River Closures - Take Action!
 

Alberta closing popular trout rivers to anglers for five-year period without action on underlying threats

Feb. 20, 2018 - The Alberta provincial government is set to announce the closure of five of Alberta's trout fishing rivers despite lack a of stakeholder consultation, and no visible coordination among the government departments, in order to protect threatened native trout species.

“Native cutthroat and bull trout need action to ensure their survival – but instead of protecting rivers from the effects of poorly designed roads or logging practices, the government has decided to penalize anglers as a token of action,” says Jordan Pinkster of the Alberta Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA).

“It starts with the Ram, the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan rivers, but we fear that other rivers in Southern Alberta could be next.”

Presented as part of the overdue North Central Native Trout Recovery plan (NCNT) Alberta Environment and Parks models show minimal benefit to trout survival as a result of banning catch and release fishing, whereas the same models show the impacts of public roads, industrial disturbances and forestry as having a major effect on the survival of native trout species.

“While we support expanded protections – including restricting fishing methods and creating a classified waters system similar to British Columbia's – there is no indication the province is taking the real threats to native cutthroat and bull trout survival seriously,” says Pinkster.

“The problem has been left with Alberta Environment and Parks without any sign that Energy and Infrastructure, Agriculture and Forestry or Alberta Transportation are taking responsibility for their role in protecting the province's aquatic ecosystems.”

Consultations with the public took place in December but further planned meetings were never held. A survey only reached a small portion (0.4%) of Alberta anglers through Facebook, inexplicably ignoring the established email survey system used successfully every year to measure fishing and hunting success rates. If there was a real desire for angler feedback, the proven system would have been used.

“I disagree with the proposed closures as there is no publicly available baseline data to support them” says outdoor writer and photographer Duane Radford.

Carl Hunt, retired eastern slopes fisheries biologist, added “addressing hanging culverts, sedimentation causes, and restricting herbicide spraying are all easy fixes that would be far more meaningful towards an important environmental issue.”

The Alberta BHA urges the province to keep the Ram, Clearwater, Kakwa, Berland and North Saskatchewan rivers systems open to anglers, to re-open consultation with conservation groups and anglers, and lastly, to take real action on the underlying threats to Alberta's native trout species before it's too late, in the form of initiatives focused on long-term habitat quality and sustainability.

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And you can help us out by adding your name to our letter -
https://www.backcountryhunters.org/take_action#/34



For interviews and information: Jordan Pinkster (BHA Angling Committee Chair): 403-651-9126 Neil Keown (BHA Chapter Chair): 403-690-2351

Jim Stelfox (retired fish biologist): (403) 288-5270 Duane Radford (retired fisheries director of Alberta): (780) 487-4931 Carl Hunt (retired biologist): carlhunt@telus.net Dean Baayens: (403) 340-1972

For still images: Neil Keown (Chapter Chair): 403-690-2351 alberta@backcountryhunters.org

Backgrounder

The Alberta Backcountry Hunters and Anglers was founded to represent those hunters and anglers who spend their time recreating within the Alberta backcountry, and are concerned about the preservation of this habitat. Our members are, first and foremost, Albertans who are focused on protecting the wildlife habitat that all Albertans enjoy. The Alberta chapter is the fastest growing hunting and angling conservation group in Alberta, with a focus on habitat protection.

North Central Native Trout Recovery plan (NCNT) is part of the province's obligation to restore the native trout populations to sustainable levels. The department has chosen to take the approach of angling closures, with vague details on the other tenets of the plan, which should include habitat remediation, mitigation of sediment and phosphorous runoff, and suppression of non-native fish and other invasive species.

The plan was to also include stakeholder engagement, which has consisted of two open houses in Calgary and Edmonton, in late December, and a survey publicized through Facebook. No engagement activities were held in the communities most affected by the closures (Rocky Mountain House and Red Deer).

