I spent an enriching weekend in the company of about 45 members of fish and game clubs from throughout Vancouver Island who were representing their clubs at the Region 1 B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF) annual meeting.
For those unfamiliar with the structure of the BCWF it is organized along the boundaries of the old regional wildlife management regions of the former Fish and Wildlife Branch of which there were nine regions province wide.
Over the past 60 years I have attended hundreds of such gatherings and in recent years I come away from them with a feeling of pride and humility. The lifelong efforts that these dedicated men and women put into conservation programs for the well-being of fish and game, our forests, mountains, oceans, lakes, streams and the complicated ecosystems that make up the wild places of this Island and province, is indeed mindboggling. They are original green pioneers in conservation of our wild places.
During the two-day meeting the Vancouver Island zone received reports on the following – South Coast Sport Fishing Advisory Board, Saltwater Fisheries, Access, Freshwater Fishery,
Wildlife Conflicts/Game Farming, Forestry, BCWF Information update, Firearms, Youth Program, Vancouver Island Marmot Update, Native Affairs plus routine business and three keynote speakers. When you add a little time for a fun shoot in Cowboy Action and a fundraiser dinner, it was a busy couple of days for all concerned.
The first keynote speaker was Kim Brunt, Senior Wildlife Biologist, West Coast Region, Wildlife Section, West Coast Region, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (try putting that on a business card with other pertinent information) in the newly formed, much-smaller provincial cabinet under our new Premier Christy Clark.
Brunt gave a very well-illustrated and informative talk on the new natural resource regions of the province. There are four areas each having an assistant deputy minister, and eight regions each with a regional executive director.
The Coast Area now encompasses the Lower Mainland, Central Coast Non- Fraser Drainage of former Cariboo Region 5 and Haida Gwaii with senior administrative offices in Surrey and Nanaimo and five regional offices throughout the West Coast Region of the Coast Area.
This is the first time the Fish and Game Branch has not been within the Ministry of the Environment which retains policy and parks. Brunt assured us that for the time being Wildlife Management Units will stay the same. I am not sure about you but I can see some confusing regulation changes and a whole new set of WMU atlases in the near future. We also have to wonder how freshwater fisheries will fit into the new management scheme.
Darcy Miller, manager of the Puntledge River Hatchery, was the second keynote speaker. He gave an illustrated talk of the trials and tribulations of trying to maintain and enhance the wild salmon stocks of the Puntledge River.
In a nutshell, there are many serious challenges to rebuilding stocks, not the least of which are the Puntledge River summer chinook. They face 33 per cent mortality of annual production due to harbour seal predation before they leave the river as smolts. There is no solution in sight and it can get downright depressing.
The third keynote speaker was our recently appointed Minister of Agriculture Don McRae who happens to be our local MLA. He was light on specifics about his new position in the cabinet, but I for one am glad he is there.
In a cabinet and government heavily loaded with urban people it is reassuring to have a person who uses the outdoors as a voice in cabinet. He touched briefly on the ongoing challenge of solving the status of Maple Lake, which is important to the residents of the Comox Valley.
It was an action-packed two days and as you can see much was discussed in matters relating to our fish and wildlife heritage from a citizen’s point of view. Thank you to all participants.
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The Saltwater Scene: I spent one day fishing for chinook in the company of friends last week. We spent time on the hump off Kitty Coleman and while we didn’t boat any legal fish, one boat took three legal chinook – there are some fish out there if you can get on the water.
Ralph Shaw is a master fly fisherman who was awarded the Order of Canada in 1984 for his conservation efforts. In 20 years of writing a column in the Comox Valley Record it has won several awards.
