While I had other things to do this evening, seeing this thread and reading the proposed changes (along with the fact-sheet) made me quite angry. I hadn't realized that this survey was open yet - perhaps the email notification went into my junk mail
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I have attached my reply below. I am curious if any of you feel like I do regarding AEP as of late - that they do not listen to or care about the hunters and anglers of the province.
Further, I would like to know if any of you AO Forumites feel like I am off base in what I have written.
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It is no secret that the hunters, anglers, and back-country users of Alberta deal with a tough and changing situation in the province. The human population is still booming (despite unstable economic conditions) and the pressures on our rivers, streams, and public lands are unprecedented. While the socially and environmentally conscious members of our hunting and angling community are cognizant of this, they also recognize that legislation and further regulation may not be the best answer for a problem that requires a complex and multi-generational solution. The solution to this problem is not to simply close fishing, but it may include: a change in fishing and harvest regulations, a change to access regulations, environmental protection measures, environmental reclamation measures, and most importantly, education, public consultation, and stakeholder buy-in.
Conservation is a key principle for any member of our community. It is why we value the hunter education system, it is why we teach and mentor young people, and it is why we are willing to pay the increased cost of hunting and angling in this province. There is no other group in Alberta that puts financial resources into what they believe in like the outdoors-men and women of the province. The dollar for dollar figures are staggering when you examine what the members of our community are willing to pay for something like the cost of licensing alone. Further staggering is the mismanagement of these funds at the hands of AEP; essentially misleading the licensee with where the money goes (e.g. the livestock predation repayments taken from a portion of licensing profits).
It is admirable that AEP is considering doing anything regarding trout species in the Eastern Slopes, but again the approach is boorish and abrupt. This is the third poorly planned and rolled out initiative by AEP in recent memory (the first being the Caribou Management Plan and the second being the Bow River Access Plan). When will AEP realize that the best way to solve tough conservation issues is to work with the stakeholder and user groups from the outset and not against them? Immediately, when an angler that frequents these areas reads the proposed changes, they are put on the defensive (even objective and open-minded ones). Proposed changes like this automatically threaten the idea that AEP values the angler and further, values the right of the angler to access and recreate on public lands, the tradition of the pursuit of angling, and the responsibility of the angler to conserve Alberta’s wild places. It should be noted that these same rights, traditions, and responsibilities are taken very seriously by the anglers of the province.
While I am not a member of any fish and game or outdoor association it is undeniable the good that those type of organizations do for our provincial wildlife. Why isn't AEP trying to engage these type of organizations on this issue? Historically, as outdoors people in Alberta, we have seen the work they do and we all benefit from it (members or not). Whether it is the Raven River initiative (ACA, Trout Unlimited, AFGA, etc.) or public land preserved for public use by the ACA (e.g. the "Buck for Wildlife" program - admittedly, ran by the old Fish & Wildlife), the work they do is meaningful conservation aimed towards preservation and utilization by Alberta's people. It is absolutely crucial that AEP gets involved with these organizations; they have the ear of the users and can generate a powerful force for conservation, education, and meaningful action.
In summary, the anglers of the province expect more from AEP than this proposal and survey. There has to be a better solution; a solution rooted in science that also respects and protects the rights, traditions, and responsibilities of the anglers of the province. It is absolutely crucial that AEP solves this problem the right way as it will serve to set a precedent for future cases.
Whether it be harvest limits, controlling disease, or removing invasive species (e.g. carp), solutions must be arrived at through collaboration, consultation, and cooperation if they are meant to be impactful.