Submission:
May 01 2010
We buried one of my uncles today; he lived all but 2 of his 81 years within 100 meters of his place of birth.
Regarding your commission directive of investigating and making recommendations regarding the overall Fraser River decline of sockeye salmon and 2009’s 90% short fall in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) prediction for returns on said species.
The Fraser overall decline thing relates to long term stuff like North Pacific gyres, global regimes and the like where as 2009 was less than that. Two thousand and nine was a human caused thing and it was very localized. Two thousand and nine was a bureaucratic thing where provincial people were licensing federal stuff and federal people well I think they may have been out of loop for a bit and then …. had other things to do ie political directive. That being said and OPEN PEN FISH FARMS being implicated by saying it I, begrudgenly, would like to defend DFO on their management of Fraser stocks. The people on the ground can not be blamed and fingers need not be pointed else where. Here we have a cause and we have a solution, FISH FARM CONTAINMENT PERIOD, those that do not like this can simply leave now and we will not pursue them for environmental damages. I am a great believer in recovery and retain confidence in our environments ability to rejuvenate itself.
Regarding your recommendations to be made on DFO policy/act/behaviour/attitude etc.
Do not confuse me with someone who retains any respect for DFO what so ever, after the extinction, by DFO personal, of Basking sharks from our coast and personal encounters with mid management personnel at the department they would have to do a lot to re earn my respect.
Personal feelings aside my thought is that environmental matters are a multi jurisdictional
issue at all times and that makes them a 2 way street verse the current perception of a top down, to municipal, approach. My theory is that if a DFO person wants to come on my family land then that person should have to come through at least my local government and preferably a community committee also. Conversely as a land owner I would have to start with the local committee – no exceptions. People are not stupid and given a chance good will happen.
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