Time to release a fair, balanced salmon management plan

About 400 people attended a meeting of The Citizens Outdoor Rights Alliance (CORA) Wednesday night in Corner Brook.

CORA pledged to represent the views of people who stand for the preservation of traditional access to the outdoors and fair conservation laws.

They also want government to address fairness in the Salmon Management Plan, a plan which limits retention and promises an in-season review which could cut the other retention tags.

The solution said one CORA member is “a shared salmon kill between the hook-and-cook and the hook-and-release angler.”

In other words, he added, “the same allowance of fish killed should be split more equitably between both groups of anglers,” as both kill fish.

All of the above statements are from an article by staff writer Dave Kearsey of the Western Star, April 23,1998.

Fast forward 20 years later and one realizes how little things have changed.

In spite of the time gap, the position of CORA has remained essentially the same.

We believe a successful and sustainable salmon management plan has to be balanced and fair to all user groups: retention anglers, hook-and-release anglers and our First Nations people.

We have co-existed on our rivers for many years and wish to continue to do so. As to a “shared solution” that would satisfy all we hope it will be addressed in the soon-tobe announced salmon management plan. In simple terms, if there has to be pain due to cuts, it must be shared equally, as referenced by a CORA member in 1998.Under the current system, retention angling is regulated and serious penalties are in place for those that break the rules.

The problem is hook and release is not, and there has never been a hook-and-release charge in this province as far as I know.

Thus,in order to have fairness here, the catch-and-release advice of DFO (which is excellent), must be upgraded to “Regulation.”

One piece of advice offered by DFO is, “Handle the fish gently, damage to the gills or loss of scales by removal from the water are the most serious injuries a Salmon can suffer. Keep the fish in the water at all times.”

If this becomes a regulation, those that remove fish from the water to have a picture taken, would face serious charges.

We see this as a conservation necessity.

Since the decision by DFO last summer to close our rivers to retention, yet leave open to hook and release, we have worked very hard to get our message out that there has to be fairness and balance in future salmon management plans.

Our position is supported is supported by the provincial minister, Gerry Byrne and the premier. We are also confident the Federal Fisheries Minister, Hon. Dominic Leblanc, has listened to us and understands our strong social, cultural, historic and spiritual connection to this resource and the land.

We call on Minister Leblanc to release this plan ASAP and we believe there will be retention in this plan.

Gary Gale President Citizens Outdoor Rights Alliance