UBC SCIENTISTS PROTEST BC MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT’S RECOVERY PLAN FOR CHEAKAMUS RIVER STEELHEAD
PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT:
March 31, 2006 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
“The Cheakamus River steelhead population is being put at increased risk because of the provincial Ministry of Environment’s refusal to include hatchery enhancement as part of the recovery plan”, says four UBC scientists who include three faculty, and one independent who has worked on the Cheakamus River for more than 10 years. Ministry of Environment’s decision to use only habitat improvement to mitigate the devastating impact on the its unique steelhead population caused by the Canadian National Railway derailment and caustic soda spill last summer, has prompted the scientists to speak out at press conference scheduled for Friday, March 31, 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the UBC Fisheries Centre (main auditorium, Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory (AERL), 2202 Main Mall). “The Ministry of Environment’s approach excludes the use of a well-planned and monitored short-term hatchery supplementation program that is likely the most viable option for recovery. The proposed habitat improvement measures are extremely unlikely to work on the Cheakamus River. As a result, their decision imposes unnecessary risks on its wild population as well as unreasonable impacts on local communities, fishers, and the Squamish First Nation”, say the scientists. Their arguments are summarized in a document that can be downloaded from:
www.pskf.ca.
The press conference will include a power point presentation and a question and answer period and is open to the media and the public. They urge anyone with an interest in the fate of Cheakamus River steelhead, and the use of sound science to guide resource management decisions, to attend. Refreshments will be served.
The UBC scientists who authored the position paper and who will be available at the press conference for questions include:
Josh Korman is a fisheries scientist with 15 years consulting experience and is a PhD candidate at UBC. He has conducted research and monitored the abundance of the Cheakamus River steelhead population since 1995.
Steven Martell is an Assistant professor of fisheries at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on quantitative stock assessment, population dynamics and ecosystem modelling.
Eric Taylor is a professor of Zoology at the University of British Columbia who works on the evolutionary genetics and ecology of native fishes. He is a member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) Freshwater Fishes Specialist Subcommittee.
Carl Walters is a professor of fisheries at the University of British Columbia and a world-renowned expert in the fields of fish population dynamics, fisheries assessment and sustainable management. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation.
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Topic: Scientists say MOE has put the Cheakamus Steelhead at risk! (Read 1956 times)