DAVE TAYLOR

ERRACE STANDARD

the Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 25, 1998 - B7

SPORTS.

638-7283

ROB BROWN

Coho uh-oh

he Department of Fisheries and

Oceans recently held a coho sum-

mit in Vancouver, At that meeting

sixty pcople representing groups
with a vested intercst in the health of coho
stocks were givena grim prognosis. Last year’s
returns of the once-abundant coho were dismal
everywhere on the coast, with the number of
fish escaping to the Skeena and Fraser Rivers
being particularly poor. The situation is so grim
say DFO officials, they have formed a response
team to deal with it. This gives me no comfort.
Despite the fact that the coho crisis made the
front page of our own Terrace Standard, and
received plenty of space in the province’s
majors dailies, it ain’t news folks.

Fifteen years ago sports fishermen in (hese
parts were painfully aware that they were catch-
ing fewer and fewer summer coho. Perplexed, I
talked this over with guides, and long-time resi-
dent anglers from this area, The consensus was

time and it was declining.

A fisheries biologist working for the Ministry
of Environment suggested the iight approach to
the problem. The DFO does inventories of sal-
mon stocks. Data from this and other sources is
compiled and, presumably, forms the basis for
managerial decisions. My friend in the ministry
suggested that I ask for all the data on coche
going back a long time. So, I did, on a Steelhead
Society of B.C. letterhead.

A few weeks laler a brown envelope appeared
in my mail box. Inside it was a pack of paper as
thick as lhe Vancouver phone book.

I pored over the data, drew conclusions from
it then took it to the biologist who'd suggested I
should obtain it in the first place. He agreed
with my conclusions. There on the papers be-
fore us was a clear picture of rapid decline.
Even if the data was imprecise, the trend was
unmistakable; coho stocks were in poor shape:

streams free of habitat degradation and harvest,

ing stuff. In a significant number of streams the
coho runs were extinct.

I was duc to give a report to the Annual Gen-
eral Meeting of the Steelhead Sacicty of B.C. I
built our conclusions into that report and gave
i, In those days DFO, little concerned with
environmentally-oriented sports fishers, was
conspicucusly absent from those meetings. The
Vancouver Sun wasn’t. Their reporter picked up
on my talk and gave the issue of coho depletion
and exlinction substantial coverage the next
day,

For more than a decade after that I wrote arti-
cle after arlicle on the decline of Skeena sports
fish, coho and summer stcelhead in particular.
Some of those articles were published in maga-
zines with a readerships in the millions, Jim
Culp, Tom Protheroe and latterly Bruce Hill
raised the issue of declining coho at meeting
after meeling, most of them attended by DFO
personnel, In that report to the AGM of the
Steclhead Society so long ago I cited the upper

ized coho habitat, There are literally hundreds
of miles of stream and ponds ihat once hosted
thousands — that’s right, thousands -— of coho.
Last year 28 returned, the majority of those
were hatchery reared, and to make matters
worse, they were taken for brood stock by the
Toboggan Creck Hatchery under the aegis of
DFO, thereby erasing the last vestige of wild-
ness from the run and decreasing its chances of
survival.

Despite dire warming signs, the high and
mighty at DFO continued to prostitute them-
selves for the commercial fishing industry. Only
in recent years did they acknowledge the coho

actions required to save these magnificent fish.

coast, Now faced with the collapse of the

about lamely talking about half-assed measures
that will not stave off extinction in the long
term.

The problem. is clear, it is large, and it requires
dramatic action. Any commercial fishery with a
by-catch must be shut down. No sportsman,
commercial or recreational, and no First Nations
fisher can be allowed to kill a coho. Habitat
renewal musl be undertaken in earnest with the
railways and highways chipping in generously
in recognition of the widespread damage to
coho habitat that has occurred as a result of their
construction. Meanwhile the bureatcrats and
staff in DFO who have alded and abetted and
mismanaged a commercial fishery that has been
the largest force in the destruction of our sal-
mon stocks, should be fired before it is too late.

that the coho fishery had been poor for some’

everywhere. Even the populations in remote

the fish were declining rapidly, This was alarm- .

Bulkley River as a prime example of underutil- -

problem. And they have yet to take the dramatic '

Look, DFO is the institution that presided ©
over the ruin of the cod fishery on the east

mighty salmon runs here, they are limping —

Hill king seeks final crown

Local snowmobiler
tries for third World
Championships

IT’S THE rush he lives for.

And what a rush, Scream-
ing up a snow covered
mountain at up to 130
kmph, 200 horses snorling
and straining under the
hood, the world — fast-
disappearing below.

Its thal rush that original-
ly drew Norm Hebert to
snowmobiling, and it’s that
rush — that gul-wrenching

combination of speed,
power and conirol ~-- that
keeps him going back, year

alter year,

Hebert, recognized as one
of the top snowmobilers in
Canada, moved to Terrace
last year from Stewart.

At just 21, he’s onc of the
younger world-class snow-
mobilers, most of whom
tend to be in their mid-30s.
But maybe it’s thal youthful
exuberance thal has given
him an edge.

Hebert races all over the
continent, and when he
shows up, the other racers
know whal they’re up
against.

“They know I’m there to

comes al a price. It isn’t
cheap te maintain’ three
snowmobiles, buy replace-
ment parts, tools and fuel.

Hebert has sponsors to
help out, Polaris provides
him with a new snow-
mobile, usually every year if
he performs well, plus he
ects help from BC Automo-
tive and other sponsors.

But there’re also entrance
fees, hotel costs and gaso-
line costs to cover when
he’s on the road. Hebert
says there’s no way he
could afford it all if he
didn’t win fairly regularly.

