I've been on the email chain on this one, and here's some discussion:

From Babine Northlakes Lodge:

I been confronted with a number of rumours flying around about what is or is not going to happen with the new package of AMP's...bottom line for me is the hope that real, not perceived, crowding and illegal guiding issues are addressed through the AMP working group, the regional QWS board, the provincial QWS board, Al Martin and ultimately the BC cabinet.....this is our process....from a guide's perspective, the problems of un-capped angler usage in the category of non Canadian must be addressed through good ideas and perhaps pilot projects....we need to try and get it right but we don't need to propose ideas that are not fair and reasonable....after all these years since 1990, is it fair and reasonable to propose some sort of restriction on non Canadians? I think yes but the devil is in the details and which rivers to include, etc. If we can't deliver on improving the crowding and illegal guiding issues, then we fail at QWS. It remains to be seen if government is truly committed to solving those issues with our help....meaning will we all implement, monitor and enforce any "tool box" ideas that are laid out in the QWS? In the past price has been used as the only tool and I think we all can agree that raising rod day fees and angling licences is not the answer this time. So I think government is really in a challenged situation where they had better be able to deliver a service to its clients that includes a much more serious and improved investment in truly managing our premier Skeena steelhead rivers, etc.

On another matter not in the mandate of the QWS, if we don't have a adequate supply of fish and habitat, we won't need to worry about crowding and illegal guiding since there will be very few anglers visiting our watershed. For the Skeena watershed and government's resolve if any there must be a two pronged strategy of managing angler usage and managing the fish/habitat supply.

The last and very important piece of the entire stewardship puzzle is to look after the marine environment and I mean change the status quo of fish farms and any other marine ecosystem degradation that is seriously harming the salmon, steelhead, whales, etc. Just think how ridiculous it would be to be considering a new package of AMP's for the Broughton Archipelago in the face of the fish farms and current crisis with salmon and steelhead?


In response to the previous letter:

You laid out the issues clearly. Nailed it. The issue of non-guided non residents is important, and complex. One complication is that if you simply start making restrictions on a river by river basis, it will simply force anglers off one river, and on to others . Right now, I seldom fish the Copper or Kispiox because of crowding. Damned if I want to compete, as a local angler, with hundreds of additional non resident anglers in the few places left that aren't crowded if they are forced off the Babine, Kispiox, Bulkely, etc. I'm sure you've already thought of this issue though. Good luck.


I've always been conflicted in regard to imposing restrictions on non residents because of my relationships with a few fishermen who have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Skeena conservation, and simply don't like fishing at lodges, or with guides. To now tell them they can't fish would be a pretty hard. I hope you find ways to deal with that problem creatively. And for every case like that there are dozens, hundreds of other non residents who know what a bargain they are getting, but contribute little if anything to Skeena conservation.




And your absolutely right in regard to the habitat issues, both inland and oceanic. For instance, if a 287Kva powerline gets built into the Headwaters we may be hooped as numerous acid generating mines, or other developments, become economically viable, and the upper rivers get roaded. Same with Coal Bed methane and pipelines down the Skeena to the Tar Sands (which means hundreds of tankers transiting our coast every year). There is a complete absence of process or consultation with local communities and their interests on the cumulative impacts of these projects to salmon, and our communities and cultures. Right now government thinks that their is overwhelming support for any and all development that is proposed, from fish farms to mines, to privatizing our rivers with IPP's, because local chambers of commerce and Economic Development agencies tout themselves as representative of all our communities values. If I wanted to live in a completely industrialized landscape, I would move there. I'm not against all development, support Galore for instance, but there has to be a more rational process in place for determining our futures, other than "BC is open for business" .


