Duffy4
04-25-2007, 01:13 AM
Did you ever hear the story of the blind brothers at the circus who all experienced an elephant by touching and feeling it?
Afterwards they were talking about the elephant and one who had felt the tail said "An elephant is like a long rope with a fuzzy bit on the end and it smells like crap" Another brother had been at the other end feeling the trunk and he said "Oh no an elephant is very thick and muscular and sniffs and makes odd noises and twists and moves a lot". The brother who had been touching the beasts ear said"I figured an elephant is very wide and flat and flaps around a lot". The last brother had bumped into a leg and had explored it up and down and all around. "An elephant" he said "is like a big thick tree trunk strong and tall".
{It was late when I posted this and I kind of left something out. The elephant story needs to be tied in. There were anglers there with knowledge and concern for perch. There were others who’s big issue was white-fish. Still others wanted to know how to bring back the pike. They each had a narrow focus on the fishery at Pigeon Lake. The fisheries Bio. was the only one who seemed to see the BIG PICTURE, the whole elephant.}
They were all partly right but they all had only an insight into part of what an elephant is.
And thats what I thought of the big meeting in Thorsby tonight. If Fisheries management at pigeon lake is like the elephant, most of the people there did not know much about it. They all had their ideas and viewpoints about it but each was only a bit relavent.
The fisheries Bio from Reddeer gave a pretty good powerpoint on what had been going on in pigeon for a number of years. I got the feeling that most of his scientific explanations went well over the heads of a lot of the audience. But to me he was showing that SCIENCE was the basis of his management decisions. And I like to see that. Then came comments and questions from the floor.
"Me and my brother caught well I' say abouy 300 of them walleyes one day and not a coton pickin perch. We gotta kill off a bunch of them walleyes so they woun't eat all the perch".
And "My uncle John says they used to bring home sack of big jackfish 20 years ago. I notice now that there are only little jacks in the lake and hear other fishermen saying the same. We gotta catch and keep more of them pickeral so the other fish can get something to eat. And another think, I think the tag system is a cash grab"
And on and on. No science or proovable information.
Now there are people with real concerns and suggestions and the bio listened to them and agreed with some of what they said. He said he was awear of some of the problems and they were looking at all sides (The whole elephant).
Harvest of walleye is something that most people wanted to see. Well last year there was a draw and controlled harvest by permits. The number of people willing to get a permit and use it was far less than F&W had expected. So this year they have increased the number of fish a permit holder can keep and lengthened the season. It is the second year of a 2 year pilot project.
The Bio is using the draw-permits like a screw driver to "fine tune the system". At the meeting the organiser asked for a "motion" and seconder then had a show of hands "vote" TO ALLOW ANY ANGLER, WHO COULD LEGALLY FISH, TO KILL ONE WALLEYE PER DAY FOR THE OPEN WATER FISHING SEASON. They want to "fine tune the system" with a sledge hammer.
The government hires educated Bios to use science to manage our fisheries. There is a place for "public input and voicing concerns". It is important for gov't to listen to the public and dialoge with them at these types of meetings. However, the public can not be allowed to take hold of the steering wheel and drive the fisheries management of pigeon lake.
Robin in Rocky
Afterwards they were talking about the elephant and one who had felt the tail said "An elephant is like a long rope with a fuzzy bit on the end and it smells like crap" Another brother had been at the other end feeling the trunk and he said "Oh no an elephant is very thick and muscular and sniffs and makes odd noises and twists and moves a lot". The brother who had been touching the beasts ear said"I figured an elephant is very wide and flat and flaps around a lot". The last brother had bumped into a leg and had explored it up and down and all around. "An elephant" he said "is like a big thick tree trunk strong and tall".
{It was late when I posted this and I kind of left something out. The elephant story needs to be tied in. There were anglers there with knowledge and concern for perch. There were others who’s big issue was white-fish. Still others wanted to know how to bring back the pike. They each had a narrow focus on the fishery at Pigeon Lake. The fisheries Bio. was the only one who seemed to see the BIG PICTURE, the whole elephant.}
They were all partly right but they all had only an insight into part of what an elephant is.
And thats what I thought of the big meeting in Thorsby tonight. If Fisheries management at pigeon lake is like the elephant, most of the people there did not know much about it. They all had their ideas and viewpoints about it but each was only a bit relavent.
The fisheries Bio from Reddeer gave a pretty good powerpoint on what had been going on in pigeon for a number of years. I got the feeling that most of his scientific explanations went well over the heads of a lot of the audience. But to me he was showing that SCIENCE was the basis of his management decisions. And I like to see that. Then came comments and questions from the floor.
"Me and my brother caught well I' say abouy 300 of them walleyes one day and not a coton pickin perch. We gotta kill off a bunch of them walleyes so they woun't eat all the perch".
And "My uncle John says they used to bring home sack of big jackfish 20 years ago. I notice now that there are only little jacks in the lake and hear other fishermen saying the same. We gotta catch and keep more of them pickeral so the other fish can get something to eat. And another think, I think the tag system is a cash grab"
And on and on. No science or proovable information.
Now there are people with real concerns and suggestions and the bio listened to them and agreed with some of what they said. He said he was awear of some of the problems and they were looking at all sides (The whole elephant).
Harvest of walleye is something that most people wanted to see. Well last year there was a draw and controlled harvest by permits. The number of people willing to get a permit and use it was far less than F&W had expected. So this year they have increased the number of fish a permit holder can keep and lengthened the season. It is the second year of a 2 year pilot project.
The Bio is using the draw-permits like a screw driver to "fine tune the system". At the meeting the organiser asked for a "motion" and seconder then had a show of hands "vote" TO ALLOW ANY ANGLER, WHO COULD LEGALLY FISH, TO KILL ONE WALLEYE PER DAY FOR THE OPEN WATER FISHING SEASON. They want to "fine tune the system" with a sledge hammer.
The government hires educated Bios to use science to manage our fisheries. There is a place for "public input and voicing concerns". It is important for gov't to listen to the public and dialoge with them at these types of meetings. However, the public can not be allowed to take hold of the steering wheel and drive the fisheries management of pigeon lake.
Robin in Rocky
Pigeon