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“ANGLING GUIDE POLICY.

_ Maintainin

"TERRACE — The new angling
’ ‘guide management policy offers
not only the promise of future

“Stability in the guiding industry
‘but also will ensure the area re-
_. mains a popular destination for

visiting fishermen, says Fish
and. Wildlife's
biologist.

The policy, : which comes into
- effect. April 1, is the end pro-

- duct of a 16 month process in-

_itiated- in -Tesponse to un-
- precedented increase in. the
‘number of guides operating in
‘the Skeena watershed and fears
“consequent overcrowding

would detract from the

‘wilderness fishing experience.

' Bob Hooton said the idea
behind . the measures was to
create ™ ‘sustainable oppor-
tunities’? for existing guides and

insulate them from further. “un-

warranted. competition.”

Suggesting the client market
was finite, he pointed: aut ex-
isting guides | often competed for
the same clientele. Failure to
control: the.-increase in their
number would only have ex-
acerbated that situation and
could ultimately have damaged
‘the’ ‘tourism industry.

Increased competition would
have required more aggressive
marketing: by guides, he ex-
plained. That, in turn could
have created the impression of
“4 cut-throat, free-for-all’? and
convinced potential visitors ‘*
quality experience’. was no
longer available here: As a
result, those anglers would have
decided to look elsewhere.

- Emphasizing the proposed
restrictions on the number, of
guides and guided rod-days
were intended only to put a
“cap”? on existing operations,
he added, “We've basically
made provision for anybody
that’s been there in the past to
operate in the future at the level

regional —

Bob Hooton

they’ve enjoyed up to now.’’-
While he agreed individually
guides might see the restrictions

as preventing future expansion:

of their .operations, Hooton
claimed that collectively they
recognized: there were enough
guides out there already and
some form of control was

‘necessary.

Nor OVER YET

Although a total of 32 rivers
in the region were now covered
by the new policy, Hooton con-
ceded the process was far from
finished. |

He said it had been recogniz-
ed from the beginning that
restricting guiding on given
rivers would likely result in a
“spill over’. effect into other
‘fringe areas.”' However, the
extent of that movement and
the speed with which it had ac-
cured had come as a surprise,

Already, he said, ‘‘the growth
rate on some of those fringe
areas is staggering.’’ However,
it remained to be seen whether
the proposed level of angling ac-
jivity on those streams actually
took place.
_’ Year end reports submitted
by guides would answer that
question and indicate whether
restrictions would also have to
be considered on those rivers.

. foreigners $20 a day.

“several stretches of Skeena:

| “CLASS 4 RIVERS — Unclassified waters at this stage either
- becatsse little used or little known about them. Subject to
‘reclassification should future developments warrant it.

What it all means

Under the provisions of the new policy, each river in the
~Skeena watershed is given a specific designation based on the
_ characteristics of the stream.-Restrictions vary depending on
, the classification and reflect the ministry’s long term abjec-
‘tives for that stretch of water. Below, a summary of the ra-
tionale and regulations for each classification.

CLASS 1 RIVERS — Offer ‘‘extremely valuable wilderness

- fishing’’ and need to be controlled if that is to be retained.
All anglers, whether guided or not, require special licence.
“B.Cr- residents pay $1 per day, other Canadians and

Restrictions on number of guides and guided rod-days but
“no limit on non-guided use at the moment. Examples are
Copper River upstream of .Limanite Creek and Babine River.

- CLASS 2 RIVERS — Have “high natural values’’ which
“gould be reduced if unrestricted guidifig allowed.

“ . No licence required by B.C. residents unless guided when
--have to pay $1 a day. Alt others, guided or nat, pay $10 a day.
~. Restrictions on number of guides and guided rod-days but

‘no limit on non-guided use. Examples are ¢ Kalum River and

(CLASS 3 RIVERS — Quality of fishery does not depend on
_ ether wilderness character. or overcrowding.
~ Unrestricted for all anglers whether guided or not and
- therefore no licences required, Specified stretches of Skeena
‘immediately upstream {including Ferry Island) and
. downstream of Terrace will fall into this category.

- LICENCED OR NOT, the Ki umkalum Band says it wil offer an
angling guide service on alt local rivers. Above, business manager
Richard Bohn is seen aboard Simloghet Il, one of two boats the.

band will use both for guiding and planned river tours, * ""

eT aE Ea AE SN timate eg eM pea

is

TARGET SPECIE. Bud Harris of Tacoma, Washington was singing

ce,

the praises of the local rivers after a fishing trip that saw him catch
Spring salmon like the one seen above. But should he return, he'll

find he could have to pay up to $20 a day extra to fish some of the |

area's more desirable streams. That prospect has prompted some
concerns about the possible effects of the angling guide policy on

tourism.

