Federal fisheries minister Gail Shea’s comments about Skeena River sockeye salmon returns show why regional management is needed, said the New Democratic Party MLA for Stikine, Doug Donaldson.
“Maybe the salmon will return a year later,” Shea said in an interview on CBC radio’s All Points West during her visit to Prince Rupert yesterday. “Nobody knows what’s happening in the marine environment.”
To suggest salmon might be a year late returning shows a lack of knowledge, said Donaldson. “That’s absolutely asinine,” he said. “It flies in the face of how the migration cycle works with sockeye.”
The fish have always returned on a four-year-cycle and are not likely to suddenly change, he said. “Evolution just doesn’t quite work that way.”
In July the Department of Fisheries and Oceans predicted Skeena sockeye returns would be average, but by December local news reports said the returns had collapsed.
The federal government has launched an inquiry into the collapse of the Fraser River sockeye run and Shea said in the CBC interview that maybe some of the recommendations will also apply to the Skeena.
Donaldson said it’s time to act on a January, 2009, report from the Pacific Salmon Forum, chaired by former fisheries minister John Fraser. It recommended considering a watershed governance model that shares decision making between provincial, federal and first nation governments.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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Van Isle
2 years ago
Wasn't it just over a year
Wasn't it just over a year ago that Gail Shea got the Fisheries Portfolio? Didn't all the pundits and all the wise and thoughtful people say that she was the best person for the position? Now we find out that she's a 'stupid fencepost' with hair.
OUST CAMPBELL
2 years ago
Gail Shea
Is the minister who promotes open net fish farms on our coast and went as far as to gift farmers with our tax dollars for their research. No credibility comes to mind with Miss Shea.
Gary
2 years ago
Resign
Nothing short of resignation or firing would be acceptable for this woman.
The only thing I see evolving here is Gail Shae's regression into the precambrian era.
What an absolute fool this woman is. And if Harper doesn't fire her (not just a cabinet shuffle) he would show that he is as inept as his minister.
What a joke.
freebear
2 years ago
Maybe the missing fish are hiding
under the Minister's skirt?
circle A
2 years ago
she`s perfect!
For harper and campbell`s plan for the west coastsalmon problem,they don`t even consider the locals worthy of an informed discussion. the sooner we all shut up and get out of the way the sooner fish farm industry will solve the problem of wild salmon once and for all, i used to think it was wrong for alaska to own what would appear to be bc`s north coast but i`m glad for the sake of wild salmon that sensible people who actually care about the marine enviornment still hold power on the west coast unlike in this banana republic where it`s just make a fast buck and to hell with nature.
DPL
2 years ago
Harper sure puts some weird
Harper sure puts some weird people in his cabinet. Mind you he has a large gang of misfits who don't seem to mind opening their mouths and showing just how little they know of their portfolo's. The big thing seems to be, stay elected, smile for Steve and keep those perks coming. Fish? What fish.
salty dog
2 years ago
@Freebear
LOL HA HA....."ooh ooh that smell,can`t you smell that smell"
Made my day Freebear
cheers
Illahie
2 years ago
I would give a new minister some slack
But not that much slack.
The returns of the pacific sockeye have been below average for about 20 years now. This should be well known in DFO. The minister should have been kept informed. If she was informed and remains clueless, then DFO is not to be faulted.
The basic problem remains however that we can have great spawning success, followed by great rearing success, the smolts are healthy when they hit the ocean, and then they die before they can return and we do not know why.
We do not have much research on what happens to the smolts in the 90 days after they have left the river environment and have entered the ocean. This period is crucial and yet we know so little.
Skywalker
2 years ago
“That’s absolutely asinine,”
Wow some gutsy language from a member of the BC NDP caucus. Finally!