By Rodney Hsu

"The out-of-towners have no respect", one local Chilliwack resident concluded while we discussed the state of the Vedder River last week. "They come into our town, expect to take, but do not give back."

The old saying "pick up your own garbage" doesn't seem to apply anymore. If you recommend a person who is littering to do so, most likely confrontation will occur. Anglers mind their own business these days, so they can enjoy a great day of fishing instead of getting caught up in a heated argument.

Unity between anglers is missing. It seems we are becoming more distant from watershed stewardship each day. The same remarks continue to arise, such as "Fishing is getting worse each year" and "The river looks like a dump". There are lots of whines, yet very little action. It is this inaction that will further degrade our sport. If sportfishermen are perceived as greedy takers who are not willing to contribute back to our precious resource, soon or later our privilege of fishing will be taken away.

The problem is this fantastic resource is public commodity that is shared by all. If you have a small pond in your backyard that is full of trout, would you take out as many fish as possible within a day of fishing and litter around your garden? Most likely not! In publicly shared water, no one wants to take responsibility, especially on other people's wrong doings.

With several other directors, I started the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition one year ago with the objective of cleaning up a stream by hopefully motivating anglers who fish it regularly to contribute a day or two each year. That hope is slowly fading. Based on the percentage of anglers of all participants in the previous two cleanup events, I have pretty much concluded that most simply expect others to take care of the problems. Thousands of anglers fish the Vedder each day, yet only two dozens of anglers attended our BC Rivers Day event. Sportfishermen make up the bulk of the recreational usage in this large river system, yet most of us seem to find it justifiable to remain absent when it is time to pitch in. How ironic!

Anglers do not generate all of the garbage of course, in fact only a small percentage of litter is done by us. The bulk of dumping is carried out by residents who choose to avoid the dumping fee. On any sunny day, it is a norm to encounter fridges, stoves, chemical containers and any other large household items during a walk along the canal. So what if it isn't your garbage? "Picking up your own garbage" is not the optimal solution anymore, but "picking up the garbage that you see" is the necessary step that we all need to take. If you think these criminal activities will not affect you, think again! Large scale dumping are carried out along the river because it can be easily accessed through gravel road that we always use to reach our favorite fishing spots. If dumping continues to escalate, it would not be surprising to see these roads closed to public use. Are you prepared to walk several miles to reach your fishing spots?

Last week, a lengthy chat with David Lamson, president of Chilliwack River Action Committee, gave me a better understanding on the clayslide problem in the Vedder and how it impacts the aquatic ecology. Sediments from the clayslide cause siltation in the river, making it an unsuitable habitat for fish and other aquatic insect. Imagine yourself trying to breath in a dust storm, not so pleasant is it? The Chilliwack River Action Committee holds annual chinook fishing derby in the fall. Every single cent from each ticket sold goes straight into solving the clayslide problem. Last year, under 200 tickets were sold, out of tens of thousands of anglers who fished during the salmon season! Numbers do not lie, it clearly indicates that most of us either think the problem is not serious enough to give up your ten dollars, or simply do not care.

History has been repeating itself over, and over again. How often have you heard people mention fishing was spectacular in an area but it no longer has any fish? There are countless stories when it comes to degradation of fish population, yet very rarely you hear someone come forward and tell you how hard they have tried to save it before all hope was lost. Are you prepared to hear the same thing about the streams that have continued to provide you with high quality of fishing? If not, take action now! The problems in the Vedder River may seem to be exaggerated at present, but why wait until we reach the point of no return? Even if you fail to make a difference, at least you can say you've tried.

To find out how you can help, go to Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition for more information. Send us your comments!