Impact feared

‘Coricerned ‘the riew* angling
guide: ‘polity. threatens* both
tourism and the livelihood: of
some guides, the chamber of
commerce says more informa-
tion is needed before imposing
the proposed measures.

Explaining the organization’s
position, president Bob Park
said it appeared decisions on the
number of guides and rod-days
to be permitted on local rivers
were based on insufficient and,
in some cases, inaccurate infor-
mation about current useage
levels.

Therefore, the chamber “felt
very strongly’’ the policy and its
restrictions should be put on
hold ‘‘so there can be a further
review with more facts and
figures to go on.”

Park also expressed concern
about the long-term effect on
the area’s second largest in-
dustry. Many visitors, he said,
came here specifically to fish
local rivers and made a substan-
tial contribution to the economy
in so doing,

Now, fishing many of those
rivers would require the pur-

They'll guide regar

TERRACE — While the Kit-
sumkalum band will likely get
the angling guide licence it has
been seeking, the manager of its
guiding operation says confron-
tation is inevitable if it does not

_ include a rod-day allocation for

the Kalum River.

“They have: their. choice on
what they're going to do and
whether they’re going to make
(guiding on the Kalum) legal or
not,’? Richard. Bohn said after
the latest round of advisory
‘committee discussions. —

Confirming the band had
received a licence application
from the Fish and Wildlife
branch, Bohn said he
understood it would be granted
but would’ only cover the main
stem Skeena. That was not ac-

_ ceptable,

In the past the Kitsumkalum
have maintained the Kalum is a
traditional fishing ground and
pointed: out it forms part of
their land claim, Therefore, it
also has claimed the right to

“of i. guide there if it wishes.

Maintaining the. band wants

to avoid confrontatiqn, Bohn .

emphasized, “We'd like to do it

“bythe rules. It' would be’ a lot

easier and there would be a lot
“less hard feelings among the

“a

chase of'special permits as well
as-the regular angling licence.
“I don't think: they (the En-
vironment ministry) should be
nailing the tourists the way they,
are,” he maintained. -

And while he conceded there
may be overcrowding on ‘some
rivers, he was not. sure ‘‘attack-
ing the guides” was the solu-
tion. Although the final figures
had not yet been released, he
feared some guides would find
their allocation of rod-days cut
to the extent their operation was
no longer economically viable.

The delay in establishing the
quotas was already having an
adverse effect on their
businesses, he added, because it
made it difficult to plan their
season. “If they don’t know
where. they’re going to be
fishing, they can’t take book-
ings.”*

Although the chamber had
raised these issues during
meetings of an advisory com-
mittee set up by the ministry,
Park concluded, “I don’t think
it did a heck of a lot of good ta
be honest.’”

less

other guides.’’

But in the end, ‘We're going
to be (guiding there) anyway,
regardless,’ he warned, adding
‘If we have to spend all our
time in the courts after the
season.is over, I guess that's
what we're going to have to
do. Le -

While he confirmed the .Kit-
sumkalum were ‘‘certainly in
the queue” for a licence to
guide on the unrestricted stret-
ches of the Skeena River, Fish

and Wildlife’s Bob Hooton said —

the branch was not in a position
to offer the band preferential
treatment.

Although it accepted ‘the
strategic location of the village
and the band’s long association
with the Kalum River, ‘We
have ta live by the law of the

land at this stage and there’s .
nothing in the law of the land .

that says that river or any other
belongs ta any particular
group, * he explained.
“However, he added, if ap-
plications from existing guides
did not equal available rod-days

on the Kalum, the band could
‘apply for those. or,. alternative-
ly, make private arrangements -
-to share the quota with a guide...
“permitted to. fish that river, °° [

_ TO THE TERRACE STANDARD

Condoms found
to be irrelevant

Dear Sir:

Shakepeare wrote “Even
the Devil quotes Scripture.'* .

In my letter of Dec. 29, I
referred to a crisis of
morals,...ete The word
morals .fits exactly the
description which anyone
can find in. Webster's. ‘Prin-
ciples and practice in regard
to right, wrong, and duty}
general conduct or
behaviour, especially in sex-
ual matters; moral
philosophy; ethics.’’

