Quote:
Originally Posted by wind drift
It’s a problem with a basket full of causes. The solution is multi-faceted and not easy. Restrictions on oil and gas, forestry and agriculture have been heresy to a province hungry for growth. It sucks that our fisheries are collateral sacrifices. What does it gain us to increase GDP and lose an irreplaceable resource and a heritage in the process? On the other hand, what’s to be gained by fishing for remnants? Don, you say we’ve been asked to give up a lot. Perhaps. Or perhaps we really got our cake and have eaten it too. Maybe the real, hard losses are still to come.
I don’t know how hard we’re going to have to work to reverse the trend. What I do know is that I’ve never heard of a fishing club staging a protest at a hanging culvert or blocking a sediment-puking lease road, but I’ve heard lots of complaints about reduced bag limits.
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When looking at the damage it has primarily been caused by poor regulations, enforcement and angling. Next is logging and agriculture/grazing and then oil and gas.
Regulations for ever were all about the meat and not about conservation and longevity of the fish resource. I know because I was in that circle for a time.
Enforcement is a joke. Not the boots on the ground but rather lack thereof. Sure it sounds great having a report a poacher number but who doesn’t find bait packages in bait free areas?
Angling...over retention when people see the decline is greed pure and simple. We have to burden some responsibility.
Logging time and time again releases soil into streams and rivers. Opens up areas to illegal off-roading and gives access everywhere to fishing. Higher fishing pressure destroys fisheries when regs don’t account for it. People are lazy and rarely walk far to fish. Road culverts need to be installed properly to prevent migration blockages.
Agricultural runoff is horrible to fisheries as are cows walking in streams and rivers. Seen it. Gross and destructive. Only fencing helps mitigate cows.
Oil and gas same as logging for opening up access. Same as logging for culverts.
Blame game is great on this thread but people is the root cause. I hope catch and release is the most restrictive this issue gets.