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Clearing the way for trophy fish

Whistler Angling Club hopes to work with new Freshwater Fishing Society Getting out of the management of freshwater fisheries may be the best thing that the provincial government has ever done for fishing says Tom Cole, a director and long-time membe

Whistler Angling Club hopes to work with new Freshwater Fishing Society

Getting out of the management of freshwater fisheries may be the best thing that the provincial government has ever done for fishing says Tom Cole, a director and long-time member of the Whistler Angling Club.

With cutbacks in funding and the cancellation of programs at all levels of government, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. was founded in the fall of 2003 to deliver all of the services that were formerly provided by the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection’s Fish Culture Division (Provincial Hatcheries). The FFS now receives funding from the Ministry and the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, as well as all the angling license fees collected in the province with a directive to put all of that money back into freshwater sport fishing.

To the Whistler Angling Club, and countless other organizations like it in B.C., it means that anglers, the stewards and volunteers that donate thousands of hours to protecting their fisheries, are finally in charge of the future of freshwater fishing in the province.

"What’s happened is that the government has pawned off all fisheries aspects, saying let’s get the freshwater fishing community and sportsmen involved, and what that has done is expand the opportunities for different programs here," said Cole.

"In the past the government worked to maintain stocks and habitat, which were already quite depleted compared to the past, but there really wasn’t a focus on really developing fisheries, and building them up to where they used to be, and where there were viable fisheries.

"Now, with (the FSS) we have a dedicated small lakes guy for the province who seems genuinely interested in the Whistler area, and who wants to know what the FFS can do to make things better."

Although the quality of fisheries in the Whistler area pales in comparison to other regions of the province, visitors to Whistler generate a lot of revenue for the FFS through licensing fees, says Cole.

The newly formed FFS is now looking to reinvest some of that revenue back into Whistler’s fisheries to put the town back on the map for trophy fisherman. In return, they expect to raise even more money through licensing fees that they can use for other projects.

As well as stocking programs that add about nine million fish to more than 1,000 lakes and streams each year, the FFS provides conservation fish culture services, scientific assessments of waterways and fish stocks, public education programs and funding for habitat enhancement projects. Two of the biggest programs were created to preserve endangered Steelhead and White Sturgeon species.

It’s estimated that about 400,000 licensed anglers spend $400-$500 million annually on freshwater fishing each year, with about one half of anglers fishing in stocked areas.

Cole says the Whistler Angling Club already has some projects in mind where the FFS can help to improve angling.

The first is a project to bring the Showh Lakes in the Soo Valley back up to trophy fishing status through a fertilization project that increases the size of the fish by increasing the level of nutrients. According to Cole, the coastal lakes tend to flush and replenish their water supplies quickly as a result of spring melts and the rain. In turn this washes away many of the nutrients that feed the insects that ultimately feed the fish.

In the project is successful then fishing guides could charge anglers additional fees to cover the cost of fertilization in the future.

"It’s a way to turn 10-inch fish into 16-inch fish in a short period of time," said Cole.

Another project in the works is the creation of a stocked casting pond near Whistler Village where newcomers to the sport can come and learn to fly fish with experts. Cole says this project would likely pay for itself, while generating more revenues for the FFS and Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Group through user fees and additional fishing licenses.

"We have to get more people into the sport, and more women into the sport specifically," said Cole. "If we give people a convenient place to go that’s close to the village for a two-hour clinic, they’re more likely to get hooked and go out and get a licence."

Before Whistler became a ski resort town it was a fishing resort, Cole frequently reminds people. Over the years fishing stocks deteriorated as a result of development and overfishing to the point where you were lucky if you caught a 10-inch fish in Alta Lake. Thanks to the work of volunteers and organizations like the Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Group, the water quality has improved, spawning runs have been restored and the fish are coming back.

"We done a lot of work to diversify fishing and habitat over time, now we’re talking about going the next step to enhance or augment the fisheries we have," said Cole.

"We have all the tools to really go forward with this. People are pulling 24-inch fish out of Alta Lake right now, which is something nobody ever thought they would see again. It’s been a long time since anybody has been able to do that."

A four year old ministry program to stock Alta Lake with sterilized Cutthroat trout has been incredibly successful. The Cutthroat are feeding on a species of stickleback fish that is not considered native to local lakes, and that compete with Rainbow trout for food sources. Now there are signs that the Rainbow trout are making a comeback, with fish over 20 inches caught last summer. At the same time the thousands of Cutthroat that were introduced are providing anglers with a challenge.

Another program that the Whistler Angling Club would like to continue is the annual father’s day fishing derby, which Cole sees as another good source of fundraising for the FFS.

Cole would also like to see the creation of a Whistler Angling Club Web site to keep locals and visitors up to date on current regulations and restrictions. "It’s something we could link to the museum Web site to show the whole history of fishing in the valley, which is something I don’t think a lot of people know," said Cole.

Another project the club is hoping to enlist the FFS’s co-operation with is to study the flow of water into Alta Lake. Some of the water was diverted about 15 years ago, says Cole, and there is talk about either reintroducing the water back into the lake or creating a spawning channel in a protected area to give the fish more options on a waterway that is free of development pressures.

"The FFS has the resources to really come in and tell us what we should do and how to do it," said Cole.

The Whistler Angling Club is hosting it’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, April 13 in the Public Works Yard from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to set the spring schedule.

For more information contact Cole at 604-932-3076 or Ian Fairweather at 604-932-6060.