Quote:
Originally Posted by flyrodfisher
4)If a resource is under significant pressure..ie if in a fishery, the angling pressure/fish caught is unsustainable...the first thing that needs to be eliminated or restricted is any activity that "profits" off of that resource.
I know this comment will make the blood of all the guides boil...but, when an individual or corporation undertakes an activity for profit that pays no compensation to "use" that resource and furthermore when that resource becomes depleted at the expense of the recreational user...something has to give...
Not knocking guides here...I have been one and know many personally.
Guides and recreational fishers have cohabited in relative harmony on the Bow for decades but, now the fishery, due to various reasons/factors, has changed.
Bowflyman has stated he will voluntarily reduce his angling effort on the Bow by 50% next year...do you think many guides will be doing the same?
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I agree with your thoughts on this, however there hasn't been a jurisdiction in North America that has chosen the resource over the guides. I as well have guided, and I saw this happen in BC in the late 80s to early 90.
If history has taught us anything, changes will be made, the general public and resource will pay the bill and shops and outfitters will be better off. For example the classified waters system in BC was set up in the guise of protecting the resource, how does paying guides to fish help the resource?
I personally have been seeing the largest trout I've seen in 20 years, I have had slow fishing and I feel there are less but the trout caught are larger. I wonder if there is an observable change in biomass.
I also question the biologists, I don't put much faith in the government employed biologists. The last straw for me was when SRD changed regulations to open Burnt Timber on April 1st. The reason was due to 3 students on a 2 day electro-fishing float trip finding zero, zero cutthroat trout or bull trout. That's impossible.
Why is there no questioning of the destruction of the riparian environment bankside caused by the government canalising the Bow from bearspaw down, for flood mitigation? Anyone else notice the massive fall off of bugs since this?
I'm not saying the Bow cannot be made better, however anglers aren't the issue in this case, that said limiting our usage is always a positive.