Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns does not believe the federal government has consulted adequately with the West Coast on a potential fishing closure next year.
In an Oct. 31 announcement, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said Swiftsure and La P茅rouse Banks have been identified as critical habitats for Southern Resident Killer Whales and that they plan to pursue a Ministerial Critical Habitat Order through the Species at Risk Act. That could lead to fishery closures around Ucluelet and Bamfield to protect the salmon DFO believes the whales need to feed on.
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Johns spoke in the House of Commons on Nov. 2, urging the government to engage more collaboratively with the communities the potential closures would affect and immediately invest in wild salmon restoration.
B次元官网网址淭he government cites its Ocean Protection Plan of $1.5 billion yet, Madame Speaker, through their coastal restoration fund, the Somass River has seen nothing, Clayoquot [Sound] has seen nothing; our hatcheries havenB次元官网网址檛 seen an increase in 28 years,B次元官网网址� Johns said, directing his comments to Liberal MP Francesco Sorbara, noting Sorbara grew up in British Columbia.
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B次元官网网址淭his is an urgent situation. So, while this process is going forward, if they wanted to build credibility with coastal British Columbians, especially the people from the District of Ucluelet that rely on our fishing industry, theyB次元官网网址檇 be investing money right now in that habitat for not just our killer whales but for our communities and the health of our fish. This could be a solution for all of us.B次元官网网址�
Sorbara did not refute any of JohnB次元官网网址檚 words, but thanked him for pointing out where he grew up and noted that he and many of his family members had worked at a salmon cannery in Prince Rupert.
B次元官网网址淲hat I will say is we want a robust fishing industry from coast to coast to coast, but the reality that I dealt with is many of those canneries that were in the town of Prince Rupert where I grew up are no longer there,B次元官网网址� Sorbara responded. B次元官网网址淭he fishing industry has changed, unfortunately. A lot of those canneries actually have shut down.B次元官网网址�
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Speaking to the Westerly B次元官网网址, Johns said he planned to meet with DFO today and would urge them to consult with West Coast communities more thoroughly before making any closure decisions.
B次元官网网址淲e want to make sure that theyB次元官网网址檙e not going to take a sledgehammer approach to things,B次元官网网址� Johns said. B次元官网网址淧eople are saying, B次元官网网址業 get it, maybe my freezer wonB次元官网网址檛 be full next winter,B次元官网网址� but they donB次元官网网址檛 want their freezer to be empty. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a difference. People are fine to maybe take a little less, have their freezer half-full, but letB次元官网网址檚 take a community based approachB次元官网网址eople are willing to make the sacrifices that are necessary, but we need the proper science before we go and make decisions that are going to affect peopleB次元官网网址檚 livelihoods.B次元官网网址�
Ucluelet councillor and Chamber of Commerce Office Manager Lara Kemps told the Westerly that the chamber continues lobbying DFO to listen to the communityB次元官网网址檚 concerns and ideas.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e still advocating hard for this. We donB次元官网网址檛 believe weB次元官网网址檝e had any community input so far, so weB次元官网网址檙e still requesting that and weB次元官网网址檙e not giving up hope,B次元官网网址� Kemps said.
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She said DFOB次元官网网址檚 community input session around the Southern Resident Killer Whale strategy in Ucluelet last month was inadequate as it failed to lay out any scientific reasons for shutting down UclueletB次元官网网址檚 fisheries.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 not enough. Show us the right science. Show us how you came to this and donB次元官网网址檛 just make an uninformed decision and close our fisheries,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot more things at stake here. So, just do it right. We care about the whales and we care about our livelihood. LetB次元官网网址檚 work together to work something out.B次元官网网址�
Kemps suggested the sportsfishing industry alone brings roughly $7 million into UclueletB次元官网网址檚 economy each year and that losing that industry would have huge impacts.
B次元官网网址淚t will totally decimate communities like Bamfield. WeB次元官网网址檙e not just talking about Ucluelet here, weB次元官网网址檙e talking about all our West Coast communities,B次元官网网址� she said adding many fishers will migrate from Ucluelet to Tofino, where no closures are expected. B次元官网网址淏ecause they canB次元官网网址檛 fish here, theyB次元官网网址檒l be going to Tofino and Tofino is already over-saturated.B次元官网网址�
Johns said more community consultations would help Ottawa develop a clearer picture of what is needed and what is at stake.
B次元官网网址淭he best way to inspire people and inspire communities is to listen to them and include them in the decision making and ensure that theyB次元官网网址檙e properly and adequately resourced. This is how weB次元官网网址檙e going to see a return of our stocks. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the way to benefit everybody,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think the government would be wise to create a community-based process, resource the community and develop a plan to help support the critical habitat for the southern resident killer whales, instead of imposing this drastic framework where the community doesnB次元官网网址檛 really have a say.B次元官网网址�
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He acknowledged that DFOB次元官网网址檚 Oct. 31 announcement included a promise to invest $61 million in restoring wild salmon populations, but said the government needs to lay out how that money will be spent and reiterated that the Tofino and Ucluelet hatcheries have not seen an increase in funding for 28 years.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got hundreds of volunteers in our coastal communities that have been volunteering to death supporting our fish and getting heavily under-resourced,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f they just get told that theyB次元官网网址檙e expected to continue to volunteer, under-resourced, and then they canB次元官网网址檛 even catch the fish swimming right by their communities, itB次元官网网址檚 going to be hard to motivate those individuals to be really frankB次元官网网址hose are the very people that [DFO] are going to rely on to help bring back the fish.B次元官网网址�
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andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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