Fishing closures at Port Renfrew a mistake
As a young man in the 1960s, I worked in Port Renfrew for BC Forest Products. The town’s main economy was forestry, some commercial fishing and buying, and the Pacheedaht First Nations community.
When BC Forest Products shut down their operations, Port Renfrew turned into a near ghost town. Most of the houses were boarded up and the town was a very sad sight.
The town strove mightily to rethink itself and build a tourist industry: sports fishing, sightseeing and Mile 0 of the West Coast Trail.
A marina and campsite started in the old log sort as the word got out about the wonderful fishing. Another marina started behind the government wharf and Renfrew Hotel, and a new marina started down the waterfront from the hotel.
The boards came off of the windows of the houses in the townsite and it became a thriving community again. Now with one ill thought press release the government is trying to drive the community back to its knees!
This newest closure will gut Port Renfrew’s economy, force what few fishermen and fishing guides left to travel long distances up the coast, burning a lot more fuel into the environment as well as greatly increasing the chance for marine fatalities.
We are told in the press release that it is to save the resident killer whales from starving. We also read a lot of opposing science on the subject but very little science from the Department of Fisheries supporting this rash move.
One thing for sure; they will kill a thriving coastal community and a $26 million a year economy!
Imagine if the federal government took the billions of dollars they squandered on Arrive Can, firearms buy back, contractors creating government propaganda, a management payroll almost as large as the workers payroll, government MPs jetting all over the world, and now raises for MPs, and spent that money on building fish hatcheries and restocking our creeks and rivers!
We would have a coast teeming with fish, very happy fat whales and thriving communities up and down our coast. It seems like a no brainer.
John Money
Duncan