Lake Babine Nation (LBN) is applauding the province鈥檚 recent decision to end the grizzly bear trophy hunt.
鈥淲e believe that hunting should strictly be for food, and not to put on your wall,鈥� said LBN Chief Wilf Adam.
Effective Nov. 30, 2017, the B.C. government will end grizzly bear trophy hunting throughout the province and stop all hunting of grizzlies in the Great Bear Rainforest.
鈥淭his action is supported by the vast majority of people across our province,鈥� forests minister Doug Donaldson announced from Hazelton last week. 鈥淲e believe the action we鈥檙e taking goes beyond the commitment to coastal First Nations made as part of the 2016 Great Bear Rainforest agreements.鈥�
According to the provincial government, there are an estimated 15,000 grizzly bears in British Columbia. Each year, approximately 250 are taken by hunters. While the trophy hunt will end, hunting for meat will be allowed to continue.
Although the leader of the B.C. Green caucus Andrew Weaver supported this action, he cautioned that last week鈥檚 announcement will not end grizzly bear hunting in B.C.
鈥淭his announcement will create a system in which not all of the animal will be harvested - resident hunters will no longer be allowed to possess the hair, head and hide of grizzlies,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his will be viewed as wasteful by the resident hunting community.鈥�
鈥淔oreign hunters will still be able to shoot grizzlies in British Columbia, take a picture of themselves standing over the dead beast, and head back home without harvesting any of the animal,鈥� he added.
According to Weaver, there are a range of issues that affect the health of grizzly bear populations, including the effects of climate change on essential salmon and huckleberry stocks, as well as road kill rates and poaching incidents.
鈥淲e must focus on broader wildlife preservation if we are serious about conservation and the protection of grizzlies and other species in this province,鈥� he added.
During the fall months, government will consult with First Nations and stakeholder groups to determine next steps and mechanisms as B.C. moves toward ending the trophy hunt. Additionally, government will be moving forward with a broader consultation process on a renewed wildlife management strategy for the province.
About a third of the province is off limits to grizzly hunting for wildlife management reasons. The rest is subject to a managed hunt for resident and non-resident guided hunters that has been validated by independent experts. In a report released in October 2016, wildlife biologists from the University of Alberta and the University of Minnesota gave high marks to B.C.鈥檚 grizzly bear management, including the grizzly bear hunt lottery that attracts foreign hunters each year.
Former forests minister Steve Thomson defended it a significant contribution to the provincial economy.
The range of grizzly bears in B.C. is partitioned into 56 population units (GBPU) used for monitoring, assessment, conservation and management. 亚洲天堂 Lake is located in the Francois GBPU. With an estimated grizzly population of 58 bears, the Francois GBPU was closed for grizzly hunt in 2012 as a result of its low population estimate.
Hunting is permitted, however, in some portions of the Bulkley-Lakes GBPU. There were 136 authorizations issued in 2016 for the Bulkley-Lakes GBPU. From those authorizations, eight grizzly bears were harvested.
- With files from Tom Fletcher
