I recently saw a letter in The Telegram by Ken McLean (East Port) attacking minister Gerry Byrne and indirectly attacking the local provincial salmon organization like the Citizens Outdoor Rights Alliance (CORA), Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife Federation (NLWF) and Outdoor Rights and Conservation Association (ORCA), etc. He suggests that the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is the only organization with Atlantic salmon interests. What a ridiculous statement!
Related letters:
Letter: You’re not from here — you don’t understand
Letter: ASF is swimming against the tide
ASF has an agenda to remove all local salmon fishers off the rivers. The president of ASF was quoted in an interview with Monty Bruce in Forbes Magazine: “No one should keep and kill an Atlantic salmon anymore.” And “the recreational harvest of Atlantic salmon must stop now.”
In plain language — no Newfoundlander or Labradorian should ever retain an Atlantic salmon again, forever.
ASF is proposing that there be catch and release only. What average person can avoid to do this? None. So only the privileged will be allowed to fish and kill — yes, kill salmon.
Never mind the BS that ASF gets on with when it comes to educating the people on the people way to release salmon. DFO stars that there is a 10 per cent mortality on catch and release. We all know it is twice this.
This is how river privatization will happen if the public does not do something. Speak up before it is too late.
I take it that McLean is a member of the local salmon groups and ASF. I deduce this from his adoration of ASF in his letter.
Do you know that DFO and ASF are making management decisions behind closed doors? Gerry Byrne was barred from this meeting as were NLWF, CORA, ORCA, etc. Why?
The people own the resource and deserve to be heard. What disrespect to the N.L. government by doing this.
An American organization, ASF (with an office in New Brunswick), is not allowing the provincial government and local salmon organizations to have any input into these decisions. Are we living in a democratic country? It appears not.
Gerry Byrne was elected by the people of N.L. to represent the people of N.L., but the only ones making the decisions appear to be the American Salmon Federation? Are we interfering in New Brunswick government fisheries?
Are we going to allow this?
Larry Nicholl
President, ORCA
Mount Pearl
