BB - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 17, 1998

TERRACE STANDARD .

a. SPORTS

638-7283

i

The coho crisis

AST NIGHT CTV aired a piece

on the effects of the depression on

Port Hardy, CTV didn’t cal! the

economic situation that, prefer-

ring the term ‘‘downturn’”’ in-
stead. Make no mistake, the current econom-
ic climate is depressed and depressing for
resource dependent towns like Port Hardy,
Prince Rupert, and Terrace.

In the world of television news, where the clip
and the byte reign supreme, sensation almost in-
variably wins out over intelligent coverage. So it
was With the item on Port Hardy.

There was a sweep of the camera over moored
fishing vessels; a shot of the main street; then an
interview with a native fisherman who, the nar-
tator tells us, has recently atlempted suicide.

As the camera captures more glimpses of Port
Hardy, the narrator speaks about an increase in
the suicide rate there.

The CTV cameras move on to capture a spokes-
man for some coalition pledged to fight for the
survival of coastal communities. The back drop
for this byte appears to be the coastal community
of Vancouver where yachis and pleasure craft
predcniinate.

The spokesman rants. According to him, mil-
lions of dollars in the form of silvery salmon are
being allowed to swim by Port Hardy unmolested,
For this he and his organization blames Fred Mif-
flin and the government plan that bears his name.
There are also millions of dollars worth of trees
going uncut, according to the same fellow, who
obviously believes that mining resources past ex-
haustion to total depletion and extinction is justi-
fiable in the face of immediate hardship.

It’s not surprising that demagogues ‘draw the
cameras of commercial TV like magnets, but it is
ethically reprehensible that Fred Mifflin or David
Anderson or someone of the conservative persua-

Yes, towns like Port Hardy and Prince Rupert
are gravely depressed. This depression often
manifests itself tragically. The situation is in-
effably sad, but we must understand how things
got that way.

The crisis in the forest industry is in large
measure due to the fact that we’ve hitched ovr
wagon to international markets and are now sub-
ject io global fluctuations in those markets. Of
course, participation in those venues has led to
unrealistic cutting rates,

In the fishing sector, growth in the fish farming
industry is hastening the sunset on the traditional
fleet, Before the onset of aquaculture, too many
licenses for fishing vessels were issued. When
habitat loss and changing ocean conditions were
added to the equation, the sum is the imminent
collapse of the traditional fishing industry and the
collapse of discrete stocks, like coho.

Unfortunately, the economic hardship is not
confined to the sea coast. Terrace, which has been
reeling from the effects of mill closures and the
like, faces another blow if the federal govern-
ment, in its campaign 10 save coho, opts to shut
down the lynch pin of its tourist industry, the
summer sport fishery.

I have written that nobody should kill coho, and
Istand by that. Anybody who can fish selectively
should be allowed to do so.

Thus, fishers employing tangle tooth nets and
holding tanks should be allowed to fish. First Na-
tons fishers using beach seines on the gravel bars
of the Skeena should continue to fish, and sport-
fishers who have no significant impact on coho at
present and can be regulated to the point where
they have virtually none, should continue to fish
too.

Outside sportfishing circles there is the miscon-
ception that sportfishers catch a lot of coho. In the
salt water sportfisherics, that’s true. In the river
fisheries it isn’t.

I fish a lot, and I catch a lot of fish. In the past
five years I’ve caught one coho, which I released
unharmed. The experience of professionals is
similar to mine. In July 1997, the Terrace Guides
caught no coho, During August, ten coho were
caught, All of them were released.

The dozen freshwater sportfishing operations
working out of Terrace have been building their
businesses over the years, If there were no com-

mercial fishing industry, they would have been
working the best sportfishery in the world; if
there bad been sensible, sustainably managed
commercial fishery, the Skeena sportfishing
guides would have thrived, Despite huge fleets
barricading the mouth of the Skeena each sum-
mer, they have managed to make a decent living.

To penalize them when they are not part of the
problem, and when, moreover, they can be used
as a valuable tool for collecting coho data in a
sensitive way, does nol make sense.

Kiwi coach preaches gospel

By ANITA DOLMAN
TWO YEARS ago Ken
““Kiwi’’ Mansfield came
to Terrace from a country
where he says rugby is
the national religion.

The professional rugby
coach and game veteran
from New Zealand has un-
dergone a severe culture
shock since then and he says
at times it bas been frustra-
ting.

“Terrace bas been fairly
fortunate. It's had rugby
clubs for a long time be-
cause of the expatriates, the
immigrants,’’ says Mans-
field.

But he says increasing the
popularity of the sport in
Canada has been a struggle
because, like New Zealand,
we already have a national
sport; hockey.

When Mansfield first ar-
rived, the executive of the
local rugby union realized
they needed to boost interest
in the game among young
people if they were going to
keep the sport, which
Showed signs of dying,
alive.

Mansfield started working
with a youth rugby program
at Caledonia secondary
school.

*‘Now a few players have

Mansfield brings rugby religion to Terrace

come right through and are
playing first year in the
team.”’

Terrace currently bas three
rugby teams - the first and
sechnd Northmen and a
women’s team,

He says women’s mgby,

“which just started this year,

has really taken off.

“I wish the guys were as
dedicated and keen,as the
‘women were”!

He says the fact that most

He says rugby here is at
the stage it was in other
parts of the world in, the
71970s, with players getting
changed on the sidclines and
a dozen people showing up
to watch the games.