If stakeholder engagement was to be done to be inclusive of all those affected by the closures, there are 297,327 Alberta anglers in the AlbertaRELM database (as of 2016). The database tracks license purchases for anglers and hunters every year, issuing a series of harvest surveys that come with multiple reminders before the survey period closes. The information gives wildlife managers valuable information used to help determine the health of fish and wildlife across the province.

Alberta Environment and Parks and numerous independent fisheries biologists have determined the most critical impact on trout habitat is runoff from public roads, industrial disturbances, and forestry practices. If properly addressed, limiting these factors would have far greater success in recovering trout populations.

North Central Native Trout Recovery Details: http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/...y/default.aspx

So where were they when they shut Castle down?

I believe BHA was a supporter of that?

Except they didn’t shut down the Castle!!

Shannon Phillips NEEDS to go.

If you have been reading at all, they are reviewing ATV usuage provincially. The helmet law was the begining.

Don't be suprised if the new ATV mandates mean ATV's on approved trails only.

Sure sucks when the government wants to shut down something you enjoy doing in the backcountry, eh?

It's ALL shannon phillips.

If she had her way no one would be allowed to leave pavement or the established cities. All back country would be closed except provincial parks and she would make a lot more crown land provincial park so she has more control over that former crown land.

My vote in the next election will go to whomever will boot her out.

:snapoutofit:

Alberta Environmental Protection is using the shotgun approach towards disengaging recreational users. BHA are fighting it on this front, so I am with them.

Dean

BHA only support hunting and fishing in the backcountry as long as it is done the way they agree with. Y2Y comes to mind but most outdoorsmen are to complacent to do any research into what Y2Y “really” stands for.

BHA support Shannon Phillips, they think she’s great!

I will never support them. Change the BOD completely and I might look at it again. I will never support an organization that has anything to do with KVT.

I posted this a while ago in the fishing forum and no one seemed to care. The NDP government will never take away hunting and fishing in Alberta is the mentality. Well everyone better take notice to what is happening!

For me, I try to see past the differences in outdoorspeople and look towards what we have in common. I expect every single one of the people on this forum like to fish and/or hunt and if we don't start gravitating towards our commonalities we are going to continue to lose angling and hunting opportunities. We need to start to act towards protecting our passions. This is one way to do that... takes all of 5 minutes. If you took my fish identification test that "was" up on the AEP website that took 1000's of volunteer hours to acquire the photos - dragging my buddies along to target 12" lakers, 6" rainbows and 10" whitefish, but it gave a complete picture and helped people identify their catch properly. I'm asking for 5 minutes, guys. Doesn't matter who the group is... BHA... AFGA... it matters that we make a statement.

As a angler for over 60 years, I watched the fishing deteroriate. The Govt's response was to reduce my impact by reducing my limit.
This of course ignored all other users that grew over time while the number of enforcement people diminished.
We all have an impact. If we wish to retain our opportunities to enjoy wildlife, many of the activities today must change.
I've already been targeted for 60 years, how about others consider thier impact and resolve to change.
Plus. I have known many of the biologists for years. Thier opinion I trust. If they disagree with the plan. that is good enough for me.
Something must be done about our native fish.
The question must remain, is this the best action. DOING WHAT HASN'T WORKED FOR THE PAST 60 YEARS AGAIN!


Don

C & R in all moving water.
INCREASE license fees for non- residents by a HUGE amount. After B.C. closes their season we are polluted with B.C. license plates along the streams.
Open a tag system for large bull trout.
More enforcement on current regulations. And larger fines.
Don't listen to BHA!!!
JMHO.

This is the same situation as ATV users.... WE NEED MORE ENFORCEMENT. As well as the ATV issue, if you look at the damage done by industry compared to recreational users, there is no comparison. NDP are turning a blind eye to the real causes and are pushing their agenda by picking off one group in one area at time so there is no mass revolt.

So in your opinion there are no habitat-related concerns and everything can be fixed through licensing and licensing regulations?

