‘CHRISTIANA WIENS. __ -, SKEENA ANGLER. ROB BROWN Troubled times on Vanisle he Island Highway runs over rivers. A few miles from Port Hardy it spans the Keogh at two places. Before reaching Port McNeil it bridges the Cluxewe. A few miles south of that it spans the lawer Nimpkish where that river widens on its way to Broughton Strait. After a jog inland, past Nimpkish Lake, past the upper teaches of the Nimpkish River, Highway 19 bends back to the sea, the Tsitika, and the Adam River and the Eve. The road crasses the Salmon River then descends to Sayward, Mount Hkusam presides over the valley on the seaside of the road as it winds alongside the upper Salmon then tums to span Amor de Cosmos Creek before moving on past - Blodel and Duncan Bay on its way to Campbell River. The highway follows the sea, past Ocean Grove and Shelter Point. There are islands in the distance and creeks along the way. The road spans the Oyster River. After a feint in the direction of the Puniledge the highway moves south over the Trent, the Tsable, and smaller waterways before it crosses the Englishman River, Nanoose Creek and the Nanaimo River. Before it reaches Victoria the highway crosses more crecks, and major rivers like the Cowichan. These are the streams and rivers that water the east coast . of Vancouver Island; once so rich with salmon that the sight of them left exploring Brits and Spaniards agog. Many of these were the waterways that our best outdoor writer, Roderick Haig-Brown, described so poignantly. Though it’s been a while since these beautiful river systems carried the number of fish they once had the POWET 10, until a short of anglers, = “* “ Now they are in crisis, From Victoria to Port Hardy fewer than half a dozen steelhead streams remain open to fishing, More than 20 are closed. After surveying creels, counting juveniles and adults, environment ministry fisheries staff ~ whose mum- bers are also in dramatic, unjustifiable decline — are using words like extirpation and extinction to describe steelhead stocks. Why? ; ‘Hard-nosed logging, angling overkill, commercial fish- eries of the First and Second Nations persuasions and habi- tat loss thanks to such developments as suburban sprawl are all villains in this drama. And, if the conspiracy of all these forces were not enough, we now have declining ocean pro- duetivity, a recently diagnosed symptom ‘that provides a grim prognosis for East Island steelhead. Evidence supplied by oceanographers indicates that the decline in productivity of the North Pacific ecosystem is a probable result of global warming. This condition creates a death spiral where low smolt survival in freshwater results from low adult steelhead retums which are a resuit of low smolt survival at sea. But, finger pointing is a waste of time. What can be done about this crisis? Increased artificial enhancement is an option; or maybe it isn't. The few streams flawing through Vanisle East that are holding their own are-those which were not in attendance at the Enhancement Dance. Recently, desperate fisheries scientists have been talking of “living gene bank” programs where wild steelhead smolts are raised to maturity before being released to.spawn. This is not Frankenscience, as it’s name would suggest, but an expensive and unproven methodology whose efficacy will take several years to determine. Closing all the steclhead streams on Vancouver Island East to sports fishermen would aggravate the pressure problems on west coast streams and hasten the decline of sport fishing in general. Here is what must be done. First, we must realize that Vancouver Island steelhead of "are important to the world and have an intrinsic right to sur- vive, Second, we must acknowledge that the fishery for those fish is an important part of our culture. The sport needs to be maintained but only under the most restrictive and challenging regimes: fly fishing only, the way Haig- Brown and Noe! Money fished the same rivers, but witha no kill restriction out of necessity. Third, our politicians have to stop shoveling money out of the trunks of government vehicles onto the futile fields of amateur enhancement in hopes of gamering points in popularity polls, We don't need any useless population sur- veys on the Bulkley River or any of the other questionable pseudo science conducted by misguided amateurs under the aegis of community development organizations, We need to take the money from the job creation pro- grams overseen by the corporate renewal twins and give it to the people who know how to do that job. We need to embark on a vigorous program directed at the restoration and enhancement of fisheries staff and their habitats with- in the Ministry of Environment so that they can conduct _Jeading edge programs that may save Van, Isle steelhead, “among other things. We need to do it SOON, ot TERRACE STANDARD The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 2, 2000 - B5 Terrace powerlifter becomes. a world junior champion ON THE WAY UP: Ernie Mil-Homens deadlifts 601 kilograms at tha World Power- lifting Championships in Calgary Nov. 19, 1999. Mil-Homens’ next competition is deadlifted 601 kilograms, April 15 in California, where he will compete as one of eight Canadians in a bench and deadlift contest. The contest is sponsored by tha magazine, Powerlifting USA. Meet the Midget rep team EVERY week from now until the B.C. AA Midget Championships in March the Terrace Standard will feature three of Terrace’s midget hockey players, Gary Kerbrat, Ryan Hal- lam and Brian Rigler are the first of the five-week instal- ment. Hockey scouts are sure .to have their-eyes on Ter-, ceman, Gary erbrat, who: hits hard and has the size to’ do it. The 5710, 175-pound de- fenceman has spent 112 minutes in the penalty box so far this year and suffered a concussion and a sprained ankle this season. Kerbrat is Terrace born and raised and like his teammate Brian Rigler, has played competitive hackey here since he was three. . But don’t expect him to root for the Canucks. His favourite NHL team is the Detroit Red Wings and his favourite player is Steve Yzerman because “he