Net fishing by HTA members is depleting Sylvia Grinnell fish

It has been with much amusement that we have all watched the Iqaluit Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association make an ass out of themselves once again by incorporating a “prisoner take all” approach to another wildlife management issue.

First it was assignment rights and now it’s the Sylvia Grinnel River fish stock issue. Ban everything from kayaks to boats to sports fishing they cry!

To declare that the entire river system must be closed to everything and everyone in order to achieve the conservation of fish stocks is completely asinine.

First of all, what possible effect could a kayak, being paddled quietly along the river and down rapids, have on fish habitat or behaviour? What effect does a tourism jet-boat, which operates on the river for a few weeks when the water levels are high enough, have on fish habitat or behaviour?

The fact is there’s simply no empirical evidence (traditional or otherwise) that exists to support their arguments. Remember also, in early to mid-summer, fish are not spawning, but feeding, and when they do spawn, they’re definitely not spawning at the mouth of the Sylvia Grinnel River, but up-river in late summer or early fall, where nobody is there to bother them.

It has been suggested that Sylvia Grinnell is a subsistence river and not a recreational river. Oh?

If that’s true, then why on earth is there a territorial park established on the river, which draws both tourists and local people for recreational activities every summer? Surely someone was having a brain cramp when they made that statement.

So what is the real issue of conservation and how do we achieve the desired replenishment of our fish stocks?

Obviously, the only major concern and focus should be solely on the actual catching of fish. What effect does sport fishing have on the population of the fish stock in Sylvia Grinnel? In reality, very little, as the numbers of fish actually caught on fishing rods are completely negligible compared to what local hunters are catching in their fishing nets.

Ah, but herein lies the real problem. Nets.

Several years ago, the HTA board talked about banning fishing with nets, but were strongly opposed by their membership. The fact is, there are many members, including board members, who have two to three nets set out all summer long at the mouth of the Sylvia Grinnel River.

It is the nets that have continued to deplete the fish stock on Sylvia Grinnell River over the years, despite the knowledge that it was commercial netting activities that did the damage in the first place. HTA members, who continue to whine and cry about having to have access to these diminishing stocks with nets, are thinking only of themselves and not the future generations who have every right to this resource as they do.

What is there not to understand about this conservation issue? Either ban the use of nets for the next five to 10 years and watch the stocks rebound, or don’t ban the nets and we’ll be discussing this issue for another 10 to 20 years while the fish stocks near total depletion.

It’s not rocket science, folks.

Local Hunter
(Name withheld by request)
Iqaluit