BG - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 7, 1999 CHRISTIANA WIENS: ROB BROWN almon migrate great distances with no respect for borders. This has caused them much gricf over the last century because out in the salty sea there are two boundaries between us and the U.S. One example of this problem are the Sockeye spawned and reared in the mighty Fraser. In bounteous years this stock may number as many as 20 million fish. During their life at sea they make long, elaborate, unpredictable, peregrinations. Sockeye are not fond of warm water. When parts of the ocean heat up during El Nino years they seck the cold water off the Alaskan Coast where they are intercepted by the Yankee fishing fleet. As almost everybody knows, there have been a Jot of El Nino events recently. In Canadian waters the endangered remnant of the once mighty Columbia River chinook run gels pounded by Canuck trallers long before it finds the comfort of its home waters. Our fleet has histori- cally done rather well exploiting the salmon runs bound for Washington and Oregon. This shaky quid pro quo might have lasted in perpetuity if the flects from both countries hadn’t been exploiting salmon stocks, and if vast tracts of fish generating habitat hadn’t been deleted thanks to dams, urban development, logging, fish hatcheries, and insensi- tive agricultural practices. As the fish stocks declined, the debate over whose fish were whose intensified until both Canuck and Yank realized the question of alloca- tion had to be dealt with in a more orderly fashion. Negotiations began in the *60s. Almost 25 years later the Pacific Salmon Treaty was. signed and a commission to oversee the management of trans- boundary fisheries was established, | The American side of that commission consists of four commissioners’ “and four alternates representing Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Native Americans and the Federal government, U.S. law demands that non-federal commissioners must agice by consensus, so any any one commissioner (like the one representing Alaskan interests) may veto any delegation position, Our commissioners fepresent DFO, commercial and recreational fisheries, and First Nations. The Canadian side has no consensus requirement. There are all sort of panels, technical committees and so forth feeding recommendations and advice to the com- missioners. In all, there are approximately 150 people involved in the process. The agreement was based on the principles of conservation and equity, The conservation princl- ple commits both parties to a regime where over- fishing is not on while production is. The principle of equity dictates that parties receive benefits equivalent to the production of fish originating in their waters. At first the Pacific Salmon Treaty worked fairly well, but when it became apparent that Canadian catches of American salmon were declining as American catches increased, notably olf Alaska, the treaty process bogged down on issues of equi- ty. Since then there has been third party mediation, the Ruckelshaus/Strangway investigation, ferry blockades and all manner of huffing and puffing on both sides of ihe border. The treaty process has been stalemated for some time now, and, wn- fortunately, when the talks break down both coun- tries set their harvest rates independently and go fishing at the expense of ever-declining salmon stocks. The urgent need for a better treaty has motivated North America’s largest fresh water conservation organization, Trout Unlimited (TU), to come up with a proposal they hope will get the treaty back on the rails, and jt’s a smart picce of work. For ex- ample, TU suggests that there be no interception of any stock until both countries agree on a harvest regime. When the default position is no fishing, TU reasons, there is a hell of an incentive to gct down and get agreeing. Call it risk-averse management or abundance- based fishing regimes, the effect is the same: when fisheries no longer have fixed ceilings and selec- tive Gshing is the order of the day, everyone will be better off. Fish advocates have been calling for ‘this kind of management, for decades. TU makes it one of thelr key reccomendations, . Recognizing the need for sound, unbiased scientific analysis, TU calls for external peer review of work generated by the technical com- mittees that inform the commission, Recognizing the maybkem such projects have caused and the fact that no man will Improve on nature when it comes to creating fish, The United States.and Canada, says TU, should cease to rely on highly optimistic, artificial production scenatios to compensate for the decline in wild stocks. | I have just touched on the many wise tec- comendations in the TU proposal, The document is distilled wisdom. As a transcontinental organiza- tion with hundreds of thousands of members and some 500 chapters, TU is in the enviable position te lobby both federal governments. If other conservation-based organizations add their voices and support to TU, thete is a very real possibility that we may save that great, wondrous resource, we call Pacific Salmon. ERRACE STANDARD MEN’ S OPEN WINNERS: Tim Dopko, from Prince Rupert, won the to move onto the next heat, Terrace, placed second and snowboarding instructor Mike Talstra boardercross at Shames Mountain March 28. Shawn Buck, from (Terrace) came third. Snowboarder wins $500 Seventy riders raced in Ruins Board Shop’s first annual boardercross. ae By ALEX HAMILTON =." THE BOARDERCROSS held» Maz, 28 at Shames Mountain was won and lost just sec- onds after racers left the starting