Sushihunter
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B.C. First Nations want right to kill salmon-snatching seals
Brian Lewis
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
VANCOUVER - Competition among groups harvesting steadily declining salmon stocks on British Columbia's lower Fraser River has become so fierce that one group of fishermen is now seeking regulatory approval to shoot and kill an arch-rival.
Sto:lo First Nation fishermen, whose traditional salmon fishing grounds stretch about 170 kilometres from Vancouver to the Fraser Canyon, are fighting an escalating battle for salmon with their most wily competitor - the harbour seal.
"The seals are very clever and watch us set up on the river then rush in and take the salmon right out of our nets," says Sto:lo fisherman Ken Malloway. "I've actually had a seal rip a fish right out of my hands."
The problem of seals snatching salmon - which is also a basic food source for aboriginal people - has reached a point where native fishermen increasingly are forced to shoot so-called nuisance seals.
And word on the river is that other fishing groups shoot seals periodically as well.
However, shooting seals in B.C. is illegal without a permit issued by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
DFO issues these permits regularly to fish farm operators so that they can legally shoot seals that damage nets and eat their fish.
"We want to be able to protect wild salmon stocks in the same way so we should be able to get these permits as well," says Malloway.
Adds Ernie Crey, the Sto:lo Tribal Council's fisheries adviser: "Some of our fishermen lose their entire catch to seals. It's like the seals are eating the food right off our tables and declining fish stocks only make this problem worse."
But even though DFO sets the rules regarding seals and salmon, it doesn't appear to be strictly enforcing them.
That's why Crey and the Sto:lo Tribal Council are now calling for a firm, upfront DFO policy on how natives should deal - legally - with fish-feasting seals.
"I don't like the idea that our fishermen need to glance over their shoulders each time they must kill a seal," Crey says.
"A DFO policy on seal kills, designed in consultation with the aboriginal community, would guide both DFO fisheries officers and the aboriginal community."
DFO spokeswoman Diane Lake says the Sto:lo can certainly apply for a "nuisance seal licence" and their application would be reviewed like any request from the fish farm sector.
Her department has also been running an experiment on the Fraser this summer which utilizes an "electronic deterrence" devise to keep seals away from fishing grounds.
"It seems to be somewhat effective but the trial is continuing," she adds. "But remember, seals are part of our eco-system too."
Crey acknowledges that the practice of killing nuisance seals will upset environmentalists and animal rights groups.
Spokesmen for the David Suzuki Foundation and Vancouver-based Lifeforce Foundation could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
"But we're not talking about a cull here, only about nuisance seals that take our fish and won't go away," Crey says.
"Noise doesn't deter them either, because they're very smart animals and learn very quickly."
Safety is another concern.
Crey says that during a recent Sto:lo Tribal Council meeting on the seal issue which was attended by the RCMP it was agreed that using shot guns rather than rifles is preferred when seals must be shot. A rifle bullet can skip off the water and pose serious risk to anyone on the nearby shore, he said.
And the seal problem will likely worsen.
While salmon stocks continue their decline the seal population on the lower Fraser River, which in the last count in 2000 was roughly 1,600, is expanding at about 12 per cent annually, according to the University of B.C. Fisheries Centre.
© Vancouver Province 2008
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
B.C. First Nations want right to kill salmon-snatching seals
Brian Lewis
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
VANCOUVER - Competition among groups harvesting steadily declining salmon stocks on British Columbia's lower Fraser River has become so fierce that one group of fishermen is now seeking regulatory approval to shoot and kill an arch-rival.
Sto:lo First Nation fishermen, whose traditional salmon fishing grounds stretch about 170 kilometres from Vancouver to the Fraser Canyon, are fighting an escalating battle for salmon with their most wily competitor - the harbour seal.
"The seals are very clever and watch us set up on the river then rush in and take the salmon right out of our nets," says Sto:lo fisherman Ken Malloway. "I've actually had a seal rip a fish right out of my hands."
The problem of seals snatching salmon - which is also a basic food source for aboriginal people - has reached a point where native fishermen increasingly are forced to shoot so-called nuisance seals.
And word on the river is that other fishing groups shoot seals periodically as well.
However, shooting seals in B.C. is illegal without a permit issued by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
DFO issues these permits regularly to fish farm operators so that they can legally shoot seals that damage nets and eat their fish.
"We want to be able to protect wild salmon stocks in the same way so we should be able to get these permits as well," says Malloway.
Adds Ernie Crey, the Sto:lo Tribal Council's fisheries adviser: "Some of our fishermen lose their entire catch to seals. It's like the seals are eating the food right off our tables and declining fish stocks only make this problem worse."
But even though DFO sets the rules regarding seals and salmon, it doesn't appear to be strictly enforcing them.
That's why Crey and the Sto:lo Tribal Council are now calling for a firm, upfront DFO policy on how natives should deal - legally - with fish-feasting seals.
"I don't like the idea that our fishermen need to glance over their shoulders each time they must kill a seal," Crey says.
"A DFO policy on seal kills, designed in consultation with the aboriginal community, would guide both DFO fisheries officers and the aboriginal community."
DFO spokeswoman Diane Lake says the Sto:lo can certainly apply for a "nuisance seal licence" and their application would be reviewed like any request from the fish farm sector.
Her department has also been running an experiment on the Fraser this summer which utilizes an "electronic deterrence" devise to keep seals away from fishing grounds.
"It seems to be somewhat effective but the trial is continuing," she adds. "But remember, seals are part of our eco-system too."
Crey acknowledges that the practice of killing nuisance seals will upset environmentalists and animal rights groups.
Spokesmen for the David Suzuki Foundation and Vancouver-based Lifeforce Foundation could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
"But we're not talking about a cull here, only about nuisance seals that take our fish and won't go away," Crey says.
"Noise doesn't deter them either, because they're very smart animals and learn very quickly."
Safety is another concern.
Crey says that during a recent Sto:lo Tribal Council meeting on the seal issue which was attended by the RCMP it was agreed that using shot guns rather than rifles is preferred when seals must be shot. A rifle bullet can skip off the water and pose serious risk to anyone on the nearby shore, he said.
And the seal problem will likely worsen.
While salmon stocks continue their decline the seal population on the lower Fraser River, which in the last count in 2000 was roughly 1,600, is expanding at about 12 per cent annually, according to the University of B.C. Fisheries Centre.
© Vancouver Province 2008
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
