Tory MP smells something fishy about commission into sockeye collapse

Before hearings begin, scientists accused of conflicts of interest for past ties to DFO

Mark Hume
June 14, 2010
Globe and Mail

A federal judicial inquiry appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to investigate the staggering decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River hasn’t yet started its hearings, but already it is under attack.

In a series of press releases last week, Conservative MP John Cummins challenged the credibility of a panel of scientists that is providing advice to the commission headed by British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen.

He says four of the six scientists are in conflicts of interest because of past ties to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which will come under scrutiny because it manages the sockeye fishery.

Mr. Cummins is a former commercial fisherman and was party critic of Fisheries and Oceans from 1999 to 2004 (and vice-chair of the Commons committee for about the same period).

In an interview, Mr. Cummins said he has already written off the Cohen Commission – even though its first public hearing isn’t until Tuesday and it is still nearly a year away from issuing its report.

“Right now I don’t think there’s a hope in hell for the Fraser fishery because I don’t see anything good coming out of the Cohen Commission,” he said.

If nothing else, Mr. Cummins’s early assault on the commission illustrates the emotional tension that exists on the West Coast over the issue of salmon and it is a signal to Mr. Cohen that he is entering troubled waters.

While Alaska continues to enjoy record catches, B.C. has experienced catastrophic declines, particularly on the Fraser, where only one million sockeye returned last year, nearly 10 million less than predicted.

Mr. Cummins praises Mr. Harper for ordering an inquiry – but in the next breath rips into the commissioner he appointed.

Read the full story in the Globe and Mail

Read background news stories

Read related stories:

 

 

Posted June 14th, 2010