The Editor,
To Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard:
There is a perception in this province that Canadians east of the Rocky Mountains do not understand the importance of the Fisheries in B.C.
My question to you is: Have you ever visited the Interior of B.C. in the early autumn when what remains of our renewable, precious, irreplaceable salmon runs to spawning grounds occur?
I invite you to do so at the Adams River Run, just off Shuswap Lake, in September. In my opinion, you cannot qualify as our fisheries minister without having experienced this first hand. Located about one hour east of Kamloops, not only is it easily accessible but it is a prime example of how sockeye will swim hundreds of kilometres up the Fraser and Thompson rivers to their places of origin to spawn, regenerating the resource in its four-year cycle.
For with everything that is going on industrially in our country, it is imperative Fisheries and Oceans Canada stand up for us and make the protection of our wild salmon habitat in freshwater watercourses, as well as saltwater environments, a national priority.
Here in B.C., the salmon are the foundation of everything we value and are at the core of many aspects of our commerce, especially fishing and eco-tourism.
Please do not cut funding to programs that promote the clean-up and enhancement of fish habitat. Historically, so little care was taken by other interests adjacent to waterfront — including logging, mining, and industrial and home developments — the last hundred years that it is impossible to comprehend what we have lost. Detrimental to the regeneration of wild salmon, it is now time to recover and correct this.
Please support salmon enhancement initiatives, put in place more federal fisheries personnel and reinforce clean water laws. We, our fish and, indeed, our whole food chain and economy are depending on you. Here in B.C., it begins with the protection of wild salmon.
Janet Klopp, Coquitlam
