¢ + a 4 Brand X discusses wreedy guts” Dear Sir: There seems to be a wee bit of ‘' a hassle. going on about the *, fishing habits of the local yokels and those travelling ' visitors from the land to the ‘. south with lots of coin in their - pockets -- which we hope to _ Separale fram the protective _ clutch of their fmgers. Seems the amount of fish a guy catches is -- like everything - else -a matter of how greedy his guts are lo get something for , nothing. Maybe the fish situation is a good example of just where . we're at in relation to our \ atlitude with everything in :. sociely --\including Viet Nam, " disaster in-the cities, screaming * commercials on TV and a “ screwed up ecology. I'dlike to pass on a little story ‘ about a fellow who wanted to get rich quick by fish farming -- I think it illustrates the whole . situation we're in quite'well. An investor who had money . and knew that other people - needed fish studied up. on fish *: and found ‘that the maximum - growth -- which was what he : wanted - happened when -the -water was belween 50 and’ qo ~. degrees faherenheit..:- Then he researched around , and found &-place whiere the * “yawater flowed. underneath lava %beds and didn't drop beneath 50 ® degrees in temperature. . He *zread a little more and found thal fish need a certain amount of “water space for each: pound of sh.to be healthy: ‘He “‘poo-pood’”” that’ idea and decided they really didn’t need “fithat much space to:grow in ~ “aand, roviged | Jess: cubic: space Ciishi> - : Sohe settled on one cubic fool “for every pound of fish for his ‘proposed fish farm. 4, Then he found the fish didn’t Tcbreed fast enough to sult hitn ; ‘sand he genetically altered .thia 280 that they bred twice a year. ‘Mand that wasn’t good enough for, him so he shortened the waiting ot ‘period before breeding so that : “they bred in thelr second year of : fife instead of having to wait for . «the normal third year before: : they started breeding. Now he’s ‘breeding them three times ‘a’: ear in their second year of Ile. Next, he discovered that. fish = _THE ane TERRACE, B. Cc. 8 Oa EON tolete penn re Se See tale ctetiibebahtas Satoh SD lt sanceeetaratate . Little docs the nen fisherman dropping his line at the mouth of the Kalum River realize he is at the centre of a fish controversy brewing in Terrace. ..Fish in plenty have always been a priceless resource of Terrace and district but today there is a growing concern that the mounting influx of tourists in the area could see a drastic drop in the fish population since there is no adequate conservation staff to enforce existing fishing regulations. And there is plenty of evidence to indicate that not only visitors but residents have engaged in wholesale onslaughts onthe fish with portable canning equipment and illegal ‘peddalling of salmon -- as well as ignoring proper licensing regulations. .. Terrace council recently expressed concern over an almost exclusive emphasis on fishing in a Yellowhead Highway pamphlet to lure tourists here — apparently with fishing as the only _attraction. Their instructions to the pamphlet- makers had been ignored and their request that -other recreational attractions here be played up instead of fishing was utterly disregarded. .. And Alderman Edna Cooper, on attending a joint meeting of the Kitimat and Terrace Chambers of Commerce met with a frosty silence when she pointed out, on behalf of Terrace Council, that fishing was being unduly exploited arid over-publicized + aS tourist bait. ..The Terrace Chamber of Commerce has, however, indicated awareness of the need to protect wildlife resources by despatching a letter to Victoria urging that more staff be engaged to help the hard-pressed conservation officer here. ..Les Watmough, the Herald’s regular “Qutdoors” columnist is extremely sensitive to the question of protecting our fishing resource and in a recent column said, in no uncertain terms, just what he thought of people who greedily scooped up fish and canned them or disregarded regulations. :. Sensitive to the revenue tourists might bring to the district, Claudette Sandecki, in her column “Camping the Pioneer Way, forcefully attacked Watmough for using words like ‘tourists and other itinerant trash’, ..In this issue of the paper, Les Watmough Watmough, explains his stand and clarifies exactly what he meant by his use of those words. ..And two letters from Terrace residents express their views on the fishing controversy. .. After all the shouting has died down we just hope that in a few years we aren’t looking at the rivers and lakes and wondering where all all the fish have gone, There is practically no place left in North America, where roads exist, that fishing is any io any more, in those captive conditions tena to get diseases - so he constantly fed them anti-biotics every day. After that he found that one person working really hard can de-gut about a thousand fish a . day but this didn’t satisiy him so he set about to build a machine that. could de-gut a thousand fish an hour. He finally got his millions of fish into an attractive frozen package and shipped them all over -- as far away as New York and Los Angeles. - But those who ate them found something wrong. They were tasteless - though — some in Chicago said they tasted like mouldy bark. Back at the fish farm, sales dropped to zero. The fish still wiggled and looked like fish but something was gone, something was missing. The essence of the fish. It was hos. Brand x. Is Watmough just a big story teller? Dear Sirs. - May.I mention to my learned friend, Mr. Les