Westland

For a long time, communications between director-level people in resources agencies was very poor. WestLand puts several such people on the same program, beginning a contact that often continues afterward.

This conference brought people from all over the Skeena basin to discuss the future of a controversial but still abundant fishery. Lots of good pictures of fish and people.

Gordon Fish was a cameraman who shot film in some of the most rugged parts of B.C. In this National Film Board (NFB) production he finds and photographs wildlife living in the city including coyotes, raccoons and deer.

In this episode (part one of two) angler John Massey offers a series of lessons on how to tie flies for fishing. Between lessons there is film of fly-fishing alongside words from author Roderick Haig-Brown.

In this episode (part two of two) angler John Massey continues with his lessons on how to tie flies for fishing. Includes film of fly fishing on B.C. lakes, alongside thoughts on fishing from author Roderick Haig-Brown.

Jim Walker, Director of Wildlife in the Ministry of Environment is interviewed. He updates viewers on B.C. endangered species, poaching, road kills (of wildlife by vehicles) etc. Some nice wildlife pictures and some gory shots of animals killed by trucks and cars.

First part of this program is a National Film Board (NFB) profile of Robert Bateman. The balance is the start of a habitat restoration program in Tilbury Slough on the Fraser delta. Infilling and draining of wetlands has cost much fish and waterfowl habitat and this is an attempt to get something back.

Guests from Ducks Unlimited illustrate how the NASA "landsat" system is being used to identify former, present and potential waterfowl habitats in North America. The data is being used to coordinate habitat projects continent-wide.

Buying land for wildlife may seem a strange initiative when so little of the province is private land. But some of that is critical to some populations. Governments are unwilling to fund this work and so various funding bodies - often made up of hunting and angling clubs - are raising money to secure critical habitats.

Three times in a century this race of sockeye salmon has been driven almost to extinction. Mining and construction were the cause. But each time, the population was rebuilt by the few remnant survivors. The incredible natural resilience of the salmon accounts for this survival epic and is a hopeful sign for the future.

Small streams in the southern part of B.C. are often fished out quite quickly and are hard to build up again. This program looks at techniques for doing so and an allocation system that affords good recreational fishing without having to deplete the resource. Director of Fisheries David Narver is interviewed. Topics include setting aside some waters for fly fishers only and an update on the time-worn problem of Steelhead being intercepted by the commercial net fisheries. In the picture portion, 10-year old "Jonathan" lands a 24-lb. Steelhead on the Skeena River. Note: this program was rebroadcast as Program 9 in 1987.

Another program based on the latest WestLand conference. The topic is intensive forestry and the environmental impacts that may result from its application. Speakers include people from government agencies, industry and citizen environmental groups.