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Virtually all grizzly bears in BC could be exterminated by sport hunters, while the government would continue to calculate a theoretical "harvestable surplus", reports Christopher Genovali. Photos by Ian McAllister, Raincoast Conservation Society.
One of Premier Gordon Campbell’s popular slogans is "BC is open for business." If the business is killing grizzly bears that certainly seems the case. The Great Bear Rainforest, the largest network of intact ancient temperate rainforest left in the world, was once home to large concentrations of grizzly bears. However, a long history of unsustainable "sport" hunting, poaching, and habitat destruction by clearcut logging has left coastal grizzly populations at serious risk.
The Raincoast Conservation Society has conducted reconnaissance in close to one hundred river valleys of the Great Bear Rainforest since 1990 (clocking over 6,000 people days in the field). We are now seeing a disturbing absence of grizzly bears, even near salmon producing streams during the fall runs when predation activity should be high.
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Unlike prey species grizzly numbers come back slowly.
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Gordon Campbell overturned the moratorium on hunting grizzlies in July 2001. Campbell made a rash campaign promise during the election and was compelled to follow through no matter how ill-advised the policy. It was a sop to the hunting lobby and had nothing to do with credible science or economic benefit.
In an exhaustive scientific review of the BC government's flawed approach to grizzly management in 1998, wildlife biologists Dr. Brian Horejsi, Dr. Barrie Gilbert and Dr. Lance Craighead concluded "there is evidence to suggest that grizzly bear density estimates for BC represent populations suffering from substantial decline." Horejsi has attributed this dramatic decline to hunting overkill and the continued destruction of grizzly habitat.
Even one of the BC government’s own biologists, Dionys De Leeuw, has exposed the pseudo-scientific rationale behind the government's grizzly hunting policy. "There is no evidence suggesting any sport hunting of grizzlies is sustainable in BC," says De Leeuw. "In fact, there are strong indications that past and continuing population declines are due to excessive sport hunting…Unless extremely solid evidence can be provided, which unequivocally demonstrates that continued hunting does not exacerbate already vulnerable and declining bear populations, all sport hunting of these animals should be stopped."
The sport hunting of coastal grizzly bears often resembles some sort of high-tech war effort. "Outfitters and resident hunters charter float planes, fly along the coast, land at road staging areas, and drive roads or take jet boats up salmon spawning rivers; some use permanent, illegal, elevated stands overlooking salmon spawning sites…This type of hunting has been characterized, reflecting its dependence on technology, as a search and destroy mission, referring to the speed and efficiency with which a hunting party can arrive at a stand, shoot grizzly bears where they are known to aggregate and leave the area," report Drs. Horejsi, Gilbert and Craighead.
Since grizzlies’ feeding habits can be relatively predictable, these top predators make surprisingly easy prey as De Leeuw points out. "Any hunter with only minimal experience can concentrate his efforts in a few select and obvious locations such as rich berry patches, salmon spawning beds, ripe animal carcasses, or any other seasonally predictable or available food source for bears. Virtually every bear from a wide area will visit and feed at such a site, and become an easy target for the hunter."
Once gone, it takes many years for grizzly numbers to recover. Not only do grizzly bears reproduce more slowly than any land mammal on the North American continent, but females do not start breeding until they are 5 to 8 years old. In the best conditions, breeding females will produce only one to three cubs at 2 to 3 year intervals, about the length of time young grizzlies stay with their mothers. Grizzly populations do not bounce back easily.
We know it is bad, but the extent of how bad it is remains unknown: the BC government has never carried out a credible province wide census of grizzlies. Instead it rationalizes the ongoing issuance of kill tags by using a scientifically unsound "habitat suitability" model to reach inflated grizzly population estimates. De Leeuw has revealed that the province calculates "a theoretical potential huntable grizzly bear surplus based on inappropriately applied habitat suitability indices...virtually all grizzly bears could be exterminated in BC by sport hunters, while government habitat suitability measurements alone would continue to calculate a theoretical potential bear abundance and continue to establish a harvestable surplus."
For several years now, Raincoast Conservation Society has been trying to acquire grizzly kill location data for use in an independent scientific analysis of the impacts of sport hunting on BC’s grizzly population. The government has not been forthcoming since Raincoast requested the kill data through the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FOI) in the spring of 2000.
In December 2001, BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner ruled that the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection release grizzly kill location data to Raincoast.
In response to the Information Commissioner’s ruling to release the data, the BC government applied to have the ruling overturned. In November 2002, the Supreme Court of BC rejected the application by the province, once again requiring the release of the grizzly kill location data to Raincoast. Now the province is going to the BC Appeal Court in an attempt to get the recent Supreme Court decision overturned.
One of Premier Campbell’s election promises was to have the most open and accountable government in Canada. Yet, the Liberals continue to go to extraordinary lengths to keep this information suppressed. What is the BC government trying so desperately to hide?
Grizzly facts: How safe is grizzly habitat?
Christopher Genovali (greatbear@raincoast.org) is Executive Director of Raincoast Conservation Society.
You Can Make a Difference
Let Premier Campbell know how important you think it is to protect the remaining intact river valleys throughout the Great Bear Rainforest - these valleys are critical grizzly bear habitat. Tell Premier Campbell to reinstate the moratorium on the sport hunting of grizzly bears. Hunting overkill is having serious impacts on BC’s grizzly population.
Communicate your views: email Gordon Campbell (gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca)
Write
Premier Gordon Campbell
Legislative Buildings
Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 Canada
Phone: 250-387-1715
Fax: 250-387-0087
More Bears on the web
Raincoast (www.raincoast.org)
Western Canada Wilderness Committee (www.wildernesscommittee.org)
Save The Spirt Bear (www.savespiritbear.org)
Bear Smart (www.bearsmart.com)
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