_ Fishery clash looms Sectors square off over ‘94 fish plan chan een oe,» bY JEFF NAGEL IT COULD BE A long hot sum- mer on the Skeena if expected major. changes to the commercial fishery are brought in. .The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has floated a set of nine options aimed at reducing “the by-catch of steelhead by 50 per cent while attempting to maintain the commercial sockeye catch. ‘The nine options use varying “combinations of the following tactics to get the promised 50 per , cent reduction in steelhead catch: -* Continued use of the steelhead * eatch-and-release program. * Required use of ‘‘weedlines’’ —~ nets that are set Lower in the water, enabling steelhead to swim - over them. Commercial ‘fishermen don’t like them be- - cause they don’t catch as many : sockeye cither. - «© Significant reductions in the ‘number of fishing days for the ‘ commercial fleet. Even the options that would go _ easiest on the commercial fleet - call for weedlines — an idea commercial fishermen denounced at a tally last week in Prince ~Rupert. The toughest options — which ©The attitude is Let’s hang the bastards and then we'll find out in a few years whether they're " guilty or not.’ ”’ would also reduce the by-catch of troubled coho runs and carly summer run steelhead — would " result in major culs to the number of fishing days, . Provincial biologists say indi- '-. vidual stocks of carly-run steel- head “that ‘return to the ‘Upper’ ‘Morice, the Sustut and’ Copper- - Rivers’ até endangered and “could soon be reduced to the point where those rams can ever _ Tecover. . Most of the options under con- sideration would shift the focus _ Of the commercial fleet from Au- gust to July. That would reduce pressure on the. healthier August steelhead retums, and help secure the 50 - per cent reduction, but would hammer the runs that are in the most trouble —- the early runs in ‘July. Hill notes the ninth option was the only one that gives a 50 per cent reduction in the early-run steelhead by-catch. -- “Option #9 would have a draconian effect on commercial ‘fishenmen,’’ Hill admitted. “I’m not saying we support option # 9. We'll have to go back and discuss that.’” - Bad as the steelhead situation is, Hill says coho stocks have fal~ len to even more critical ievels. @é STEELHEAD SOLUTION? Hatcheries are the sofution to Increasing steelhead and coho stocks, say commercial fishermen. Coho numbers are already getting a boost from the likes of Deep Creek and Kitsumkalum (above) hatcheries. However, sports fishermen. say hatchery steelhead don't put up much of a fight and the Skeena’s popularity as an angling destination will suffer. “DFO has basically managed coho stocks into oblivion,” he said, Prince Rupert fishermen last week vowed to take the fight upriver. **Tf we're shut down, we'll take a trip up the river and disrupt sport fishing lodge activity,” said Des. Nobels of the Northem Gillnetters Association. ‘We don’t work, they don’t play.” “This is going to absolutely cripple the industry here,’ com- mercial fishery spokesman Paddy Greene said. He maintains more research is needed before drastic steps are taken, and he said the Alasken and high-seas driftnet fisheries _could end up being the biggest culprits. “*The attitude is “Let’s hang the bastards and then we'll find out in a few years whether they’re guilty or nat.’ ’” Greene maintains there is no conservation problem on the Skeena — it’s a matter of alloca- tion. He portrays the problem as being one of. elitist sportfishing interests from outside the region attempting to dictate how other seciors should do business. ‘It’s a propaganda war,” he says. “*] don’t like people coming into our neighbourhood on the Skecna River and telling us what to do.”’ Paddy Greene Smaller fleet key to future Wild runs, biodiversity threatened, say steelheaders STEELHEADERS are dis- sappointed that options proposed . for the 1994 Skeena commercial fishing plan don’t include Measures fo reduce the size of the ‘commercial fleet. That, say sporifishing critics, is . the only way a Major conserva- ~ tion crisis in Skeena fish stocks will be averted. “There are no simple answers “for the Skeena,”’ says Stecihead Sociely vice-president Bruce Hill. “The longer we wait to address “these problems, the more difficult _: . they’re going to be to deal with.” ~~ Hill is. calling for introduction --oF atea licensing, which would restrict commercial fishermen to fishing in the area where they ~ live, eliminating pressure on the ‘Skeena from the southern B.C. 7 commercial Leet, ‘That would make the fleet more - manageable, reduce pressure on "stocks and free up more fish for local commercial fishermen, Hill ays. ‘The government could then buy out: some commercial fishing . licences to further reduce pres- aure and. d encourage more inctiver Bruce Hill selective fisheries to catch surplus sockeye without taking steelhead. DFO spokesman Greg Savard said the concept of area licensing is beginning to grow in appeal, but it’s not going to be In place for 1994, The problem with Skeena fish Management as it now stands, says Hill, is that 1,000 boats go to the mouth of the river. every sum-. . Mer and fish for a single super- . enhanced run of Babine River sockcye, The tremendous number of sockeye in that single, artificial run is a magnet for the entire B.C. commercial fest, Every other weaker run of fish entering the river at that time is the focus of the same intense fish- ing pressure —~ and the weaker runs can’t handle it, ‘“We have come to rely more and more on one stock of fish — enhanced Babine sockeye,” says Hil, That reliance increases pressure each year for more hatcheries to raise other species — such as sicelhead and coho. Anglers don’t like hatcheries because hatchery-raised steelhead don’t fight like their wild counterparts. But biology is the