In regard to illegal guiding. This is a law enforcement issue. It won't be fixed by policy changes. The limited successes in controlling illegal guiding are very clear - someone gets busted. The best busts have been stings. Stings take cooperation from anglers, and resources. I would suggest the guides can raise money from their legal clients, and local anglers could also raise money, to dramatically increase the amount of stings the province attempts. Actively running stings is expensive, and we need to either put political pressure on government to allocate resources to provide the CO's with the tools to do their job effectively, or simply pay for it ourselves. As for the little, less obvious chisel charters, and we know who they are, the answer is simple - get caught and thats the last time you will ever fish the Skeena, period. This would take government cooperation also, maybe new regs or laws, but we could make that happen if we put our minds to it. But it will never happen within current processes with bureaucrats -- this is a political issue, and should be dealt with as such. I'm too old to rely on bureaucrats to fix this, if its going to get fixed, we're the ones who will force that. Sit down with Gordo and get his commitment to fix this damn issue for well and good. If we can send folks to the moon, we can certainly keep crooks and cheats off our rivers if we set our minds to it.


So I have a suggestion. I think the guides should convene a watershed conference on these issues, including illegal guiding and the habitat issues you've identified. Put the heat on government to deal with these issues up front and honestly. Yell loud, yell often, in public, and let the government know there will be consequences if they don't listen. They are counting on keeping your riding in their camp, threaten that and you will be taken seriously.


As a full time professional conservationist trying to protect these habitats I can say this for sure - if anyone is relying on the BC environmental movement to protect the Skeena, they are being too hopeful. There's not many of us, and the forces we face are enormous. I urge you to both continue with the processes you have invested so much effort with, but to also consider working outside of government processes, which is often far more effective than working within processes that are often intended to impede change or reform, not foster it. By convening a watershed conversation on these issues, maybe in colloboration with local conservationists and FN's, you will bring more pressure to bear in regard to these issues then you ever will lobbying bureaucrats. And we definitely need to continue pressuring government to implement a full moratorium on the expansion of fish farms on the north coast. We have been succesful stopping them so far, but until this is a policy, we are in danger. Lets take it over the top and get er done.


It is looking like the old Skeena Watershed Committee, in some iteration that isn't clear yet, may be resurrecting itself. This could be a powerful process in regard to getting fish in the river. And possibly, in the future, be a resource for dealing with some of these other issues.


Thanks for sending out your message. Good luck.

More thoughts:

Thank you for forwarding these emails. I believe from reading them
there is a concerted effort by the outfitters (stakeholders) to change
the existing regulations. Given the vagueness of weather conditions, I
could not pick with certainty eight days for one particular river. In
my own thirty-five year history on B.C's steelhead waters, I have seen
the rivers go out for three weeks at a time. I have always fished on my
own but now I also fish with outfitters. I can see some of the
outfitter's points of view, but I believe that a river without a
constituency of concerned anglers or a very small one (sports who go to
lodges) will be doomed by all the evils of big government and
environment depleting industry that Pierce Clegg writes about. These are
the important issues.
I believe Lee Wulff had it right: "a river without friends is a
river doomed to oblivion" If overcrowding is a problem, and I highly
doubt that on the wilderness rivers like the Babine, with its razor
sharp bedrock in the upper end or the long flight into the Sustut then I
suggest BC follow what the Quebec Gaspe' zec does wherein
do-it-your-selfers and outfitters go through a lottery system for prime
water with some public water always open. Interestingly, these Atlantic
Salmon public open waters are very good and under-fished!
I think the critical issue is the same one we have in the U.S. Do
outfitters and guides have a right to unfettered livelihoods on
publicly owned resources. Every year, I see more hunting and fishing
outfitters at the public trough. Thirty years ago there were no
outfitters in the Coronado National Forrest hunting Mearns quail with
their clients, now these areas are overrun, and the attitude is they
have a god given right to be there. The "tragedy of the commons" can
happen from all quarters. I think the Canadians will have to decide
these issues for themselves, but I fear they will move towards
exclusiveness for a few. I would send my comments to all concerned, but
I am technically illiterate to do so.
All the best,


And a spammin river report sent in today:

Be My Steelhead Valentine: Spring 2008 Introduction


Attached is a pic of a 44 inch Steelhead taken near a small tributary of the Skeena. Monster Steelhead like this one and others will be lurking the waters this April and May. Have you dreamed of this Steelhead, we ll, avid fly angler and tyer, Kevin Kelly need not to dream any longer as he is snuggled up with this hog.

