For those of you out there who dream about your chance to wet a fly in the mighty waters of British Columbia's Skeena River system, you may have to keep on dreaming.
Recently, the Ministry of Environment in British Columbia has drafted and proposed a new Angling Management Plan (AMP) for the Skeena River steelhead fishery (you can find and read the plan in its entirety here: http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/ske/qws/).
Why should anglers care? A plan with such a title sounds like it promotes responsibility and care for the environment, right? Well, not exactly.
For all intents and purposes, the plan strips a non-resident angler's right to fish the river system when, where, and with whom he or she wants. In the future, if the legislation were to pass, non-residents would face severely limited fly fishing options on any river within the greater Skeena drainage system. But, running license lotteries, handing out severely restrictive permits, and putting a tight cap on the number of people who can fish a river in a year is an effective solution to ecosystem stress, right? Well, not exactly.
Imposing such restrictions is silly. The major industry in the region that cradles the Skeena system is fed and fueled by angling dollars. A group opposing the Skeena AMP has set up an online petition (www.opposeskeenaamp.com) and has this to say about the adverse economic effects the plan may produce: "The value of non-guided non-resident anglers to the province of British Columbia lies in their contribution to the economy. Every fishing trip costs money, lots of it, and this money is distributed among restaurants, hotels, tackle shops, bars, grocery stores, and many other local businesses. The AMP is good for guides, but bad for the tourist economy as a whole."
They're right. Economically, the AMP sounds like a fantastic deal for guides, but when non-resident anglers actually shoulder the base of the fishing economy throughout the Skeena system and surrounding areas, the province of British Columbia gets hurt. Shut out the non-residents, shut off the flow of dollars in a vast region of Canada's most alluring wilderness.
Perhaps something more creative is in order, something like an angling tax to direct revenue to more innovative and practical management plans and environmental protection solutions. Such a plan could create even more angling dollars and provide even more future protection for the region's ecosystem in the form of educational programs, environmental studies, and restoration programs. But, maybe, at the behest of a small number of greedy guides, undervaluing the Skeena's economic potential is what the Ministry wants.
Adventure fishing economies and angling tax schemes aside, the Skeena AMP is still silly. It's foolish legislation because it could ultimately alienate the Skeena's greatest group of supporters: the fly anglers who travel near and far each year to have a crack at the adventure, beauty, and majesty of one of the world's final fontiers.
Without the help of these careful and respectful sportsmen, sportswomen, and environmental advocates, the Skeena, the health of its ecosystem, and the wild fish that call it home could be all but forgotten in many corners of the world. The majority of modern fly anglers adhere closely to widely approved catch and release practices, holding a love and reverence for the steelhead that the average or non-initiated person will simply never understand. Serious steelheaders travel to the Skeena and they do so because they love the river and the great, beautiful, wild fish that run there. They, too, have an interest in protecting the Skeena and its bounty, even if they do not, in the eyes of the law and government, call it their back yard.
What would a Skeena River system look like without traveling anglers? Who knows? But perhaps this is also what the Ministry wants; shut out the non-resident riff-raff, trust the guides and lodges to run the show, and you've got a hands-off environmental management plan.
Reasonable and effective management plans are most certainly not "hands-off," and should always strive to seek out and involve those most passionate about the resource at issue.
On the Skeena, non-residents ought to be part of the solution; leave out the non-residents, burn their money, silence their voices, and everyone loses.
To read and sign the petition to stop the Skeena Angling Management Plan, visit: www.opposeskeenaamp.com
Evan LeBon is a regular contributor to beyondthebug.com
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