Seymour fish program threatened OPERATORS OF the community- tun Seymour River hatchery in North Vancouver say. the upstream battle to fund the popular fish enhancement program is becoming too difficult to bear. By Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter Seymour Salmonid Society president Bill McLallen said he fears the public will have less access to the hatchery if more money is not found soon for its operation. _ “We would do everything in our power not to close the doors to the public because it would. go against our mandate,” - McLallen said on Tuesday. “But we are teally feeling the crunch.” McLallen said the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has given the hatchery $139,000 a year for opera- tions for the past eight years. _. “We have not had a nickel more or nickel less in eight years and our costs have. just about..dou- bled,” said McLallen. "The money is spent on wages for three workers, $10,000 worth of fish food, insurance and’ maintenance, said Mclallen. «i -“You. don’t have to be a rocket scientist to ». see that $139,000 is not _going to go too far,” he | Chim tmon said. return; the hatch- Cutthiroat Trout ery. ‘releases ‘about 500,000 fish. a year. It produces *. coho, chi-. nook, ‘chum, : steelhead — , (summer ‘and winter ‘mans) salmon and cut- - throat trout. ; *, Above: the. actual hatchery work are ever-. expanding public tours of the facility and “school programs ‘pro- vided free, said McLallen. . According to hatchery statistics, more than 10,000 people, half of whom are pub- lic school children, visit the Lillooet Road ‘locale each year. : ’ McLallen said: about 350 volunteers help. out with work at the hatchery : throughout the year. Steelhead! Chinook’Salmon e,, NORTH SHORE lawns are once again. about to lose some lustre in the name of water conservation. _ By Robert Gatlster : Conizibuting Writer _”. The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) announced the start of summer lawn sprinkling regulation season earlier this week. Tom Heath, GVRD administrator of water planning, says the sprinkling restrictions are not a response reservoir levels but rather a precautionary measure. “Normally we have full reservoir levels at this time and this year is no exception,” said Heath. Although it's too carly in the ~. season to make any predictions for the summer, he did say early indications can be obtained from snowpack levels which he says -have released “significant” runoff to date. “We expect to be able to sdve enough water to avoid anything Orth Approximate Releases Per Year Seymour ve River Hatchery Coho (releastid/year) { imon Pink’Salfnon (releas&iiahdars) (ie emer ae on for educational and 4) Wht, : esearch, purpose “We need extra money because some of our equip- ment is breaking dawn,” said MeLallen. “Our truck and our four- wheel drive are just about on their last legs. We are going to need some landscaping done, all kinds of things for our lib- oratory 4." In comparison, the Capilano River hatchery has more than 500,000 visitors a year, “We are on the tour-bus route. We have tourists big- time,” said Robin Dickson, manager of the hatchery. The Capilano hatchery releases about }.1 million coho, steclhead and chinook salmon a year. ht also produces 100,000 fish eggs for educational and research purposes. The hatchery is funded and operated through the DFO with nine full-time staff and approximately six volunteers this year, . é sweetie Capilano River'Hatche 525,000. , 15,000 o 600,000 _ 7 na mt De! 9 DFO paidig Approx! 62a 300 There are 78 community-based small ’ hatcheries (releasing less than: 100,000 fish a year) in the province, according to a DFO spokesman. There are 11 the size of the Seymour River hatchery and 18 DFO. manned and operated facilities, with Capilano - being one of the smaller operations. its Shore:Fish hatcheries | Communityirun 2 with DFO fundéd ; operations budget - 400 NEWS graphic Geoff Ross severe,” said Heath. next couple of months.” a He added that precautions undertaken by the regional district NEWS photo Mike Wakefield SEYMOUR HATCHERY technician Brian Smith relaases chum salmon into the river. The Seymour Salmonid Society, a community-based volunteer group, runs the Seymour River Hatchery with the Greater Vancouver Regional District as landlord, said McLallen. ’ The society, which tcok over the oper- ation of the hatchery in October 1987, has raised extra money through donations and $10 annual membership fees from 400 members. The donated money has gone to capital expenses. “There has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears been put into that hatch- ery. Everything . that is there has been built by volunteers,” said McLallen. The financial picture occasionally looks brighter for the hatchery when a large business donation is floated its way. North Vancouver’s Suntec Optics inc. recent- ly donated $1,000, which coincided with the release this week of 60,000 chum fry. into the Seymour River. McLallen said at least one more full-time paid worker is needed right away at the hatchery. “You have to have a terrific love for that place, which I do and others do, and that’s what keeps the wheels going,” said McLallen. ; For more information, write to the Seymour Salmonid Society, P.O. Box 52060. North Vancouver, V7J 3T2. n effect “But it all depends on the weather over the - are in place to avoid a repeat of the 1992 situation when the region was brought to the brink of complete water shortage. At that time sprinkling was banned altogether for a 10-weck period. to the current water municipal hall for a Water consumption within the GVRD has actually decreased since 1990 even though the region's population has increased by about 12% during the same period. This year’s restrictions apply to all GVRD residents and will be enforced by the individual municipalities. Residents with even property addresses will be limited to sprinkling on Wednesdays and Saturdays only between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Odd address number ‘residents will be restricted to Thursdays and Sundays during the same times. - The restrictions don't affect the watering of flower beds or .. | ‘- vegetable gardens and residents with new lawns can apply to their special exemption. For more see page 4 7 |'Poachers punished FINES AND court orders to perform com- munity service work at local fish hatcheries were handed out recently in North Vancouver provincial court to four men found with fish taken illegally from the Capilano River last September. By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter John Sanovician, 45, of Vancouver, was fined $1,000 in connection with overfishing near the Capilano Fish hatchery on Sept. 14, 1994, after 44 salmon were seized from the trunk of his car. Sanovician pleaded guilty to the charge on May 1. He received 24 months’ probation and was required to perform 100 hours of community work service. Judge Bill Rodgers said the community work service should be done at the Capilano River hatchery, Seymour hatchery or other such place Sanovician’s probation officer deems appropriate. ° Sanovician was charged after his vehicle was pulled over by a North Vancouver RCMP officer near the Capilano Fish hatchery, according to a North Vancouver RCMP spokesman. : Two. Richmond men, Makan Mafi and Armand Shafazand, were also each required to perform 100 hours of community work service for the Capilano or Seymour Fish hatcheries “if possible.” - : - Shafazand, 34, was fined $1,700 and Mafi, 19, was fined.$1,000 in early May in connection with Sept. 29, 1994 charges. | - The men pleaded guilty to: . @ attempting to sell salmon caught during the {| - closed season; and fishing in the Capilano River when the waters were closed to fishing. ° ; Both men also received 12 months’ probation. The fish confiscated were ordered forfeited. © Meanwhile, Vancouver resident Michael Patrick Brennan was required to do 30 hours of community work service for the benefit of the salmon enhance- ment program at Capilano and Seymour Rivers when he was sentenced on May 2. Brennan pleaded guilty to catching and keeping salmon in closed season on Sept. 23, 1994, in waters near the Capilano River hatchery. : Judge Jerome Paradis fined Brennan $250. -’ At the time. of Brennan's arrest, the North Vancouver RCMP had confiscated three garbage bags full of salrnon, according to court information. Brennan claimed to have caught two illegal fish. According to Brennan’s lawyer, most of the 39 | salmon found by the police belonged to people who . ran when the police showed up. : _ Brennan, 27, also received six months’ proba- tion. :