Watmough -- his writing about the great out-of- doors is getting to be just imugination and could be classified as bed-time stories. -In his last column -- hunters ‘tefl the coffee pot on the fire when they went to shoot | “wavies’”, May I ask what are - “wavies’’? Where was this lake ‘and what did the coffee pot have to do with the burning of the tent. Wouldn't it have helped to put the fire out If it overflowed. And. they dropped the. anchor from (he boat ~ how did they get to the shore: — waik. on water? And how could a motor freeze up when there is BAB, in it Wouldn't . it be” more’ interesting 10 write something ‘constructive ~ such as how: to | ‘’ dress when going ‘aut on a mountain and the proper food to lake along — and anything that , could be done to gave our gaine. - Apparently it is legal to shoot a-mooge, cut off his horns and leave the remains. Also would - .. “Mr, Watniough explain why a- -member.of the trappers — traps . ‘ipushing an: experiment on: anhmile he makes 6 large oes. he-no : money: or. is ita killer’ 8 urge to desttpy ; these. ‘animals le ‘among the a HD. MacLean” _ 4817 Olsen Ave, Terrace, : B.C. -timber under lease. or license have been granted to pulp and paper. companies én 23 per cent of, Canada B. _Broduetive. forest ~ beaultut land. . ef Patera! Letters to the editor than ny one season of tourism you would like to pick out. And yet, people like you and others their various positions blinded by the glitter af money = If and deafened by the clatter and clang of cash registers and Sometime ago there was a picture in the paper of a Terrace trapper skinning a peautiful beaver. Why did the beaver havetodie? Didhe have any right to live - just as the man has who destroyed il. He doesn't really need the money unless of course he required extra money to pay for broken windows in the church - as I understand this man sings in a tremendous [oud voice - and this causes cracks in the church windows and they must of course be replaced: - I can't think of any other reason. However, this is not surprising a8 man of course is the greatest destroyer on this earth. He not only destroys the environment but also destroys * himself. So in closing may I point out to Mr. Watmough -- please write something of the truth. I wish to mention herewith -- the great number of dogs brought te the picnic grounds at Lakelse Lake. While I was having lunch with some iriends at a table there -- a woman arrived with a large dog and Look the next Lable opposite us. When nature cailed -- this dog deposited lilter. I asked the woman if she had noticed what her dog had deposited. She denied that her dog had done it. I covered the litter up myself while she went to the lake and allowed her dog to have a swim hundreds | children, I counted 20 dogs that day - -. some of course were ona leash. I don't see that is is fair to bring dogs where people are having lunch. And to find a place near the lake a person has to watch out not to-sit down in dog Litter. There are no notices upat this picnic site stating: No Dogs A- ; . lowed. , Dogs, of course “should have freedom to get out in the great out-of-doors -- however I fail to see why they should be allowed a picnic site. Any replies to this lelter from dog lovers would: be welcome. Thank you Mr.. Editor for: the: space in your “excellent. | paper. ‘ * Cutting righté ‘to? “Crow an 1 Tourist traps Dear Sir: I would .like.to take this opportunity to congratulate the - adult who on a camping trip our fish,” unquote. . the river near Terrace, and demanded he order one of our native brothers to remove his net fram the river because he = in said and I quote; ‘he’s catching These same tourists come to Ihave been put in my place. . _That — place ~-— is a eonservalionalist, I cannot, and do not, judge any person by the amount of money he spends, er has. to spend. In conservation, money must be considered secondary, the things like perigrine falcons stooping along a Queen Charlotte cliff, a great and grizzled bear foreing.a - black to give up a choice spring salmon, or a scarlet cohoe breasting the beaver dam to reach his particular bed of gravel - once gone they cannot be. replaced by any amount’ of money. A tourist who is a good sporlsman must be respected even if he spends only §2.00 per day. One who spends $100.00 per day and transgresses our law is lrash. IT am flattered that someone thinks my humble column has circulation enough to set to naught all the efforts of the JCs, Chamber of Commerce an’ all. Not: even my wildest flights of imagination carried me that far afield. The fatal five words were in a senterice intended to fix as “trash” lourists and - or locals who greedily and thoughtlessly deplete fishing stocks intent was to let their own cansience - separate the ‘‘good guys” from thecannary-operating “trash”’. If my literary skill failed me sorry about that. [should not. knock the tourists tohard - Imay some day decide to quit work and make my living off them. Phil Gag-a-lardi says there will be a representative of “the B.C. alliance of businessmen” assigned lo this area. That is swell until a listing of his terrilory is seen. From the Queen Vanderhoof, and I guess, north to Alaska. Why, the poor fellow will rattle around there like a - beanina “billy”! can. He should be given jurisdiction clear to Prince George, then he could administer an area almost as big as that of the Conservation Officers. Charlottes te. aaah ‘a eae ~ speaking of Conservation Officers and areas, I’m sure you've all heard of the magnanimous grant of $100,000 to put some