Fish has tourism potential Oolichan eyed for festival THE TINY oolichan fish that head up northwest ri- _ vers to spawn in late win- ter could be the grease trail to a tourism bonanza. Regional tourism indu- stry planners want ‘to in- vent what they’re calling an “oolichan festival” that would attempt to make a tourist attraction of the an- nual run in March of each year. _ ; The idea has tremen- dous potential, says Ken Veldman, executive direc- tor of the Terrace Econo- mic Development Author- ity. -‘ “There are lots of tie- ins — birdwatching, wild- life viewing, and of course the aboriginal culture tie- in,” he said.’ _-Oolichan season is ’ when natives around the northwest. harvest the smelt-like fish, sometimes called candlefish for an oil content so high that you can light a dried one and use it as a candle. Oolichan can be smoked, pickied or cooked in various ways, but they’re most known for being rendered down into oolichan grease. Grease was the primary commodity of pre-contact aboriginal trade routes — which were called grease . trails - and jars of it still change hands at feasts today. To non-natives, ‘the main evidence that the oo- lichan run has begun is wher the skies over the lower Skeenn between Terrace and Prince Rupert go white with seagulls and eagles, ‘Seals and sea lions can also be spotted from the highway feasting on the run. “Birdwatching is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry right now,” Veldman notes. And aboriginal culture is already a massive draw in the tourism business. “There's wildlife, the cultural side of it, the his- tory of the grease trail,” Veldman said. “There are some really big things you can really play off.” Tourists could sample the oolichan or the grease ~ flavours that to non-na- tive tongues. might gener-. ously be described as ac- quired tastes. — The ultimate geal, Veldman says, would be a 10-day festival that takes in a collection of loosely related events in Prince Rupert, Terrace, the Nass Valley and Kitimat. If the concept was de- veloped and tourists star- ted to arrive, he said, en- trepreneurs from boat oper- ators to aboriginal tour guides could plug into the new market. The first step is what's called a familiarization tour. That’s tentatively scheduled for late March this year with tourism in- dustry reps in hopes it would generate interest for a full festival startup in March 2001. “It’s got potential to kick off the tourism season sooner than it traditionally does in May,” Veldman said. The biggest problem is that the peak of the ooli- chan run is notoriously hard to predict, and can happen anytime from late February to well into April. The answer, says Veld- man, could be to build up ihe mystery of the timing of the run as part of the festival. “This is very much a natural occurrence,” he said. “You can make it part of the marketing spin that you don’t know when it’s going to happen.” For events concentrated KITSUMKALUM band elder Orlando Boiton holds a jar of colichan grease, the longest running trade commodity of the north coast. It's hoped aboriginal cul- ture surrounding the small oily fish and bird-watching would attract tourists to the narth coast in March if plans for an oolichan festival take off. in Terrace and Prince Ru- pert, it would also be more convenient if ihe Skeena run was the strongest. In fact,. it?s the Nass and Kemano oolichan runs that are by far the largest. That’s also where most o0- lichan are harvested by Nisga’a and Haisla fisher- men. EYOUR CHILD THE » GIFT OF A SECOND LANGUAGE! Enrollment for Kindergarten . and Grade One French Immersion | ‘begins February 1, 2000 Wat Kiti K’shan Primary Schoe FA “NOTE: *Students may begin the French a _Immersion program in grade one. Phone: 635-3115 0 --*The French Immersion program is part of the Public School -. System, There is no cost involved. ad 4548 Lazelle Right beside SpeeDee 10 - 6 Mon - Sat 638-1711 | Sidewalkers I Spring Opening ip Come and enjoy a Breath of Spring f ie Friday February 4th “I’m told that the ones in the Skeena are primari- ly ones that are lost, that they’re the dumber ones,” says Veldman. ; Basing a tourism plan on the oolichan may not be that outlandish based on interest in the subject shown in the past by major Canadian museums. There’s a new exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa showcasing the oolichan, and the UBC Museum of Anthropology mounted a major touring exhibit a couple of years ago on the oily fish of the north coast. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 2, 2000 - A3 ES News In Brief Food service starts ALL THAT work to modernize the lobby/waiting area at Mills Memorial Hospital takes on a new look this week with the opening up of a small food there. Renee’s Cafe, being operated by Renee Syvret, has seating and take out facilities for three meals a day, six days a week. It’s in the section of the lobby area which once housed the hospital auxiliary gift shop. That, in turn, has been moved to the other end of the lobby area, closer to the front doors. Tom Novak of the Terrace Area Health Council, which runs Mills, describes the renovations and the food service as a psychological boost for the facility, its employees, patients and visitors. Crowns upset THE PEOPLE who prosecute the people charged with crimes say they aren’! paid enough and are ready to go on strike. More than 300 provincial crown counsels favoured a two-day work stoppage Feb. 15 and 16 and further strikes within 30 days of that if nothing happens, There are 34 crown counsels in the north and northwestern area, 30 of whom said yes to the stop- pages, The crown counsels have been without a deal since March 1998, They're also hampered in that there is no legislation allowing them to bargain in the same fashion as a union. Provincial crown counsels handle all crimes except for drugs which are a federal matter. Sent to jail A LOCAL man has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and probation for two years for stealing crab traps and bail jars from four different fishing vessels. Milo Novak, 25, was given the sentence in Prince Rupert court Jan. 25 by Judge Steven Paint. Crown counsel Bill Thorne said the thefts were ser- ious while Judge Point said they were a “menace” to the livelihood of fishermen. RCMP disarm two LOCAL RCMP officers were kept busy Thursday, Jan, 27 with two incidents involving guns. Police were called to a shots fired complaint in the 3500 block of Hanson near Straume just before 4 p.m. Officers arrived at the scene and talked Wallace Johnson, 47, out of an apartment building. Although several people were in an apartment al the time of the incident, no one was injured. Officers confiscated a rifle and say alcohol was a factor in the incident. Johnson was later charged with careless use of a firearm and released until his first court appearance here March 10. : An hour later, officers were called to Mills Avenue in Terrace’s southside where an armed man was threatening to injure himself. Constable Gary Swan- son said the man walked out of his home about an hour Jater and was taken to Mills Memorial Hospital and treated for depression, No charges are pending. 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