If sockeye are back, what about inquiry
August 10, 2010
BC Local News
To make the tough job of managing and protecting our salmon resource even more confusing, sockeye salmon seem to be making a comeback in the very summer when the federally appointed Cohen Commission is studying their disappearance.
So we ask the question, is the commission still worthwhile if this year turns out to be a strong sockeye year, showing that their death has been greatly exaggerated?
The answer is – the inquiry should proceed aggressively and thoroughly to determine the reasons for the three previous disastrous seasons.
Then, thanks to the honest testimony from all involved, combined with rigourous research, perhaps some answers can be found to explain why sockeye vanished one year – then returned the next.
It’s never easy to be conclusive about natural cycles.
But it is easy to draw conclusions after the fact, such as the over-fishing that destroyed the Atlantic cod.
We cannot make the same mistake with B.C.’s iconic fish, the sockeye salmon.
The species means too much to all British Columbians – from the First Nations who first harvested them, to the resort and sports fishing industry that shares them with visitors from around the world, to the severely diminished commercial fishery – all groups agree on protecting the resource.
There may be differences in how that’s achieved, but one message from all groups is clear: Do what’s necessary to save the sockeye.
Source: BC Local News
Posted August 10th, 2010
