Regional directors will consider supporting a letter of request to advocate for freshwater fish restocking.
At the November 12 qathet Regional District committee of the whole meeting, directors reviewed a letter from Powell River resident Jim Parsons, who requested the letter to try and have local lakes restocked with fish.
City director CaroleAnn Leishman said she ran into Parsons, who will be attending City of Powell River’s committee of the whole meetingon November 17 to answer questions about the proposal.
“He gave me a high-level overview that this is an opportunity for restocking lakes and to have Powell River apply to be on the list,” said Leishman. “Powell River has never been considered for this project. If there are any questions they can be forwarded to him.”
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said freshwater restocking around the region would fit with economic development.
“It attracts people to the community who want to do sportfishing and from what I’ve heard, restocking helps increase the scope of these lakes,” said Gisborne. “I’ve done a lot of camping around BC and the lakes that have been stocked definitely attract more people. Looking at the correspondence, he’s asking for a letter of support and I, for one, would be happy to give a letter.”
The committee voted to receive the correspondence from Parsons.
Gisborne then moved that the board provide a letter of support to Parsons for the purposes of freshwater restocking.
Committee chair and Electoral Area D director Sandy McCormick said there was no evidence to support the analysis that local lakes need restocking. She said she was not sure how she felt about sending a letter of support in the absence of that information.
Leishman said lakes chosen through this program are also selected by biologists, so it is all scientifically analyzed. Leishman said Parsons indicated that some of the lakes he’s been to on fishing trips that have been part of the restocking program are a great economic driver.
“It is biologists who deal with the actual program,” said Leishman.
Electoral Area C director Clay Brander said Leishman answered a lot of his questions. He said he wouldn’t want to send a letter saying lakes were in need of restocking, because the regional district does not have any evidence of that, but he supported being on the list so analysis can be done.
Gisborne said an official restocking program would help make sure that if there was restocking in the area, it would be done correctly and according to the appropriate ministry.
The committee voted that it recommend the regional board send a letter of support.
Parsons, in his letter to the board, stated he was preparing a proposal to submit to Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC to request the restocking of lakes in the Powell River region. Parsons stated that no lakes in the region have been part of the program. He added that it is important to note that funding for this project comes from licence fees collected (78 per cent), corporate sponsors (12 per cent) and the province (10 per cent).
