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Friday, April 25, 2014
Whale watch No longer threatened: As humpbacks make slow return to Cowichan, watcher says status decision a mistake Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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hales swim in the centre of Cowichanian Simon Pidcock’s tourism business. So when asked if Ottawa should return North Pacific humpbacks to Canada’s endangered list — after being dropped last week to the lesser species-of-concern ranking — the Ocean Ecoventures’ owner didn’t hesitate in answering “100%.” Pidcock’s blunt response was backed by his reporting humpbacks have returned to Cowichan waters, and south-island seas, after being wiped out in the past century. “From the 1970s to 1995 we saw very few, then we saw our first humpbacks coming back.
Recess over for Cowichan school kids Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
C
ancelled recesses are the latest casualty of job action by Cowichan
courtesy Simon Pidcock
Whale watchers take in the breaching of a humpback in the Salish Sea during one of the tours run out of Cowichan Bay by Ocean Ecoventures. “Last year, we were up to 70 humpbacks in the southern Salish Sea, from Nanaimo to the Sooke area,” said the valley-raised captain who launched his Cowichan Bay whale-watching operation in 2003. To Pidcock, protecting migratory humpbacks — and the whole West Coast ecosystem — from a catastrophic oil-tanker rupture off Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline port at Kitimat, was a no-brainer. “(An oil release) would greatly affect me because the whales we view travel through there,” he said, citing humpbacks, and orcas. “Tourism losses up and down this coast would be huge.” That’s why he was suspicious about why the pro-pipeline feds dropped humpbacks’ status. “I find the timing very interesting, especially with Kitimat’s city council voting ‘No’ for the pipeline (last week),” Pidcock said, noting recent “muzzling” of federal scientists. But Ottawa’s decision cites a significant rebound in humpback populations
identified in a 2011 assessment by the considered to be threatened, but not yet Committee on the Status of Endanclearly secure.” Commercial hunting of gered Wildlife in Canada. humpbacks ended in 1966. “Growth rates have increased, leading “In May 2012 we had two humpbacks to an improved abundance of the speliving between Cow Bay and Crofton. cies,” it says, noting COSEWIC agreed There used to be a small population humpbacks can now be reclassified. in the Saanich Inlet in the 1860s, then COSEWIC found humpback numbers they were hunted to extinction,” added have grown 4% a year since the early Pidcock. 1990s, and rose more than He acknowledged the 50% during the past three good news about hump“Last year, we up backs’ bounce-back — generations, or about 65 years, to more than 18,000 backed environmento 70 humpbacks but adult whales. talists’ views that sinking in the southern “While the species’ the cetaceans’ status situation has improved was one less HarperSalish Sea.” tremendously over the last government hoop toward five decades, current nummaking the pipeline and bers are still considerably huge tankers a reality. smaller than the number “The federal governthat must have been present off the west ment is excusing itself from any legal coast of Vancouver Island before 1905,” obligation to protect humpback whale the decision says. habitat, which conveniently makes it easiResidual threats also in part led er to approve the Enbridge pipeline and COSEWIC to give humpbacks special- oil tanker proposal,” said Sierra Club concern status because they are “a campaigns director, Caitlyn Vernon. recovering wildlife species no longer more on page 9
Pidcock
teachers. “The district is sending a letter home with students today or tomorrow explaining recess will be cancelled at the seven schools that have it,’’ noted Cowichan District Teachers’ Association president Naomi Nilsson Thursday. School District 79 superintendent Joe Rhodes confirmed the letters were going to those attending the impacted schools and will be effective Monday. “We will be adjusting the day without affecting bus schedules to cancel them as we cannot expect school-based administration to safely supervise and it is too disruptive to send district staff out for 15 minutes in the middle of the work day,’’ added Rhodes. Job action across B.C. in the teachers’ three-phase contract dispute with the provincial government began Wednesday with the withdrawal of supervisory activities. “Supervision is covered off and we recognize that teachers will not be meeting with administration except for emergency reasons,’’ Rhodes pointed out. Phase 2 plans would involve rotating one-day walkouts around the province, but there’s no timeline yet for launching that part of the campaign. bchonda.com
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