Closed waters
 

In my opinion closing any water , is not going to help anything. Other than putting more pressure on the water that remains open. A knee jerk reaction, does not provide a solution to the problem. There needs to be more consultation, between biologists, and users, to come up with a more reasonable path, to follow. In the old days we used to have creek closures on alternate years. I would rather see this than complete closures of any water.
Like somebody above mentioned, non resident users, need to pay more.
We could have a classified waters fee, where fees collected from non residents go directly to help funding habitat projects on rivers, and streams needing help.
Limited rod days for non resident guides, on a user fee system. There are a ton of issues that could help way more than shutting down residents to any water in
Alberta. If they get away with this all water will be shut down soon. We need to send a strong message to Shannon Phillips, that this may be the last term she serves in this province. The govt. needs to show scientific data, or evidence that this is the best course to follow.
We are still waiting for that data on the grizzly situation, and we all know that is not going to turn around anytime soon.
Let our voices be heard, or we risk losing, one of our most passionate pass times

you can almost hear the knife stab in the back of the BHA president.

but shannon,,,,,, i thought we were on the same page,,,,,,,

"We need to send a strong message to Shannon Phillips, that this may be the last term she serves in this province. The govt. needs to show scientific data, or evidence that this is the best course to follow. We are still waiting for that data on the grizzly situation, and we all know that is not going to turn around anytime soon. Let our voices be heard, or we risk losing, one of our most passionate pass times"

wow. this could have been an exact quote from those who opposed the castle changes a year ago.

not saying you didn't oppose those changes, but eerie how this proposed change affects a "possible" different group of outdoorsmen, but creates the same response.

It just goes to show that if you don't fight for one group, don't expect them to fight for you.

Because at this point I could care less if they shut rivers down. I don't fish.

More banning, lol.

Shannon loves people like you.

I think he was being sarcastic, read one of the banning ATV threads.

Trust me. She probably doesn't.

I do understand why outdoorsman get pizzzed off when they get there pastimes curtailed.

Kinda sucks.

all those that supported the castle changes last year, and just got burnt by Shannon this year, is kinda a case of what goes around comes around.

Yellowstone to Yukon
 

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers wont be happy until their vision of the US based idea of a Y2Y park has been realized and all motorized trails, ATV use, and random camping has been closed down.

They falsely represent themselves to government as speaking for large numbers of hunters and anglers.

These guys are not the outdoorsmans friend.

Kevin Van Tighem says" This story might be controversial for some of the easily-inflamed radical land-rippers out there but it simply states what needs to be stated. And from the government response, it looks like this could turn out to be a successful ABHA effort to protect angler access while forcing the habitat issues that are most urgent."

What is ironic is that I was parked in front of her office today.

I would love the opportunity to converse with her.

Funny. Shoe on the other foot.

She has probably been watching you all last year.

Closure
 

I know he was.
So was I

The Castle is my back yard. Although I don’t quad in the Castle or any other area. I don’t support a total banning of quads as I know how passionate a lot of people are about it. I know the quad skwad in the Pass has done a lot of good work in our area. How ever I do support regulated quadding. Fishing , hunting, trapping, and a lot of other activities could not survive without being regulated, by season, and quotas, and other regs.. I think this is a large part of why a small percentage of quadders have given the larger percentage a bad rap.Quadding needs some regulations on trails, and access, rather than just have total free rein.
Sorry for the derail, but like it or not if user groups of all kind don’t support each other, then we are playing right into Queen Phillips hand.
Divide and conquor

I agree, was a spear hunter.

And for that same reason I will do the same as I did with the castle changes. Have your voice heard. I'm not a river fisher either, but here is the hit list. A written letter attached to the an email to the following:

R. Notley
S. Phillips
J. Kenny, leader of the opposition
?????? Shadow environment opposition minister
YOUR MLA. Has to be your constancy or it will go nowhere

Sounds like they are backing down!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...plan-1.4546810