The proposal caused a storm of controversy among B. C. commercial fishermen and prompted recently elected B.C. Premier Glen Clark to attempt to take over the management of the West Coast Canadian fishery. Despite the political fussing, the Canadian government is putting Mifflin's plan into effect and buying up fishing licenses so that commercial fishermen will leave the industry, says a spokesman in Ottawa. I turned for answers, I was told one simple truth before the blizzard of fuzzy facts was sent my way. The truth is this is a complicated problem. Further, it is complicated by the political realities of both the United States and Canada.
Fishing is a multimillion-dollar industry for our state.
It has been the lifeblood of thousands of people, from the fishermen to the processors and the huge canning factories in Alaska. Even though the state has diversified from its roots of forestry, fishing and airplanes, we still have major stakes in all three. Somehow, we must cut through the politics of the fishery and find better answers. We have the expertise in our state, in British Columbia and in Alaska. We need the will to manage our fish stocks intelligently.