Mansfield, who turns 40
this month, started out in
New Zealand as one of the
youngest division one
players.

His career spanned 20
years with division one.

“The thing | do take my hat off to people
up here for is that they're still playing for
the love of the game, not the spin-offs.”

of the women knew ab-
solutely nothing about the
game didn’t stop their
enthusiasm.

“They love the smashing,
the physical aspect of it,”’
says Mansfield.

He is hopeful that if the
club continues with its vi-
sion, they will be able to fill
two full insides in the near
future.

“This year we’ve made a
teaj push,”” he says.

Mansfield also spent two
seasons with the Esher club
in London, England, right
after the inaugural rugby
world cup in 1987.

Here he has found that
training a local team is a
tough balancing act.

“Before the training got
heavy, we were having 60
or 70 people,”’

But now thai they’ve got-
ten into contact, Mansfield
says the numbers are dwin-

dling.

“T’ve had to scale down
my training,’’ he says.

“The skill levels are
mixed, I don’t want to make
it too hard for the rookie or
have the keen guy, whose
had a lot of training, being
bored,” he says.

There are things he really
enjoys about coaching the
Terrace team, though.

“The thing I do take my
hat off to people up here for
is that they’re still playing
for the love of the game, not
the spin-offs,’ he says.

Mansfield says it’s not
something that he sees as
much in New Zealand
anymore, where players
receive a lot of benifits,
from boots to beer, for their
play.

The downside is that there
is little funding for rugby in
Canada,

“In New Zealand in a

-town this size we would

have six or seven clubs.
We're not marketable. We
don’t have the numbers,””
he says.

Mansfield is currently
working on plans to send
some of Terrace’s top
players on a sabbatical to

sion is not given the opportunity to rebut by CTV. |

@ Aperfect day —

BATTER UP: Pitchers and batters stared each other down in Ter-
race Minor Softball action at Elks Park on Saturday afternoon as
leams for Kermodel Beverages and Terrace Co-op went head to
head. The warm, sunny weather made for a perfect afternoon for
players, parents, coaches and officials.

Ken Mansfield

New Zealand to learn from
his form team, the Stoke
club,

“Tt miss the skill level and
intensity of the game,” says
Mansfield.

“It’s jus! not here yet”’

In the meantime, the
teams will get a chance to
test themselves against
teams from southern B.C. at
the William’s Lake
Stampede Tourmament at
the end of the month.

Riders
saddle up
for games

EQUINE enthusiasts
gathered in Thornhill
June 6 and 7 for the
Totem Saddle Club
Spring Show.

Fourty-five class com-
petitions in all were held,
including a number of
qualifiers for the B.C.
Summer Games.

Corea Anderson on Al-
gonquin had an excellent
competition, winning
qualifiers in both the
basic 4 A open and the
Basic 4 B, as well as the
freestyle (kur) open.

First place in the trail
horse open Games
qualifier went to Kirsten
Muller, riding Two Eyed
Plaudit. Muller also won
in the qualificr for the
western horseman open,

The western riding
horse open qualifier went
to Alexandra Mills on
Chiquita.

Nina Carroll rode to
first place in the jun-
iorfamateur jumper on
Duke of Hazard while
Sherry Kirsch took top
honours in the jun-
ior/amateur jumper power
and speed competition.

The qualifier for the
Games barrel race went to

’ Lyn Lavoie on Gremlin’s

Gizmo.

Erin Havar on Sierta’s
Allas rode to the win in
qualifiers for both the flag
race and pole bending.

Angelika Langen and her
horse, Angel, rounded out
the top placements in
qualifiers with her win in
the key hole race.

Students rank high at track meet

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL students poured onto
the fields at Uplands to compete in the June 8

track and field meet.

competed with 9-year-old girls, finishing first in
the 50m, 800m and 1500m and in the long jump.
Jared Stephens, of Uplands, led the pack in the

in the 100m, 200m, 1500m and the high jump.

Meanwhile, Victoria Johnson, of Veritas, fin-
ished in the top of the 400m, 800m, 1500m and
ball throw competitions.

Over 400 competitors showed up from 11
schools, including schools in Kitwanga, New
Hazelion, South Hazelton and Stewart.

Anna Krisinger from Veritas broke the record
set in 1992 for the nine-year-old girls in the 1500
metre race, coming in with a time of 6:25:82.

The mect saw a number of outstanding
athletes,

Robyn Cater of Uplands had top finishes for
the 9- year-old girls in the 50m, 200m and 1500m
races, as Well as in the high jump competition.

Tanya Dykman, of Centennial Christian, also

9-year-old boys, finishing in the tap in the 50m,
400m, 1500m and long jump.

Rita Pare, of New Hazelton, was named the
outstanding athlete for the 10-year-old girls,
placing first in the 50m, 400m and long jump.

Clarence Michiel student James McEwan came
out at the head his 10-year-old boys category,
with wins in the 50m, 400m as well as in the
long jump.

The 1l-year-old girls saw two outstanding
athletes.

Melia Stephens, of Uplands, had top finishes

Tim Braam, of Centennial Christian, took the
award for the 11-year-old boys with his first
place scores in the 800m, 1500m and ball throw.

The 12-year-old girls saw Ashley Taylor, of
Veritas, take the title of outstanding athlete, with
her'top finishes in the 400m, 800m and 1500m
races and ihe ball throw,

The top athlete for the 12-year-old boys was
Chris England, of Clarence’ Michiel, who won
his category in the 400m, 800m and 1500m
TACeS,