29 per cent
and production is up 50 per;
cent from two years ago, he
said.

‘‘Many of our friends in
ihe umber industry said you
couldn’t make moncy at
Camaby,’’ Steele says with

a tight smile, ‘Jt has deen

profitable since September
of 1998,”"

Costs are also down 23
per cent at the Smithers
sawmill and production is
up nearly the same amount.
has been
profitable for the last five

- months.

Even the lucrative Terrace
sawmill, which has been
consistently profitable since
it was built except for two
months last year, has
achieved a five per cent cost
reduction,

Delivered wood costs are

_ down about $5 to $6 4 cubic

metre.

Cont’d Page A2