For Immediate Release
Nov. 4, 2009
VICTORIA— Today in question period the B.C. Liberal Environment Minister shrugged the fact that the grizzly bear population of the Great Bear Rainforest is plummeting when he was questioned by New Democrat MLA Gary Coons.
“It is imperative for this government to take immediate action to find out why the number of bears in the great bear rainforest is declining, and to decide what steps need to be taken to protect them. The 2009 Pink and Coho salmon returns were above average in the region, so most of the bears that did survive last winter should have been observed feeding on salmon after the berries finished, but they were nowhere to be seen” said Coons.
This year’s helicopter survey of the Kimsquit drainage showed that the number of mother bears with cubs was down 65 per cent. The number of bears overall was down by 55 per cent.
When questioned about what the government planned to do to protect grizzly bears in the Great Bear Rainforest given the steep population decline, the Environment Minister responded by saying “there are periods where the bear population decreases, and then it increases. There are natural variations over the years in the bear populations on the north coast.”
The North Coast MLA doesn’t think that is a good enough answer.
“These are extremely troubling numbers and I am appalled that the Environment Minister is not taking them seriously,” said Coons. “It’s clear that the B.C. Liberal government simply can’t be trusted to act to protect species at risk.”
After this year’s count Tom Ethier, a manager with the B.C. environment ministry’s fish and wildlife service called the steep decline in this year’s grizzly bear numbers “worrying.” “His own staff describe the lack of grizzly bears, and especially of bear cubs, this year as ‘worrying,’ but the minister doesn’t appear to be concerned at all,” said Coons. “This is one more example of how the B.C. Liberal government is all talk and no action on the environment and on the protection of grizzlies in the Great Bear Rainforest.”
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