Ms, Scarborough confuses
the issue by referring to
‘moral’, which used ta be
the motivation for most
stories and plays. It was
overdone in Victorian times
and is almost nonexistent to-
day.

Semantics aside, what we
need is a complete overhaul
of the school system, conver-
ting the present kids’ palaces
into learning factories. Male
and female would be
separate for the short time
that they spend in class, and
there would be neither time
nor place for any other ac-
tivity other thatn learning,

This would enforce
celibacy for let's say, six
hours per day, after which
they would be free, as
always, to pursue their lives
(and lusts, if they so desired)
on their own time. Condom

machines, playing fields and:
anything not directly con- -
nected with learning’ would’.
be irrelevant and would not
be provided.

Give it a lot of thought, |
‘Ms. Scarborough.

The.
schoo! system has become a

‘‘sacred cow'’ and a.
substitute for parental

guidance and supervision. It

has become an alternate

babysitter, taking over from

parents and television. I

maintain that is is high time

that alk that should come to

an end,

“We need a complete
overhaul of the school
system, converting the
present kids’ palaces in-
to learning factories.”

We taxpayers are paying
for education only. Sex:
education, if deemed
necessary, but not providing ©
a romping ground for sexual
hotheads who would be bet-
ter off expelled, or a peddl-
ing place for drugs and con- ,
doms.

Let's hear your views,
readers! |

Yours truly,
Thomas Atrill
New Hazelton, B.C.

‘Work together
for resolution

Dear Sir:

T think I understand both
of the arguments regarding
the ‘to be or not to be’’
unification of the chief

- medical health: officer and |

Health Unit.

Granted, the combined
‘responsibilities would entail
a heavier workload,
However, the stress factor of
such a re-organization would
‘likely be less. Functioning
under a ‘‘two bosses’
system’? can be incredibly
frustrating. Being a teacher,
I would not like having two
principals running the
“ship”: Inefficiency and a
lack of direction would likely
germinate.

Still, there is the legitimate
concern of overburdening
one man — in this case Dr,
Bowering. I may be naive,
but couldn't a compromise
be the appointing of the joint
position and also the hiring
of an assistant to handle
some of the duties,

Then you would have one
person who is ultimately
responsible for co-ordination
and direction, and who
would also delegate respon-
siblity and, hopefully, lessen
potentially unwieldy
demands.

I know the Skeena Union
Board of Health comprises

caring, hardworking, cons-
cientious individuals.

I also know that Dave
Bowering is a dedicated, far-
sighted, ,

issues, I think the region

would fose an uncommon, |
special resource that would |

be hard to replace if he
“‘moves on’’,

I grew to respect the ef-
forts of both the Skeena
Union Board of Health and
Dr. Bowering when I was in-
volved with Project Squeeze,
a combined enterprise of the
school community and: the-
health community, that was
concerned with teens and
alcohol abuse.

“The area would fose
an uncommon, special
resource that would be
hard to replace if Dr.
Bowering moves on.”

Because of the support of
Skeena Union Board of
Health members and Dr,
Bowering, a pressurized pro-

ject, unique in B.C., was |
_ allowed to happen. When

people work together, ii is
amazing what can be resolv-
ed.
Brian Koven
Terrace, B.C.

Guno withdraws
from NDP race

Dear Fellow Northerners:
As you all know the
“‘giant’’ constituency of
Atlin has now been merged
with North Coast and
Bulkiey-Stikine. Stewart and
the communities of the Nass
Valley join with Prince
Rupert, the Queen Charlotte

Islands, and coastal. com-
munities as one seat. Atlin,
Cassiar, Dease Lake,
Telegraph Creek, and other
northern communities join
the Hazeltons, Smithers,
Houston, and Burns Lake to
form Bulkley-Stikine.

cont'd A6.

The Terrace Standard
welcomes letters to the editor
on all topics, All letters must
-be signed and carry an ad-
dress and local telephone
number. Addresses or phone
numbers won't be . printed
with the letter, but they are
necessary for confirmation

-of the letter’s authenticity

“The writer’s name will be
published. Requests for
names to be withheld may be _

letters

granted in extraordinary cir-.
cumstances, ,
Thank you letters: should
be submitted to the ‘‘Card of
_ Thanks’ section of. the
classifieds. SoS
Letters containing libelous
or objectionable matter ‘will
be edited or returned to the

writer. All letters are run on.
a space available basis, with. _

shorter. letters likely. ‘to be
Published. soonest. wel

innoyative person, .
who lives and breathes health... -

i

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