Fun fact: Michael was once attacked by a grizzly bear. Well maybe not so fun fact! But in an event Michael doesn’t hold a grudge, in fact he recently grilled Environment Minister Barry Penner on the issue of the grizzly hunt in BC.
Below you will find the draft transcript of their exchange and as always the official transcript will be posted when available.
2010 Legislative Session: Second Session, 39th Parliament
COMMITTEE A BLUES
This is a DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY of debate in one sitting of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. This transcript is subject to corrections, and will be replaced by the final, official Hansard report. Use of this transcript, other than in the legislative precinct, is not protected by parliamentary privilege, and public attribution of any of the debate as transcribed here could entail legal liability.
DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
(HANSARD)
COMMITTEE A BLUES
TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010
Afternoon Sitting
PROCEEDINGS IN THE
DOUGLAS FIR ROOM
Committee of Supply
ESTIMATES: MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
(continued)
M. Sather: Continuing on the theme of bears, 139 grizzlies were killed in parks and protected areas in B.C. between 2004 and 2008, which I understand is when the better data is available. The annual allowable human-caused mortality, which is mostly hunting, was exceeded at least once in 18 of the 23 grizzly bear population units. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
My question to the minister is: what is the government doing about this overkill? [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
[1640]
CSA – 20100504 PM 030/IAW/1640
Hon. B. Penner: I believe that the member is referencing a report that was released about a month ago by the Suzuki Foundation, and that report seemed to overlook the fact that one of the cornerstones of B.C.’s grizzly bear harvest procedure is the use of five-year allocation periods. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
“The objective of the allocation period is to provide for flexibility on annual harvest to achieve target sustainable harvest rates.”
Obviously, there are some typos here. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
“Annual allowable mortality is multiplied by five to obtain the allowable mortality for the allocation period. The objective of the ministry is not to exceed the allowable mortality for the allocation period. If the number is exceeded in a given year, then reductions in mortality over the following years are expected.”
That’s the gist of it. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
If there is, as the member says, a number of bears that exceeds the number identified as sustainable in a given year by the ministry, then there’s a reduction in following years. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
M. Sather: Well, this is a five-year period, 2004 to 2008, so my question is: does the minister agree, first of all, that there has been an overkill? Yes, I am referring to the report that was put out about a month ago. If he agrees, then what is the government going to do about it? [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
Hon. B. Penner: Similarly, if there was an exceedance in a five-year period, then a reduction in the following five-year period is implemented. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
M. Sather: Is the minister saying, then, that they have reduced the hunting season since 2008 — the bag limit, the total amount taken? If so, by how much? [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
[1645]
CSA – 20100504 PM 031/AJB/1645
Hon. B. Penner: One of the challenges is that the period which the Suzuki authors relied on is a different period than we used for our allocation procedures. They reference a period from ’04 to ’08. We used a different period of time. So we probably have a difference of opinion on the number of grizzly bear management units that were exceeded because of the difference in the period measured. But my director of fish and wildlife informs me that where the five-year period is exceeded, there will be reductions in the following allocation period. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
M. Sather: What five-year period, then, is the ministry using, and for the period that the ministry is using, how many of these grizzly bear management — population — units have had excess kill? [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
[1650]
Hon. B. Penner: The current allocation period that we’re in is 2007 to 2012. There are 57 grizzly bear management units across the province. Of those, I believe 14 are closed due to concerns around the numbers of grizzly bears, where our staff don’t believe those grizzly bear population units could safely and sustainably sustain a hunt.
[DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
Of the 43 units that are open, we believe that there are one or two that may be trending towards exceeding the five-year allocation number, and therefore, this year we will be taking steps to reduce the number of authorizations in those one or two grizzly bear management units.
[DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
In the past we have closed grizzly bear units when the numbers were insufficient to safely sustain a hunt, and a number of those have re-opened once the populations were higher again, such as in the Kootenays. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
M. Sather: How many grizzlies were killed in parks and protected areas, then, in ’07-08? [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
Hon. B. Penner: I don’t have the numbers the way the member is asking them to be presented, but I do have the totals for ’07, ’08 and ’09 in terms of the number of bears that have died from human-related causes.
[DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
They are as follows: 436 grizzly bears died from human-related causes in 2007, of which 366 were hunted and 70 were killed via conflict kills, motor vehicle accidents, rail accidents or illegal kills.
[DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
In 2008, the number dropped to 392 grizzly bears dying from human-related causes: 319 were hunted, and 73 were killed via conflict kills, motor vehicle accidents, rail accidents or illegal kills. In 2009, the number dropped again, to 345 grizzly bears dying from human-related causes: 299 were hunter-related kills, and 46 were killed via conflict kills, motor vehicle accidents, rail accidents and illegal kills.
[DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
Taking a look back, then, at the numbers, human-caused grizzly mortality decreased by 21 percent between 2007 and 2009. Of that, hunter harvest of grizzly bears decreased by 18 percent between 2007 and 2009. The number of grizzly bears killed in human conflicts remains a concern, and that’s something that we continue to address through programs such as Bear Aware. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
[1655]
A few moments ago I was asked some questions by the member from Port Alberni, and I just came across this information now. I’ll just read it into the record for his benefit, that the number of black bears that have been euthanized by conservation officers over the last three years has been an average of approximately 600, compared to almost double that amount in the years from 2008 to 2001. So we have made some progress by reducing by about 50 percent the number of black bears that have had to be killed by the conservation officer service over the last ten or 12 years or so. But it remains a work in progress. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
M. Sather: I have other questions for the minister regarding grizzly bears, but I won’t be able to get to that in the interests of time. So I’m going to pass the mike over, as it were, to one of my colleagues. [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
Hello Mr. Sather,
I respect the fact that you have faced a grizzly bear, most likely acting defensively , and live to talk about it and now advocate for their protection! They can be dangerous animals in the wrong place and wrong time but that doesn’t give people the right to kill them needlessly, for fun, for sport!
My question to Minister Penner is WHAT science does his gov’t use to count grizzlies? If it is the same as Alberta you can ask how that has worked out for them?
Also ask Minister Penner about Dr. Michael Proctor’s report to their wildife office near Nelson in 2006. Did they not shut down a trophy hunt of grizzlies a short time before it’s opening due to Dr. Proctor’s precise research of population size, stage and age of grizzlies in one sector…being 89 in number and on decline and not the magic 200 number that gov’t assured hunters and all that it contained. What would a biologist/researcher found if given time and resources in the other sectors? No gov’t biologist will come out and say how many grizzlies are in one region…they don’t know, they don’t have money to do better research and counts…just too hard to count grizzlies and also to guess what age, stage and sex the bears are which determines health of a population of any animal in the wild. Ethically it is unforgiveable that our gov’t promotes ecotourism with bears and then allows the same populations of bears to be hunted, in and out of parks and conservation areas, especially! Real hunters of food oppose the hunting of trophies for fun and a rug!!! We thankfully have many more of those hunters in BC than the other and we import the other for self-gratituious gain by both commercial outfitters and elite trophy hunters from around the globe. Shameful to our reputation as Super Natural BC!