u

10.
P rotecting
Salmon
Fisheries

hs [ ‘HE picture certainly
3 indicates an appalling
scene of destruction,” re-
marked Justice Gordon Sloan,
chairman of the Royal Com-
mission inquirins into the
lumber industry of British
Columbia, not long ago.

Justice Sloan had just -seen
photographs portraying indescrib-
able scenes of destruction to Sal-
mon spawning beds with debris,
brush, logs and roots jammed in
streams preventing salmon from
ascending to their spawning beds.

It was brought out in the vari-
ous sittings that the logging com-
Panies, with few exceptions were
indifferent to the effects of their
lumbering operations on the sal-
mon runs.

What has happened is that all -

the shorteuts to making money
through use of the cheapest—and
most costly to natural resources
—methods of logging have taken

‘their toll in the fishing indusry.

It has been proven that once
the direction of a stream is
changed through fogging opera-
tions, by the building of wharves
Or uprooting of subsoil, the sal-
mon finding themselves in unac-
customed surroundings,.die by

_ the thousands.

. more

This continuous loss in salmon
has only been understood since
Scientific methods have
been adapted to a study of the
Salmon and its habits and steps
taken to restore and preserve the
Pacifie Coast's valuable salmon
run.

e 3
: pee the prompting of fish-~

eries inspectors the Cana-
dian government has recently
budgeted $1,000,000 for a fish lad-
der in Hell’s Gate Canyon “on
the Fraser River and it is ex
pected that the United States,
whose fishery problems are so in-
timately tied with those of Can-
ada, will match that sum.

It is not because the salmon is
a tender or timid fish that some
Safeguards are required for its
perpetuation, for the salmon will
find its way over great. obstacles

‘in its urge to reach its spawning

_ treyed.

grounds. But there are limits
eyen to its high jumping and
boldness te pursue its course.
And this is where science must
come to its aid.

In other words, provision must
be made for the natural hapits
of the salmon and care taken that
no obstructions tending to re-
Strict its natural movement are
placed in its way.

Salmon studies have taught
our experts and fishery inspec-
tors that should any logging op-
erations or natural changes alter
the floor bed of the stream where
the salmon was spawned the sal-
mon stops at that point and large
numbers, of them suffocate.

The fact that students of pisci-
culture have been astonished at
the lean years and fat years of
salmon migration prompted them
to take a keener interest in their
dabits. It did not fake them long
0 find out that the salmon had
iatural habits of returning to
heir spawning srounds and that
m their return trip should they
ind themselves in unaccustomed
urroundings, they would pro-
‘eed no further, with the result
fat millions of saimon were de-

@
HE Fraser River, in its effect
on the fisheries of both Can-
da and the U.S., is an interna-
nal river. The salmon hatched
1 the shallows of mountain

A view of Hell’s Gate from downstream. Gauge on
rock at night shows the depth of water. ;

streams and lokes live there for
a year and then migrate to the
salt waters of the ocean, return-
ing after four years to spawn in
the fresh waters from which they
sae their unusual living cy-
ele.

On their return trip the salmon
become an object of international
interest and value because they
move through both American
and Canadian waters and the
fishermen of both countries join
in the quest which yields mil-
ions of dollars worth of canned
Salmon each year. d

But to the great surprise of sal-

mon fishermen, some years were
very good and other years were
very poor. It did not at that
time occur to them to connect
their poor years with new logging
operations, yet that was the main
reason for their poor catch. When
spawning beds were uprooted
and streams diverted from their
course as a result of “highbali”
logging the fish could not find
their accustomed path and died.

Some years ago the Fraser run
cf sockeye salmon yielded al-
most a quarter of a billion
pounds of the finest quality
canned salmon which at present
prices would have a value of
more than $40,000,000. Consider-
ably less than that is now con-
sidered good pickings for the
year.

And the reason is that until
recently there has been a total
disregard for salmon resources
and a lack of scientific investiga-
tion. “Get your catch and get
out” was the slogan. But the log-
ging companies also had a slo-
gan: “Get your logs and get
out.” Entire years of poor salmon
fishing could not be explained
except in terms of the informa-
tion brought out in the present
inquiry that not only were waste-
ful logging methods destroying
the forests but also the salmon
fisheries.