It’s not a year-round job
either. In the summier,
Hebert does road construc-
tion to pay the bills.

And then there’s the driv-
ing.

“T’m already sick of driv-
ing and it just started,”
Hebert says. ‘‘It’s enough to
make you crazy.”’

Two weekends ago,
Hebert was in Sinithers, last
weekend it was Barkerville.
This weekend, Hebert will
make the 26-hour trek to

as don't back off. You can’t if you want to

win’?’—Norm Hebert

win,’ he says. “I don’t
back off. You can’t if you
wantto win’?

Its that ‘give’r’ attitude
that has helped propel
Hebert to become Stock

' King of the Hill at the

World Championships in
1995, and Trail Mod King
of the Hill in 1997,

This year, he’s looking ta
become B.C. High Points
Champion, and he’s current-
ly leading the pack. The
winner this year scores a
new pickup — not bad for
doing something Hebert
lives to do.

But all that fun and glory

Jackson Hole, Wyoming for
the World Championships.

In spite of all that driving, -

it's been a good season so
far. Hebert had four first-
place finishes recently in
Smithers, plus he took
Modified King of the Hill.
The only down-side was a
blawn engine, but he says
that’s just another part of
the sport.

Hebert actually has three
sleds, but one favourite.

‘T like my Mad,’’ he says.
“t's fun.”

Thal ‘‘Mod’’ makes about
200 horsepower from its PSI
925 engine. ‘Fun?’ means

M@ Tennis anyone?

SPRING WEATHER is finally hare and tennis players like Nathan McAvoy here
are hitting the courts. The Terrace Tennis club and the Junior Volleys club are
also ready for action. For adults, the club starts Sunday, Apr. 5, Club nights are
Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 6 p.m. until dusk. Singles play runs from 6-7
p.m. and is followed by doubles play. For youths 10-16 years, the Junior Volleys
season runs from Apr. 18 to June 13. They play every Saturday morning from 10-
12 p.m, at the Halliwell Courts. For more information call Ada at 635-9695.

KING OF THE HILL: Norm Hebert shows off one of his three snowmobiles that he
races all over North America. One of his goals this year is to win Modified King of
the Hill at the World Championships in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

doing 70 mph ~~ uphill.

Hebert hopes his Mod will
help get bim his other big
goal for this season — win-
ning the Modified King of
the Hill at
Championships.

If he wins,
Hebert’s third
Championship. But
doesn’t mean he has any
plans to retire from the sport
soon,

“T'll be at her for the next
five or 10 years for sure,’
he says. “I want to stay in

it will be
World

g

the World

that,

the industry. ] don’t want to
build roads for the rest of
my life.’”’

Snowmobiling is a family
sport for Hebert. He got bis
first sled when he was just
10-years-old, and thanks to
some teaching from his dad,

_ he was racing by age 13.

Hebert actually says some
of his best memories are of
snowmobiling in the
mountains with his father.

“T owe most everything to
my dad,’ he says.

The two still snowmobile

4

together, and since Hebert’s
dad is a mechanic, he does
most of the work on his
son’s sleds.

There are a couple more
races after the World
Championships that Hebert
plans to attend. But when
the season’s over, he won't
be simply shutting down till
next year — he'll be racing
motorcross.

*T have to stay in shape,”’
he says. ‘‘I have to keep the
cdge.”’

Shoe didn’t fit

‘for Cal boys

THERE WAS no Cinderella story for Caledonia’s senior

boys.

In fact, there were few big surprises at the 1998 Senior
Boys High School Basketball Championships in Van-
couver iwo weekends ago. Just as most everyoue
predicted, Richmond met Vancouver College in the finals,
and just and everyone expected, Richmond won.

Caledonia didn’t make it far, losing their first game to
Dover Bay, 100-70. The loss meant the best Cal could do
was ninth, but that too proved elusive.

“That first game was a tough one,” Mackay says.

' “Dover Bay is a good team. They nearly beat Richmond,
* which is unbelievable.”

Cal’s second game was against Prince George, and the
Kermodes won quite easily 83-67. Chesley Neufeld played
well in both games, hitting more than 25 points in each.

Cal’s final game was for ninth spot, against LV Rogers.
That team sported three 6’6’’ players, three 6’ 4’? players

and one 6’7” player.

“Those guys were huge,”

Mackay says of the op-,

ponents, ‘They call one kid Big Kootenay.”’ ,
Needless to say, a somewhat diminutive Caledonia squad
was outmatch in that one. Still, Cal stayed neck and neck
(or more like neck and shoulder) to LV Rogers until the
third, when the taller team pulled ahead for a 87-69 win.
Mackay says the loss came in spite of some impressive

play by Brooks Robinson.

“Brooks was just phenomenal,’’ he says. ‘‘He was a

man possessed,”

That possession netted Robinson 23 points, 12 rebounds,
5 assists and 5 steals. Neufeld also played well, as did
Fraser de Walle, who averaged about 15 points per game
and took a strong leadership role on the court,

Those three players have played consistently well all,
year, and have earned the attention of several colleges who
are recrulting new players. Trinity, Kings and Grande
Prairie college scouts have all becn in Terrace recently
looking for athletes to play varsity ball at their schools.

As for the Grade 11s, Mackay says several look promis-
ing for next season. Jon Simmons, Dave Anderson, Matt
Rooker and Grade 10 Kevin Braam were entered in the
_Uiree on three tournament and they finished fifth.

Braam also entered the slam dunk contest. He was
«knocked oul in the first round, but Mackay points out that
just. having a Grade 10 player keeping up in that contest

was Impressive,