part time help in the field. We have recently been informed that the alottment for northern B.C, is $16,000. If claculated as full time help, this amount might put 2 men in the field. Two men in 200,000 square miles of northern B.C. gives each man 100,000 square miles. .The problem with the part time help scheme is the administration and ‘training involved will eal up such a great chunk of the $16,000 that. the general effect of the programe will be like a plip in a puddle. A short note here to: Elvira Bryant and all other people concerned with herbicide - pesticide spraying. The - Trappers Assoc. has had considerable correspondance with Hydro about the use of herbicides; in particular the . praposed spraying of the power line from here to Alice Arm. The first spray proposals we saw were unacceptable to us 30 a protest was made, We now have a letter on file giving us assurance that there will be some major changes in that program. ‘The concessions made that please’s us is the change in set back distance from all streams, and that all aecessableareas will be slashed or cleared by another method. - Still parts of the right of way that lie in the wilderness will be sprayed and out of sight d- amage to the land and wild life is still damage, and while our particular problem appears to be solved, there is still much that can be done. The association plans to keep a close watch when spraying takes place. While strolling down in Gastown looking for a riot, I came upon a little store called B.C. House. They sell only articles of art and clathing that are made in B.C. I spoke at some length with the manager and the course of the conversat- ion strayed to the procurment of articles of clothing made bv OUTDOORS “= "" -a solution? , natives. ‘Appivently he has a ae real problem getting jackets, - gloves, mocasins and ‘similar! articles without buying them for an outrageous price from a . middle man who has “stolen” ites i lecting agency for these’ items. Be There are two very successful ae native co-operatives formed #2) that sell their products right up ee a to the wholesale level]. One is. in Bes the eastern arctic and markets Eskimo arts; the other is in La & ae Ronge, Saskatchewan and ¢ Ee employs 5 full time garment 3% makers plus buying from other natives in the area. Alaska is experimenting with teaching their. native peoples the modern tanning techniques * and employing them - in tantieries ‘built in the areas where the people reside. I could enter into a lengthy discourse on my views of the‘ Indian Affairs Dept. and the way natives are treated by the Provincial Government as well, but I will just mention that it would be nice to. see some of that great B.C. surplus directed ° toward a marketing board for - native arts and crafts so that a thenative people can receivean 3 honest wage for their products. + It just might take more of | them of the dole than will the something that he is already campaigning for. ‘there was a lot of high water | this spring, and the lew areas were lucky that his spring was the coldest on record, but that water has now passed under the . bridge. But some questions are left behind - notably what happened to the: toilets that stood in the park-on the reserve ° side Kalum river. Sure I know - they recovered, the shacks: that stood on lop of holes, but where is the sludge that was in the hol- es? "Il floats too, 1 hope the Public Health is keeping an eye on the problem, and may Toler Erect a sign ‘‘Reserved for carpet baggin Yankees and Travelling Cabinet Members’’. Ve spite oN: Me and 1854 are missing, but it is possible that they still exist at: : somewhere, perhaps in a : Ce private collection. : ; The . Historical | - Exhibits any readers have Building, re information concerning the whereabouts of these: missing journals, we would sincerely with a group of boys recently, wilfully shot a fur bearing animal (mink) and allowed some of the boys to shoot two woodpeckers just for the fun of killing them, The example this man has set for these young boys has set the cause of conservation back many years. He should however, take heart because maybe in the name of tourism, some of the learned members of our conservalion department in Victoria may deem it legal soon. The aformenlioned statement is not without foundation either. Ina letter {to the conservation department protesting a - sportman's season on two other fur bearing anumals, (lynx and squirrel), the reply from Victoria was, that because 50 many people were shooling them by mistake that perhaps ‘we should. make them legal - really! Further to this, I would like to shed more light on the misconception of ‘the .'- tremendous asset the tourism industry is to our community or for that matter, our province as a whole. ; - First af all, 1 question the figures Mrs.’ Sandecki uses to support her altack on Mr. Watmough.. As _an observer, ‘who was born and raised in the Terrace area, 1 have seen this so called Tourist boon or boom - from its embryo stage to what it is today, And I'd like to say ' here and now, it leaves me with - a-very bad taste in my mouth - for tourism. To. begin: ‘with, a large : : ‘percentage ‘of the: tourists, © particularly our neighbours - from below the border, come . ‘into this . country completely self-contained,: supplied from ~ ‘toilet paper to T.V, sets, If they made magnetic gas cans (and - “maybe they have by now), they would have them . stuck all around’ their vehicles to keep | from: buying our gas: So again, question’ Mrs. Sandecki’s figures on tourist dollars spent. ‘These: dame tourists