DFO vs. Hope

This year’s ZMAC meeting (That’s DFO-speak for Zone Management Advisory Committee) is scheduled for Wednesday, May 26th, 2010, 10:30 AM, at the St. Mary's River Association Education and Interpretive Centre, 8404 Hwy 7,  Sherbrooke, NS. At this meeting the 2010 Atlantic salmon angling season for the St. Mary’s River will be discussed, along with DFO’s science presentation, management considerations, and resolutions from the public.

Historically this annual gathering has had poor attendance, made up of the same old faces (mine included), hearing the same old sad song without any recovery strategy, just a DFO excuse for public consultation. Yet, thinking back, I can never recall our sad old faces providing any truly meaningful input, despite the opportunity for formulation of resolutions to DFO by anyone concerned with the fishery and its implications for our rural economy. We’ve been content to accept a short live-release salmon angling season that contributes little economic benefit with no improvement in sight while being blinded by studies, studies, and more studies.

This year I hope to see many new faces - those of Aboriginal fishers as well as sport fishers, all determined to resolve our differences, work together, and demand a sport fishing season this year, as well as a practical Atlantic salmon recovery plan, from DFO. I hope to see the faces of small business owners as well, concerned that salmon fishing generates only $30,000 annually to Guysborough County’s economy compared to over $2 million in nearby Inverness County. I hope to see our friends from NS Inland Fisheries Division, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and the Nova Scotia Salmon Association. I hope to see coverage of the meeting’s highlights by the media, and I hope to see our local MLA in attendance. And because this issue concerns all of us, I hope to see you, too.

Hope is something that many of us have lost, given the dismal leadership shown by DFO and others. Yet, we have all the ingredients for success in Guysborough County – plenty of unpolluted lakes and streams, our prized Atlantic salmon, sea-run and resident speckled trout and brown trout, ingredients that are the envy of the rest of the sport fishing world. It’s all right here, under our noses! What is needed is a new attitude - to restore hope, protect and improve what we have, all to the betterment of our rural society and economy. The strategy is green, non-polluting, and healthy too!

Meanwhile, the early mayfly hatch is nearly over and anglers are full of hope awaiting the arrival of fresh sea-run speckled and brown trout. Here’s a small but hopeful sea-trout streamer by Nova Scotia’s fly wizard Jim McCoul:

Nightfall

Thread:                       UTC G.S.P. 50 Denier black thread

Hook:                          Mustad 9671 or 9672 streamer hook, size 4 – 10.

Tail:                             Red hen hackle fibers

Body:                          Silver Flatbraid

Hackle:                       Red hen hackle fibers

Wing:                          Black calftail over white calftail over 6 – 8 strands of pearl Krystal Flash

Head:                         Black thread finished with glossy head cement

Please stay on the line …