A conversation with Carl Hunt

[DonAndersen]

Below are copied some comments made by myself and Carl Hunt - retired biologist for the Hinton-Edson area.

I would like so see those comments added to the web site.

Carl says in response to the Survey on the N. Sask.

"

Alberta Fish Mgmt is still dinking around blaming angling pressure (even C/R) for decline of all native salmonids.  None of the preamble to the questionnaire explains the impacts of extensive 5 year closures on the few streams/rivers left open.  The five year closures are just another delay (and an old idea that didn't work in the 1960s or 1970s) to avoid the habitat issues caused by industry and greatly complicate angling regulations that few anglers can understand or follow. 

E/S should simply be C/R - NO Bait, with current seasons.

Fish staff should take serious action to stop the cumulative impacts of sediment from road/stream crossings on fish bearing and all tribs.  Hanging culverts were condemned by scientific fish studies in 1980s and are still permitted, with poor engineering standards and allowed to exist.

WHERE IS THE HABITAT RECOVERY 'ACTION' PLAN to protect floodplain, stop sediment sources, control forest harvest to reduce frequency & severity of flood events and a 'road plan' to limit road stream crossings, remove hanging culverts and reclaim temporary roads that continue to be destroyed by OHV.   

WHERE IS THE COMPULSORY ANGLER EDUCATION PROGRAM?  - So anglers understand the need for regulations and the cumulative impacts of industry, logging, petroleum, coal, gravel,  agriculture & OHVs.

Fish managers are going in circles to ignore dealing with habitat issues caused by other resource users and blame angling pressure (lower today than 1980s) or 'invasive' brook  trout (mostly introduced in the 1950s) or struggling to protect genetic purity of remnant threatened species. 

The proposed angling regulations are a distraction from habitat protection.

 

Carl Hunt

Don says
"

Carl,

 

Your message summarizes exactly what I've thought for years.

The only ones paying are anglers.

With your permission, can your message below be copied to other web sites/forums?

A senior Govt Official  and I were talking about the culvert situation and I related conversations I had with Cruikshank who was the Director of Fisheries  and Fisheries and Oceans Prairie Regional Director about the 700 of 900 illegal culvert installations in the Swan Hills IDed by a ACA grant recipient near 20 years ago at an ACA conference.  When I asked both, who were at the same conference, what they were going to do with the evidence, neither of them would do anything. It is 50 years past time when the situation needs fixed. My uncle installed those for Home Oil about 55 years ago. Nobody knew what effect they were having. I recall him telling me that every ditch and swamp was full of grayling.

 

 

regards,

 

Don

Carl says

"

Hi Don,

My comments were sent to AWA Fish & forest forum when the first survey came out, so are public and please use.  I don't spend much time with word-smithing these days but hope I can get the message across.  Sometimes, I'm a bit more vulgar so appreciate you asking before spreading my manure.

I think David Parks did a MSc thesis about 10 or 15 years ago and found 7 to 10 thou culverts in NE grayling streams and estimated 50 or 75% would block fish passage. (see ARGR status report it has lots of examples reported as far back as 1973 but nothing changes - fish just disappear).

I think the 5 year closures will be like walleye and followed up with more closures, unless anglers get stirred up and realize they are not the problem.

Any feedback you hear about my comments (including blow back) would be appreciated.

Carl

 

[monger]

Carl is bang on. Too bad the government is so afraid to police/punish industry. Anglers are an easy target with no backlash, and therefore the government can have the "appearance" of doing something by changing some recreation regs.

[DonAndersen]

What really scares me - even when the govt is faced with evidence of law breaking, they sit on their ass.

i guess they wouldn't want to offend the law breakers.

Unless and until  Angler's realize they are the only ones paying, the destruction will continue.

Don