With the recent decision on wildlife allocations we, as hunters and anglers are learning a few things:
- Money talks. GOABC has been busy funding the liberal party and it has paid huge dividends for them. They have been able to manipulate elected officials to increase their share of wildlife over not only the last couple months, but that last few years.
- Elected officials will not represent your best interests. They will give away your ability to hunt and fish for a few party dollars. They will turn a blind eye to fish, wildlife and habitat management as well as populations in decline. Moose populations are in the gutter in Regions 5, and 7a. Mule deer are down in many parts. Wild sheep populations are being killed off by domestic sheep. Caribou populations across all of BC are wayyyyyyyy down. Steelhead in the Thompson are in abysmal shape as they are on Vancouver Island. We have issues with salmon that have never been tackled or nobody is even talking about. Government has not done a thing to help that out and won’t until hunters and anglers get active.
- We are not being heard; our voice is not being listened to by government. They do not care about what hunters and anglers have to say.
The funny thing is you and your family has the ability to control the outcome of the provincial election. There are more than enough hunters and anglers in BC to go out and absolutely control what happens in BC. This ‘power’ gives you the ability to dictate what hunters and anglers want to see in terms of management and allocation.
Moving forward there are a few things that MUST HAPPEN.
- Resident hunters and anglers need to start electing people who represent them. That means asking candidates if they will support them unequivocally before the next provincial election.
- That means getting involved in your local political party.
- That means supporting people who support you and if you want, slamming the people who don’t support you.
- Resident hunters and anglers need to start writting their MLAs every time they read/hear/talk about something.
- Every time you are worried about fish/wildlife populations or allocations pick up a paper and write the opposition party leaders, the Minister and the Premier.
- Resident hunters and anglers need to tell all of their non-hunting friends and families.
- Resident hunters and anglers need to write letters to the editor regularly.
- Resident hunters and anglers need to start kicking some @ss.
Summing it up, not only are fish and wildlife populations being mismanaged and allowed to slip in decline, so if our access and share of these shrinking pies.
If this continues our kids and grandkids will have a hunting and fishing experience that is a shadow of what we have all experienced.
