|
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
An Atlantic On The Fly? We'll Pass. There once was a time when fly fishermen on Canada's West Coast dreamed of Atlantic salmon in their rivers. Attempts to plant the species were made early in the century, in the hopes of creating a sports fishery, but for reasons never fully understood, the fish didn't take. A likely explanation: at the time West Coast streams were loaded with Pacific salmon and the imported salmon fry were either eaten, or simply couldn't compete for food. But things have changed. Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of Atlantics have escaped from fish farms along British Columbia's coast, and there are signs that they are taking hold. Atlantic salmon are routinely caught in the ocean by sports anglers, particularly in the Campbell River area; sexually mature specimens have been captured in coastal streams, and there is growing evidence they have succesfully spawned. Why are Atlantic salmon establishing themselves now, from accidental releases, when government stocking programs failed earlier ? Two reasons: first, the Atlantic salmon escaping into the wild are fully grown adults that through generations of husbandry have adapted to the Pacific. Second, there is far less competition from wild stocks, which are at record lows because of over fishing and poor ocean survival rates. This summer 35,000 large Atlantic salmon escaped from a fish farm on the B.C. coast. There seems little doubt that many of those fish will soon follow Pacific salmon into spawning streams. For a fly fisher this is mixed news. Certainly a big Atlantic salmon rising to a dry fly, even if it's a farmed fish, would be a thrilling sight. But as appealing as that image may be, we should not be ambivalent about the unplanned introduction of this species. Atlantic salmon carry disease risks and threaten to occupy habitat space best be used by wild fish. Native steelhead, trout and salmon are what we want in Pacific streams, not farm fattened Atlantics. Salmon farmers have demonstrated that they are unable to keep their stock penned. They routinely expose Pacific salmon to disease risks. They regularly kill otters, herons, seals and sea lions that threaten their pens. They pollute the environment by dumping "morts" at sea and by failing to recirculate waste water. On the plus side, they provide fresh fish for the market (47,000 tonnes in B.C. last year) reducing the need to kill wild salmon, and they provide jobs. Salmon farms have a place. But they should be shore-based, with closed-loop water systems, so their effluent is properly treated - and their stock isn't escaping to invade Pacific streams. Letters can be sent via e-mail to: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
The Editor: I just wanted to congratulate you and your friends on a great web site. I'm so impressed. The design of the site is beautiful and the writing is very fine and haunting. Really enjoyed the Zipper Creek feature. Very vivid prose. Truly made me feel like I was right there. I've taken up fly fishing under the instruction of Jeff Davies of CBC Radio here in Victoria. We actually started a couple of years ago, but I retreated to my spinning gear following an unfortunate "hook incident" on the Cowichan River in which I managed to impale myself in a sensitive area (the temple). All very embarrassing, etc., especially the grizzled old veteran fisherman on the river who told me to make sure I cut my leader before I went to the hospital because I'd look like "a f***ing idiot" walking into emergency with my rod in my hand! Took another crack at it last fall under Jeff's repeated promises that the "skies would clear" and I would begin casting a neat line. We took a trip to the fly-only Panther Lake past Nanaimo, where Jeff had great success with very large (for the Island) rainbows. Jeff has been fly fishing for 30 years and can cast on a dime. I did poorly with my improving, but still sloppy, cast. But the bug has now bitten hard. I've been at it with gusto this spring. I've gotten the hang of it and I love it! My spinning rod is long forgotten. We just got back from three days at a small creek running between two lakes. Fishing this little creek was like something out of a dream for me. We discovered it the last day of the trip when Jeff came running back breathlessly to the cabin we'd rented to announce he'd found something "like an English chalk stream" full of fish. I never thought I would get to fish such a beautiful place, casting side arm up to a little pool I'd snuck up on. Magical. Anyway, you've got a new fan of ariverneversleeps.com. Tight lines,
Editor: Thank you for the kind words on our book, "Fly Fishing for Pacific Salmon". Although it is getting a bit long in the tooth it still enjoys steady sales. Bruce Ferguson, Pat Trotter and I are about finished with a complete update to be called, "Fly Fishing for Pacific Salmon II". A lot of the techniques remain in tact but others that we've learned since from our own fishing and reports from others. One major change is in the evolution of salmon fly patterns, particularly for saltwater where matching the hatch has become one of the most important factors in hooking up with some regularity. Again, thanks for your review. Very Truly Yours,
The Editors: My name is Terry Turner and I am on the Board of Directors of the Olympia, Washington Chapter of Trout Unlimited. I am also editor of our Chapter newsletter, "The Fishing Line". I recently received via e-mail, from a friend of mine, a copy of your article written by Mark Hume entitled "Miracle On The Keogh River". It's a great article. It's amazing that it has taken fish biologists 150 years to learn what Mother Nature has known since the beginning of time -- carcasses from spawned fish supply the necessary nutrients for the healthy survival of their offspring. For many years we have been working to convince the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and others to deposit carcasses upstream from salmon hatcheries after the fish have been processed from spawning needs. It has been a long hard struggle. For so many years their philosophy had been that dead fish in streams caused disease and pollution. They now are beginning to truck carcasses upstream in some of the state's rivers. I enjoyed your article on the Okanagan River. We have so many rivers throughout the state that have tremendous problems with fish blockage. We all know that these problems have existed for a long time but very little or nothing has been done over the years to correct the problem. Unfortunately, it has taken the near extinction of the fish and the Endangered Species Act to get any action started to rectify these conditions. Terry Turner {E-mail letters may be edited for clarity, taste and brevity. It is understood they express the opinions of the writers, not the editors.} |
||||||||||||
