Province divided on need for bear hunt ban

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British Columbia announced a three-year moratorium on grizzly bear hunting Feb. 8 that puts conservationists and hunters on opposite sides of the fence, pits urban dweller against rural, and splits Aboriginal opinion on both sides of the question.

The province plans to conduct a scientific study of grizzly bear populations to determine accurate numbers and whether or not the species is at risk as some claim. Current estimates vary between 4,000 and more than 13,000 grizzly bears in British Columbia.

A joint release from the premier's office and the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks says because of "the diversity of expert opinion on grizzly populations, we believe conservation requires us to declare a three-year moratorium on grizzly bear hunting."

Environment, Lands and Parks Minister Ian Waddell said because British Columbia has 25 per cent of all grizzlies in the world, "we want to make sure they thrive here."

In Treaty 8, the Tahltan Joint Councils based in Dease Lake sent Premier Ujjal Dosanjh a letter the day of the announcement. They wrote the province's proposal to ban the hunt was 'very disturbing' and 'contrary to every discussion we have had with your government on this issue.'

Doig First Nation Chief Kelvin Davis said his community of 230 people near Fort St. John is opposed to the ban and said that as members of Treaty 8 they were going to exercise their treaty rights.

"I think they can?t ban grizzly bear, because they're contradicting their treaty with us," said Davis. "Canada is contradicting their treaty with us as First Nation people. Therefore it should not affect us because I don't think the province has any kind of jurisdiction to put that plan into effect without consultation with us as Native people first."

Doig River First Nation has yet to bring the matter to the attention of the federal government.

"It's our livelihood [the province is] imposing on," said Davis. Under Treaty 8, "there is no limitation to the wildlife that we can harvest, but we know that we can harvest the minimum that we need.

"I don't believe grizzly bear is threatened. I think their numbers have increased for the past few years." He said no one in his area has hunted the bear, because they felt their numbers were low, but they have seen bears in places they didn't use to inhabit, an indication the numbers are increasing.

Davis said his people don't commercialize the hunt, but use grizzlies for medicine purposes and food. He estimates that within a 20-mile radius in his region, there are likely to be three to five bears.

The Tahltan pointed out to the premier that in recent talks Natives had made it clear they supported the hunt for traditional purposes and as a good wildlife management practice. They say their position should have been brought by the province to the Northern Nation Summit and the Northern Wildlife Technical Committee, but was not.

The Tahltan council insists, however, its right to hunt under the current Wildlife Act remains unless there are 'critical conservation concerns based on sound biological data.' The council's view is that because no reliable count of the bears has been done, there is no evidence the species is at risk.

Further, according to the Tahltan's designated spokesman Brad Nothstein, outfitters and guides in the region say the bears are plentiful and that their businesses are being dealt an unfair blow by a politically based, not a conservation-based decision.

The Guide Outfitting Association of B.C. and the British Columbia Wildlife Federation also opposed the ban. So did the provincial Liberal party, which is expected to win the imminent election.

Supporters of Dosanjh's ban on the hunt include groups such as the international Environmental Investigation Agency and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

"There is no scientific consensus on the number of grizzly bears in British Columbia," said Rick Smith, the national direct of IFAW. "So we and the other 70 organizations that are members of the B.C. Coalition for Grizzly Conservation think a three-year moratorium makes sense. A break from hunting makes sense, while scientists try to work out how many grizzlies are in fact in the province. So we're pleased to be a member of that coalition with other conservation groups, many First Nations and with eco-tourism companies."

Nothstein said, however, that with a provincial election about to be called, the government is more concerned with satisfying the green vote in southern British Columbia and offshore objectors to the hunt than it is with wildlife conservation.

The Nisga'a Lisims government, based in New Aiyansh, initially stated it was opposed to the ban and that the Nisga'a would assert their treaty rights. Then it appeared to change its mind.

"In our treaty, we put conservation first and foremost when we're dealing with renewable resources . . . when I read and further analyzed the press release that was issued and noted that conservation entered the picture, I had to give some second thought to the positions that were initially put forward by one of my colleagues, and indicated very clearly to the province that we will abide by the requirements as indicated in the moratorium," said Nisga'a Tribal Council President Joseph Gosnell.

"We did not reverse our position; we have to clarify things with our treaty. The treaty gives guidance to whatever we do, regardless of what the issue may be."

Gosnell said that during treaty talks, the grizzly bear was identified as one of the designated species that the four Nisga'a communities can harvest in the Nass Wildlife Area. But their share of the total allowable harvest - 40 per cent - is only two bears per year "or as the numbers indicate."

"Two isn't very much for the number of people we have in our nation," Gosnell said, adding "when it comes to the issue of conservation, I won?t argue."

As for the position of some northern ans that disagree with the Nisga'a decision, Gosnell said, "I think they base their position on what they believe to be a number that falls short of a conservation concern, and I can understand that. Quite frankly, I am not convinced, and my colleagues are not convinced, that there is a conservation concern in the Nass Wildlife Area." The Nisga'a leader said that in the summer he takes his grandchildren for a ride to see the grizzlies and on any occasion 15 to 25 inhabit just the local dump at New Aiyansh.

"However," he said, "to alleviate any fears or concerns that the general public may have, especially the anti-hunting groups, I would have to go along with a scientific study being done. It should lay the issue to rest once and for all, not only in our area, but throughout British Columbia. It's the people that don?t know how to hunt and haven't been out on the bush that are raising the concern."

Gosnell said the province has yet to say how it would implement the moratorium.

"Prior to any new government resolutions being put into place or enacting resolutions that would significantly affect the wildlife management or harvesting of wildlife in the Nass wildlife area, the treaty (paragraph 50) very clearly states they have to consult with us, and in this case, they did not." Gosnell said the Nisga'a have registered their objection to the provincial government on that issue, and have asked how the moratorium will be implemented.

As for who will conduct the bear study, the Nisga'a expect to be included.

"That is one of the stipulations that we indicated very clearly to the province, that if there's going to be any scientific studies to be done within the Nass Wildlife Area, our wildlife people must be directly involved.

"Because I think in the announcement that was made, it says ' the government will provide funding for the panel's operation, enhanced research and a comprehensive grizzly inventory. The government will also work with guide outfitters, Frs Nations and others to mitigate impacts of the moratorium'."

Smith said he was amazed that in many cases in British Columbia, the government hadn't even made the attempt to count bears at all.

"What they've tried to do is construct these things called habitat indexes. So what they'll do is try to estimate the number of salmon in a stream or they'll try to estimate the number of berry bushes in a certain area and then estimate how many bears those food resources could support. And they've gone around the province extrapolating in that way. . . .That's different than the way that other jurisdictions have gone about it.

Until the details are worked out though, Gosnell counts the bears lucky.

"Thank goodness the grizzly bears are still snoring away and they will be for the next two months." He said he suspects the moratorium will be imposed the first of April and in his area the bears are in their dens up until mid-April. "So our two bears are quite safe at the moment."