UclueletB次元官网网址檚 municipal council has written a letter urging the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to have a closer look at its proposed recovery strategy for orcas before it crushes UclueletB次元官网网址檚 economy with a potential fishery closure.
DFO has identified Swiftsure and La Perouse Banks as feeding areas for southern resident killer whales and is considering designating the areas as critical habitats, which West Coast fishers fear could bring closures, particularly to the regionB次元官网网址檚 recreational fishery.
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B次元官网网址淭here is no doubt that, if the proposed critical habitat area was implemented today, Ucluelet would be placed into an economic crisis having major financial implications to the community,B次元官网网址� Ucluelet council wrote in their letter.
Through the letter, Ucluelet asks DFO to pause the designation pursuit until an economic impact assessment has been completed that specifically looks at the potential impacts to coastal communities and also demands further consultation with residents and stakeholders.
Mayor Dianne St. Jacques read the letter aloud during Oct. 9B次元官网网址檚 regular council meeting and council agreed to encourage other communities in the region to work together to find alternative solutions.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 basically a call to arms,B次元官网网址� said Coun. Randy Oliwa.
DFO hosted a public information session on Oct. 4, but that did little to ease local concerns.
Sportsfisher Miles Downsbrough told the Westerly B次元官网网址 he has been fishing off Ucluelet for roughly 15 years and said any fishery closure would have dramatic impacts on the West Coast.
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B次元官网网址淏amfield is going to be hugely affected. Ucluelet has other economies to keep it going, but fishing and sport fishing is a big part of the economy here. So that affects everybody, it can affect property values, jobs; it can affect everything right down the line,B次元官网网址� he said.
He said the implications of the designation remain ambiguous as DFO has not announced what the specific ramifications would be if the designation goes forward.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 really know what IB次元官网网址檓 fighting for because theyB次元官网网址檙e being really unclear,B次元官网网址� he said.
During the public input portion of Oct. 9B次元官网网址檚 council meeting, resident Erik Larsen said he came out of DFOB次元官网网址檚 information session with none of his questions answered.
B次元官网网址淚t appeared to me that we were just one box that they [DFO] were ticking off to carry on to fulfill their mandate and they couldnB次元官网网址檛 care less what was happening to us,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f these people have their way, more than a third of the people you saw in the streets in Ucluelet this summer will be goneB次元官网网址 beg you to start a process to put a stick in the wheels and slow these people down.B次元官网网址�
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He added DFO should be looking into enhanced salmon habitat restoration funding as well as the impacts seals and sea lions have on fish populations before implementing any fishing closures.
Mayor St. Jacques said Ucluelet is working on solutions alongside the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District and Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think anybody disagrees with your statements. ItB次元官网网址檚 going to have a huge impact on the community,B次元官网网址� she said to Larsen. B次元官网网址淚 agree with you. We should be nervous about this species at risk group. They do pack a big stick and have a lot of power.B次元官网网址�
She added that everybody recognizes the importance of orcas, but suggested more research needs to be done for alternative solutions like hatchery funding and investigating predators, while also balancing the economic impact a closure would have on the coastal community.
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Lara Kemps of the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce attended a meeting between B.C. Chambers and DFO on Thursday and told the Westerly B次元官网网址 after the meeting that the Chamber will continue pushing hard for alternative solutions.
B次元官网网址淚f sports fishing were to close on our Coast, it would devastate our communities,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e need to find solutions that are beneficial to everyone, like increasing budget and awareness to our hatcheries and creek restoration.B次元官网网址�
Kemps encourages residents concerned about the potential protected habitat designation to email their concerns and solutions to DFO at SARA/LEP.XNCR@dfo-mpo.gc.ca before Nov. 3 and to also sign a petition being circulated by Ucluelet resident Lynette OB次元官网网址橞rien.
Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns told the Westerly he has been working with OB次元官网网址橞rien and the Chamber on the petition so he can present it to the House of Commons.
B次元官网网址淲e want to make sure that the government, when theyB次元官网网址檙e identifying critical habitats, get it right because it affects peoplesB次元官网网址� livelihoods,B次元官网网址� he said.
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He added that the overwhelming view on the West Coast is that more funding is needed for salmon restoration work and hatcheries, rather than closures.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e heard this right across the board, the spirit of the communities is, if they [DFO] really care about southern resident killer whales, they should inject immediate funds into coastal communities that produce the fish and bring our fish back,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he sledgehammer approach of a closure that could happen as a result of this critical habitat process isnB次元官网网址檛 the solution. The solution is bringing back more fish.B次元官网网址�
He said orcas are a big part of the West CoastB次元官网网址檚 economy, but added that DFO needs to complete more research before moving forward with the designation.
B次元官网网址淢y role in this is to ensure that the government conducts a fair process,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e all care about the southern resident killer whale population. There are absolutely serious concerns and legitimate concerns that need to be addressed around their survival.B次元官网网址�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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