best reason for preserving wild stocks. As wild runs go extinct, says Hil, the biodiversity of the . Species decreases, That-can make huge numbers of fish mote vulnerable lo disease. . Meanwhile the decline in small. -erstocks has forced fishing cuts. Hill says it’s fronic that the present reliance on ‘‘mega- enhancement” is ultimately driv- ing the-commercial fishery itself towards extinction. , More research is required to. determine the health of the weaker stocks in the Skeena sys-_ tem, says Hill, who is impressed with the work done by the Nisga’a on the Nass River. ““They’ve managed to develop more information about Nass fisherics and Nass stocks in the. last few years than DFO’s done in the last 100 years,’ he said. “*That’s the type of research that needs to be done in the Skeena,’’ Solving the Skeena’s problems will only happen when the com- | mercial and sport fishing sectors | are prepared to sit down together and talk. ‘We do not want to see the death of the commercial fishing industry,’” Hill says, .““That’s the last thing on our min ~“We are willing to sit down “any time, any place, with any- . body doesn't have to be paid out of the a laxpayers pocketbook ee to. discuss. this, And it : ished second in his = group. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 16, 1994 - AS euyuppanipmipepeatmaen paimmmmane se CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag Amazed at waitress An open letter to Miss Apolezers Your letter about how customers treat waitresses, Jan. 12, 1994, enraged me to a palit beyond words. I was amazed how you could insult both customers and waltresses in one swoop. [ have been on both sides of the waltress/customer fence and Ican tell you from personal experience that your customers treat you with the same amount of respect and courtesy that you treat them. Their attitude is a reflection of what yours is. The exceptions are few and far between. As for working in a bar atmosphere you have to have a pretly good sense of humour, because intoxicated people are there to have a good time and are generally joking when they harass you about your appearance or the speed at which they arc getting served. We’ve all been in that position at one time or another; time has no meaning once you have had a few drinks. As for the harassment on your gender or low you are dressed, take a look at them and joke back. People appreciate that more than being snubbed. « My last piece of advice is that you take a few seconds to yourself when you feel your humour slipping and think of a new reason to continue working. The world is not going to end if an order is an- other minute coming. In short, Miss Apoiczer, if you can’t take the heat in your checks, then maybe a career change is in order. Chris Adam, Terrace, B.C. Seniors need housing Dear Sir: AJan. 5, 1994 “Council Shorts”’ note said ‘‘Residents of the Ter- taceview Lodge neighbourhood will be asking how they would like to see Skeemaview Park developed. The park adjacent to the Kins- men Club’s Kinhut and Heritage Park, at present features tennis courts and a children’s playground.” These places form the part from the northern boundary line and the horseshos games area and Heritage Park site that follows up to Kerby Road. The five tennis courts also form the northern boundary from there to Terracevicw which follows the southern boundary line, In this spot there was talk of putting a baseball field, but we haven't heard any more about that as it was thought that batting balls and seniors out for walks and in wheelchairs would not be suitable, We have heard there is property up north Eby which might devel- op later and be more suitable forsporis, When Terraceview was built a few years ago it seemed adequate but now Terrace has a great increase in population. There is not enough room in the Willows, there is a waiting list. There is also a waiting list at Terraceview. People ate having to be sent to the ‘*home’’ in Prince Rupert and Kitimat: This is yery upsetting for the elderly and some times blind. We should be looking to another wing being built on Terraceview and certainly, if there is any property in ihat Wieinity, it should be saved for that purpose. The building is full and it is a very sad situation when people say they have to wait until someone passes on. It is also a sad situation when people say they have to wait until someone passes on, ~ Tt is -also-a sad: situation when-relatives' have-to catel“a-bui-or “drive 80, miles;teturn; to ‘Kitimat, -or-180: miles; ‘o Brlotechupet, return, to see a loved onc. We should all be thinking about what is happening, We see mer- chants preparing fort expansion. Our hospitals, our homes have to be ready for this change, too. Let us hear your views, Let’s be ready, Sincerely, Earl and Dorothy Smith THE START IS FOR PEOPLE LEARNING TO READ. The Start Rumours not true YOU MAY have beard rumours about drug arrests. And you may have heard that well known people have been arrested. The rumours began three weeks ago. At finit people said there were three arrests, Now the list has grown to six people. But the rumours are false. Police say they did not attest the those people. RCMP Inspector Lawrence Yeske says the whole thing is out of control. Joe Zucchialti is a dentist. He is one of the people mentioned in the rumour. “‘It has been really upsetting,” said Dr. Zucchiatti. He says his family has been hurt by the mmour. And his business is down, too, FLYING HIGH. ‘Snowboarders from Prince Rupert, Smithers and Prince George were at Shames Mountain recently for a competition put on by Terrace’s North West Snowhoard As- sociation. It was the first time a snowboard event has been held at Shames and organizer Jeff Doll hopes to hold two mora before then end of the season. That's Johnny Ceondes of Prince Rupert flying through the alr in the | photo, He fin =. en . 5