leads his team to victory all the time.” : When searching for Ker- brat on the ice look for jer- sey 18. Kerbrat shoots right and is responsible for eight goals and 29 assists this season. Kerbrat’s on-ice nick- name is “Kerby”. tty te i face's big tough Jett defen, ‘ig age ley wee providing ine seat Hing ioe “ Fah Pe te IT TAKES a whole lot of focus and commitment to be a world champion. But if your Ernie Mil- Homens, Terrace’s worl- d-ranked powerlifter, lif- ting weights competitive- ly is a way of life. Mil-Homens started powerlifting 10 years ago, when he was just 13 years old. On Nov, 13, 1999 he realized his dream and lifted a total of 1,615 kilograms at a World Championships meet in Calgary. Mii-Homens, who has never taken any, steroids or growth hormones, squatted another 601 ki- Gary Kerbrat Age: 16 Height: 5°10 Weight: 175 pounds Born: Oct. 12, 1989 Terrace, B.C, Ryan Hallam Age: 16 Helght: 5'10 Welght: 165 pounds Born: Sept. 7, 1983 Terrace, B.C, Brian Riglar Age: 16 Height: 5'7 Weight: 160 pounds Born: June 25, 1983 Tarrace, B.C. A relative newcomer to competitive hockey in Ter- race, 16-year-old Ryan Hal- lam only started playing teqm hackey at 15, The left winger has pro- ven he’s no rookie, scoring 27 goals and 23 assists so farthis year. Although’s he’s the same height as Kerbrat, Hallam is 40 pounds lighter and has clocked 62 minutes ‘in the penalty box. Hallam, who wears jer- sey number nine, didn’t say who his favourite NHL star or team was but we know his teammates call him Hal. The only injury he’s suf- fered this season is a broken arm, kit He’s small and fast like lightning, And it’s no won- der 16-year-old Brian Ri- gler’s NHL hockey hero is Mike Peca. “Because he's small, tough and he works his butt off,” said Rigler after an early morning practice last week, “Rigs,” as he’s known to his teammates, is a right winger on Terrace's midget rep team and wears jersey number eight. Rigler knows his way around the Terrace Arena, playing competitive hockey since he was three years old. So far this year, the 160- pound-player, has gone un- injured and has scored a very consistent 24 goals and 25 assists. He also shoots right and has charted 60 minutes in the penalty box. ; Rigler’ 8 favourite hock- ey team is the Montreal Ca- nadiens. Local hopefuls beaten at Olympic qualifiers IT WAS A dream that was not to be for two local men who have risen to the top of their sports in Canada. And though Jason Hal- dane and the Canadian Men’s Volleyball . team will get a second chance to qualify for the Olympics at two Last Chance Tour- naments in Europe later this year, local boxer Joey Losier wasn’t so lucky. Losier, 23, lost his bid to compete on Canada’s national team Jan, 20-23 at the qualifying match in St. Catherines, Ontario. Losier lost to lan Gard- ner of New Brunswick in a 9-6 judge’s decision. Losier hadn’t: battled Gardner before but had battled a common oppo- nent and fared well. Unfortunately, said local coach Jeff Dilley, ‘|’ Gardner had done. his. ’ Homework and responded aulety and easily’ lo. Los: . Joey Losier Jason Haidane ier's attempts. “The guy is good there’s no questioning that,” Dilley said. _ Losier was initially quite upset by the loss but isn’t making any excuses. “He lost. fair and. ‘aquare,”. said Dilley, who commended Losier. for. his : dedication to training hard and raising money for the trip. “It’s amazing that he got as far as he did.” Losier, who has re- turned to California to ‘train in the American sys- tem, wanted to thank all local business,’ ~fans,_ friends and family who supported him financially as well as emotionally throughout his drive to make the Olympic team. Haldane and the Cana- dian Men's Volleyball team lost their initial bid for Olympic qualifiers on their home turf in Winni- peg at the Continental Cup. Canada lost to the Americans in three straight sets by scores of 25-20, 30- 28, and 25-21. “It's going to be a dog fight," said Team Canada veteran Jason Haldane be- fore the heartbreaking loss. “I can see it as probably being the most intense match I'll ever play in.” By finishing second at the Continental Cup, Ca- nada will automatically ‘ gain a berth-in one of the three. tournaments where only the winner will go to ‘Sydney: lograms and benched 413 kilograms. Mil-Homens wall of powerlifting awards star- ted growing in 1994 and 1995 when he won me- dals in two B.C. Body-: building Championships. And in 1996, he won the prestigious Lieutenant Colonel Arsenault Award for outstanding physical fitness in Navy Boot Camp, In 1998 and 1999 he went on to win the Cana- dian Powerlifting Cham- pionships in the Junior 181 pound class, moving quickly to take the North American junior 1(98- pound class, . | Sports Scope Lake trails excellent IT MIGHT be cold but the ski trails at Onion Lake and-at the Hirsch Creek Golf. | + and Country Club are’: }- open, tracked and in . great condition. All 30-kilometres of the trails are packed and tracked ‘while the lit-trails in Kitimat are in good condition. The Kitimat Cross Country Ski Club is busy preparing for the Alcan Marathon, an annual charity event for the Heart and Stroke Foundation on - Feb. 19. The race starts one kilometre south of Onion Lake at 11 a.m. for 15-kilometre or less racers and 10 a.m, for those partici- pating in the 30-kilo- metre event. All races lake place in the clas- sic style. Pledge forms are available through focal sports stores. Call Bernad- ette al 635-6456 for more information. Register for youth soccer BOYS AND airls born between 1982 and 1994 are invited to register for youth soccer at the Terrace Arena banquet. room, beginning Friday, Feb. 4. Registration runs two Fridays and Sa- turdays Feh. 4-12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Sa- turdays. Proof of age must be presented at time of registration, | Call Bey at 635-3719 for more information. Drop-in futsal INTERESTED in playing indoor SOCCET yl but nol sure you cada commit to a full sea- | son of league play? _ Why not try Thurs- day night drop in fut- sal at Thornhill Ele- Mentary. The session runs for two hours “. from.7 p.m. to 9 p.m,