The day this Steelhead took his swung leech he chased it downstream with some excitement at the same time asking his partner to give him a hand, but to no avail, he wanted a take of his own, and what would you know he got it! Yes a double-header! Kevin fishes all his lines sub-surface with very little sink tip. And with pics like this one, I think I might as well.

Many years ago, Mr. Kelly and I lived together for a winter in Terrace. I, an avid curler spent my winter at the rink, his was on the Skeena. I often wondered what drew a person to enter frigid winter conditions in search of Steelhead, coming home at dark with nothing but a smile and no bites. Kevin did this many days I lived with him, some days were better than others, most days brought no fish to the fly.

Little did I know that this search for My Kiss was something that poured into my veins so deep. I now appreciate the wonderment of Steelheading and what Mr. Kelly made me realize, while sitting in front of the fireplace, tying flies for the next day in search of a big Skeena Steelhead.

Many years have passed since that winter and now a visitor to Skeena 2-3 times a year Mr. Kelly still fishes his favorite pools of the Skeena producing some monsters.

Skeena country will be under a microscope this year and next, all to analyze the Steelhead streams first, all for the betterment of the fishery and the quality of the angling for local and all angler interests. In a nutshell, angler crowding is snowballing and the Provincial Government will be making a positive change implementing the process by 2010. This will make a few user groups unhappy but I am sure after the dust settles it will be a process that will be the savior to our wild Steelhead Rivers.

As well all governments have gone to Electronic Licensing for Freshwater and Saltwater licenses. So we encourage all anglers to purchase their licenses before arrival.

For our repeat clients and the new fishermen for 2008 we look for forward to seeing you this spring and throughout the 2008 season as it s going to be another great year!

Tracey John Hittel
Kitimat BC Canada


I'm in the early processes of my letter, a number of us have been asked by the folks we stay with to write letters to give the other side ... not that the BC Gov. will likely care what we have to say, but as letters get around, perhaps a few of the businesses that rely upon our visits will realize that tough times will just get tougher.

Personally, I leave several thousand dollars in the area each fall ... often times I fish very little due to conditions, but we hang out and play golf and and shop and all that other money-dropping stuff while we wait for the rivers to come around somewhere. If I'm limited to eight days on each river ... and one blows bad, I'm gone from that area ... and my $$$ goes to.

Heck, we've always wanted to go to Jasper, so my $$$ will leave the province.

"Crowding" is a little different than what most US anglers are used to. I've often fished for a full day without seeing anyone but the old farts I fish with with ... or maybe one of the board guys passing through. The numbers show participation is WAY down ...

Why??? "Cuz they're letting the fish go to hell, not the fishery, the fish ... between the nets at the mouth and habitat issues, it's bad news in recent years. Eliminating the visiting anglers will not solve the system's woes.

Illegal guiding is a big issue many say ... I've been accused of it for many years. I guess the local guides can't fathom the fact that a guide likes to fish on his vacation. They seem to forget that the old faces I'm fishing with have, in many cases, been on the river far longer than they have.

Even with all the finger pointing on that end, I've never been asked by enforcement about my doings ... ask away, but obviously, someone is dropping the ball there if the gov't cares and is supposed to be investigating the issue.

In the end, all this is going to do is keep people moving around more. Eight days on this river, then eight on that one, then eight on another.

From my personal observation and knowing people's attiudes that are there for some time, it will actually probably increase days fished because if someone only has x days on the river, he's gonna fish all he can in those x days. When someone camps in an area for a bit and there is no timeframe, they're going to be more selective in the days they fish ... oh too cold today, I wait 'til tomorrow, too wet ...

15 falls up there ... I know how the masses operate

Can't say I've ever seen one of these big European camps referred to ... perhaps in some of the other mentioned streams that I don't fish, they''re an issue?

Lovely, a third political venue to become insane over, to at least some degree