gate. First place finisher Tim Dopko, 19, said the key lo winning the race was getting over the first series of bumps ahead of the pack. “T got over the quickest,’’ said Dopko, who is from Prince Rupert. ‘‘I jumped and cleared one of them.” The first three bumps (called whoop-dee- doos) presented major challenges for most of the 70 competitors. Riders either lost control landing square on their backsides, or flew off into the air yelling certain obscenitics not suitable for print in a community paper. Boardercross races are amusing to walch since five snowboarders push off from the starting gale al once. Hurtling down the course side-by-side, board- ers must conquer whoop-dee- -doos, berms (big banked turns), big airs (jumps), pyramids (a pyramid shaped snow obstacle) and spines Though intentional contact is not permitted, tiders often cut each other off and elbow one another for prime positioning, w,.Many of the heats at Shames featured large spills and chaotic pileups from racers unable to avoid crashing into somcone who had fallen ahead of them. For taking first place, Dopko won $500. Sec- ond place finisher, Terrace local Shawn Buck, won $200 and third place finisher, Shames Mountain snowboarding instructor Mike Tal- : stra, won $50. Buck, 23, who drives a skidder, has had a very “successful snowboarding season at Shames. He took first place at the Big Air contest in Febru- ary. , Accarding to him, the boardercross course was fast and icy. ‘You had to be cautious,” he said. “If you Went too fast you’d miss the corners and just fly off.’ Talstra added: “If you just went balls out, you'd lose.” Event organizer Tara Valka, said she spent lhree nights up Shames with a cat driver in or- , der to prepare the course. “We were oul their with our shovels from 12 a.m. fo 4 a.m. making the jumps,”’ she said . Boardercross Results Mens Open ist: Tim Dopko, Prince Rupert. ,, 2nd: Shawn Buck, Téttice ” 3rd: Tyler Wilson, Tertace Womens Open Ist: Genevieve Orr, Terrace 2nd: Chelsea Fladhamer, Terrace 3rd: Dana Haworth, Terrace Girls 16 and under Ist: Emma Hoffman, Smithers 2nd: Alison Smith, Terrace i 3rd: Amanda McDougall, Smithers Junior boys 16 and under 1st: Tyler Sheasby, Terrace 2nd: Mike Campbell, Kitimat 3rd: Dale Pottle, Prince Rupert Masters (35 and up) 1st; Malcolm Graham, Terrace 2nd: Paul Judson, Terrace 3rd: Maurice Belgrave, Terrace Skier Open (snow obstacles configured like a spine.) The rider who passes the finish line first, gets Boardercross will be a new event al the 2002 winter Olympics. THE BACK EDDY Bullets with their trophy after a long but rewarding game against Braid Insurance March 30. Bullets win championship By NAOMI THIBODEAU GOALTENDING was key to the ladies soccer final gaine on Tuesday, March 30. The game, between fifth-ranked Braid In- Suranice and sixth-place Back Eddy Bullets, ‘was So cvenly-matched, it seemed to Last forever. The game was scoreless after regulation play and an exiting overtime. Tt wasn’t until the eleventh round of the nerve-wricking shoot - out that Lori Kasperski of the Back Eddy Bullets scored a goal on Braid’s netminder, Rochelle Poole. The game ended 1-0 Bullets, — The consolation final saw Flower Power's Pat Kozak net a quick goal to beat Bless- ings in a 1-0 game, Flower Power had been beaten in the semi-finals by the Bullets 2-1. The other semi-final match saw Braid In- - sliance take on the Blessings in another -evénly-matched game, which was scoreless through regulation time. Carmen MeChes- ney netted a goal 30 seconds into overtime to give Braid Insurance the win, Awards handed out after the game saw. Julie Eiwood of Oasis Sports win the sea- sons’s highest goal scorer in regulation play with 19 goals. Team M-¥V-P awards went to: Kristina Adanic (Blessings), Magali Fleming (Flow- er Power), Diana Wood (Beginner’s Luck), Michelle Wuerch (Purple Panthers), Julie Elwood (Oasis), Heid] Siebring (Back Eddy Bullets), Rochelle Poole (Braid Insurance) - and Leanne Kennedy (Artistic Hair De- sign). Most improved’ player awards were awarded to: Jody Frocklage (Blessing), Jodie Hubbard (Flower Power), Rana Nel- son (Beginner’s Luck), Maureen Roscnau (Purple Panthers), Kelly Axclson (Oasis), , Patty Tackema (Back Eddy Bullets), Vivian, ‘Robertson (Braid Insurance) and Jacque Dahl (Artistic Hair Design), 1st: Geoff Dean, Terrace 2nd: Trish Gair, Terrace Wittowski earns spot team on B.C. ANNIE WITTOWSKI went to Richmond Mar. 26-28 and came back a member of the B.C. gymnastic team, The 14-year-old is a level four gymnast who trains with the Terrace Peaks Gymnastics Club in Thorn- hill. She is one of the first local gymnasts to earn her spot on ‘the provincial team. Wittowski competed against 20 other gymuasts in Richmond and finished fourth overall through four évents. She wowed the judges with her floor routine plac- ing first, amazed them with her balance on the beam finishing second, and im- pressed them. on the bars and vault coming in fourth and seventh. Her first competition as a member of the B,C, team will be in Calgary. at the Westem Canadian Gym- nastics Championships That means next: week ‘ Wittowski takes off for Vancouver’ where | she'll spend a week training with Annie Wittowskl her new provincial team- mates, To catch Wittowski in ac-' lion, check her out with her Terrace teammates at the Terrace Peaks regional meet here April 10, The meet features 75 beginner, midget, tyro, and competitive gymnasts: from Prince George to Kitimat. The meet rns from -7:30 a.m. (beginners) to at least 5 ‘p-in, for the more experi- enced gymnasts, et ene os — ee — ee ee ee