@

CEES SIONS in both coun-
tries have aleady shown that

rock blasting during railroad con-
Pa

~
struction and rock slides have
so altered the course of streams
that salmon could not ascend to
their spawning beds. Now to this

must be added the tremendous _

damage caused by logging meth-
ods.

In the U.S., the International
Pacific Salmon Fisheries Com-
mission reports that a depleted
run of sockeye salmon will re-
cuperate rapidly if given a
chance and with this in mind, it
is advocating certain necessary
steps.

The commission asserts that
over 40 obstructions to the free
passage of salmon -have been
found in the Fraser River. It
finds that there are large areas
in the river’s upper watershed to
which the runs of salmon in cer-
tain years have been completely
destroyed due to obstruction and
blasting.

It would be futile, the commis-
sion states, to attempt any regu-
latory measures with the salmon
runs unless these obstructions
are removed to overcome the
threat of destruction at Hell’s
Gate Canyon.

In Canada, the United Fisher-
men’s Federal Union has long
advocated conservation of the
salmon fisheries and advanced
Proposals to end the threat of
extinction by questionable log-
ging ahd blasting operations. The
Union has also stressed the need
of regulations being enforced to
the point of revoking offenders’
licenses against those who prac-
tice unethical methods of salmon
fishing.

In support of its recommenda-

tions for the expenditures of the .

large sums of money needed the
international commission argued:
“One good year’s. run restored
should produce a catch worth ten
times the entire proposed invest-
ment. And until continued and
adequate regulations and protec-

tion, this enormous food resource
should become recurrent year
after year in perpetuity.”

1

:

THE NATIVE BROTHERHOOD

of British Columbia
GREETS ALL WORKERS AND MEMBERS

OF OUR UNITED NATIONS’

FORCES!

on

Our Native Boys are Equals on Fighting and Production
Fronts Alike

We Ask Equality and Justice for Our Native People
Cae)

BUY VICTORY BONDS
Vo Speed Victory and Peace

eS ee ee iS ea Picea

Continued from Page 9

When the Boys
Come Hom

time to free hospitalization if he
is suffering from wounds or ill-
ness caused by, or arising out of,
his service during war.

In considering this clause, one
question arises: What allowance
will be made if hospitalization
takes place at a period after 18
months haye expired? Will the
pensions department, with the
authority invested in it, grant a
temporary allowance if it is
needed, or will the man and his
family go on relief?

Vocational
To facilitate the return of ex-
servicemen into civilian life on a
self-supporting basis, vocational
schools from coast-to-coast will
be open to them. They wil have
the opportunity to brush up on
old trades and learn new ones.
It is the intention of the govern-
ment to use the chain of schools
now used for training
men and to supplement them,
Wherever necessary, with facili-
ties for training those who desire
to take a special course, such as
optical grinding, aero-dynamics.

Training Facilities:

service- -

Under this scheme, the ;
servicemen will be able to Tes
practically any trade which y
help te make him self-supperti:
For 52 weeks in the first
months after discharge f
standard allowance will be p=:
to the exserviceman attending
trade school, and if an extensi
is necessary, it may be srant.

This is a decided advance fre
the program of trade traini
for veterans of the last w.
Then, only partially disabl
men in receipt of a pens:
were given the opportunity
attend a trade school.

It is earnestly to be hoped th
once the war is over, this pr
gram of training will commen
at-once, that trade and acader
training will be made ayailab
to the army airforce and na
wherever possible while waiti
for discharge. The present ed
cational personnel could be e
trusted with the task. _ :

(A second article will appe
in the magazine section of o
May 13 issue.) : =

MAY. DAY
to

GREETINGS
the

_ WARRIORS and WORKERS
of CANADA

Compliments of

e

ARMY & NAVY

DEPARTMENT STORES

NEW WESTMINSTER

Cee ee ee ee ep ee pe a eae ee ee

VANCOUVER :

Z

16 East Hastings

May Day

Greetings

Moulders & Foundry Workers Union —
Local No.'1 (CCL) 7

MArine 4723

Fo HASTEN VICTORY
PASS THE AMMUNITION!

ON ALL

UNITE CANADA

FRONTS!

S

CITY FIRE FIGHTERS’ UNION |
Local No. 1