Sylvie Paillard
spaillard@squamishchief.com
B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner visited the Tenderfoot Hatchery in Squamish Monday (March 6) to deliver good news about the progression of Cheakamus River recovery.
But numerous river stakeholders say the minister's steelhead recovery update is bad news, and the Squamish Nation is even considering legal action.
On Monday (March 6) Penner participated in the Cheakamus restocking of 25,000 pink salmon that came from a Chilliwack hatchery, and he said 600,000 more are anticipated. Penner also addressed the future for steelhead recovery, saying that a technical committee is reviewing options to enhance the depleted stock.
But an anticipated decision to forgo hatchery steelhead has angered many river stakeholders. Squamish Nation representative Randall Lewis said that he has put forward a writ for consideration to the Nation council and legal staff to "force them [the ministry] to do due diligence."
Every day that passes since the CN Rail caustic soda spill, which wiped out life in the river more than seven months ago, means a bigger threat to its steelhead species, according to river advocates.
"It's good news that they're releasing more salmon, because salmon carcasses bring nutrients into the river," said Dave Brown of the Squamish to Lillooet Sport Fishing Advisory Committee. "But that's federal fish, that's DFO [Department of Fisheries and Oceans] taking action and they're responding with a much higher level of urgency in this spill than we're seeing from the minister. The minister hasn't done anything but show up and have his picture taken when salmon are being put in the river which he didn't pay for or raise or have anything to do with."
Penner delivered the good news that the anticipated recovery for the river has gone from 50 years to 15 years. But a number of river stakeholders are saying the government's policy to eliminate the option of hatchery steelhead is because the Cheakamus has been designated a "wild" river to "preserve the integrity and biodiversity of the steelhead population," is based on outdated science and could severely threaten the species.
An announcement hasn't yet been made regarding steelhead recovery plans, but Brown said from conversations and correspondencewith MOE staff, he believes a decision has already been made to forgo hatchery steelhead and focus solely on habitat restoration and nutrient supplementation. That won't cut it, he said.
"The minister ruling that out is the minister playing high stakes poker with our steelhead stock," said Brown. "The minister seems to have dragged his feet on making a decision on steelhead advancement and now it appears almost certainly it won't go ahead."
Steelhead recovery options are being reviewed by a technical committee consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Environment (MOE), the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the Squamish First Nation, the District of Squamish and CN. The MOE is recommending proceeding with proven habitat enhancement techniques to replenish the river's steelhead population, according to a ministry news release. But Edith Tobe, executive director of the Squamish River Watershed Society, said she hopes the "good science" Penner alluded to during the Tenderfoot Hatchery visit is not based on "old school concepts."
"I was very happy to hear him [Penner] saying that he was willing to review the science of the day," said Tobe. "It would alleviate a lot of my concerns that they're just basing this on old school concepts."
Tobe said she's willing to wait for the decision about steelhead recovery to come out of a March 14 technical committee meeting, but she's "not sitting idly by".
Tobe along with Lewis, Brown and John Wright of Squamish to Lillooet Sport Fishing Advisory Committee have signed a letter urging the ministry to consider the hatchery fish culture program, pointing to a 2005 ministry study of the Kitimat River that found "no genetic differences between the two populations" of wild and hatchery steelhead.
As for broader river recovery plans, CN is required to complete a draft plan with advice from the technical committee and present this to the public within the next two to three months. CN is also responsible for other ongoing work, including a monitoring plan to track recovery, and an ongoing impact assessment to determine spill impacts to species that could not be assessed immediately following the spill. CN is responsible for the total cost of the restoration effort, which is expected to run in the millions of dollars.
