Keep Canada Fishing

 

This is all about the facts as presented by Canadian Sportsfishing Industry Association “CSIA”. What a great association and group of people, they are located at 171A Rink Street , Suit 102 in Peterborough, Ontario, K9J2J6. Please support them if you can .

 Here are some of the Economic Facts;

• ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY….In 2010, anglers spent slightly less than 5 times the total value of commercial fishing $8.3 vs $1.7 BILLION
• CATCH AND RELEASE…In 2010 , anglers caught 193 million fish, but retained only 63 million… 130 MILLION RELEASED
• FISHING ON THE RISE…Almost 300,000 more Canadians bought a resident fishing licence in 2010 than in 2005
• PUTTERS AND PUCKS… More Canadian adults fish than play hockey and golf combined
• OLYMPIC SPIRIT, VANCOUVER 2010… Angler’s expenditures are 3 1/2 times the economic contribution of the 2010 Winter Olympics
• RECREATIONAL ANGLER’S…..consumed less than 4% of the total fish harvested in Canada in 2010

CHEERS… In 2010 anglers’ expenditures were more than 1 1/3   total sales of wine by wineries, liquor stores and agencies that year  $8.3 vs $6.1 BILLION…Canadian angler expenditures consistently rival national beer sales

GUESS WHAT…..Anglers’ expenditures in 2010 were almost 1 1/2 times the total franchise restaurant sales for Tim Hortons  $5.6 BILLION

CASTING FOR VOTES…Industry sources estimate that the voting strength of Canadian anglers is 1 1/2 times the voting strength of Canadians 65 and over. 21% vs 14%

FISHING IS ONE OF THE TOP 5 OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY CANADIAN PLEASURE TRAVELERS

The total $8.3 BILLION that anglers spent in 2010 was:

• 1 1/2 times the G.O.P. of Prince Edward Island
• more than all food services & tavern receipts in British Columbia in 2010- $7.8B
• more than all the revenues generated by all Canada amusement and recrcational industries , except gambling

 

SPENDING MONEY…..THE FISH TALE

Anglers spent $1.6 billion  on boating equipment for recreational fishing in 2010

FISHING TRIP EXPENSES

• FOOD AND LODGING 31%
• TRANSPORTATION 37%
• PACKAGE DEALS  16%
• FISHING SERVICES 8%
• AND OTHER 1%

USED FOR RECREATIONAL FISHING

Anglers spend a total of $8.3 billion annually to support their outdoor passion, creating jobs in tourism ,transportation, retail goods, boating , vehicle sales and more.

Past and Present…. Conservation

With close to 7 billion people on our planet every place is impacted in some way by humans.  So how does Canada have such healthy fish and wildlife populations for so many species to thrive?  The answers may surprise you.

In the early 1900’s, with far fewer people in North America, many fish and wildlife populations were in serious decline due to unregulated over harvest.  A few passionate hunters and anglers recognized the imminent threats and formed the Boone and Crockett Club: the first conservation organization.  Their initiatives evolved and are the basis for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in Canada and the U.S.  Their foresight resulted in the creation of government fish and wildlife management agencies, professional academic training and scientific standards, creel and bag limits with closed seasons enforced by game wardens, public owernership of fish, wildlife, parks and protected areas – and what today is know as the North American Model of Conservation has become the greatest environmental success story in world history.

With the support of the fishing and hunting industries and like-minded conservation organizations, people who hunt and fish continue to quietly dedicate more millions of volunteer hours and dollars in support of fish, wildlife and habitat improvement efforts than all other groups combined.  Many non-game species benefit as welll.  As government budgets for natural resource conservation continue to be cut across Canada, the efforts of anglers and hunters grow in importance to sustaining the future of our magnificent outdoor heritage.

Healthy fish and wildlife are the foundation of our vibrant fishing and hunting economy.  As in the past’ consrvation challenges today will have anglers and hunters to meet them and future generations of Canadians will be in their debt.

According to Industry Sources, almost 9 million Canadians, over 25% of the population, enjoy recreational fishing.

WE FISH, WE HUNT, WE VOTE.

Now on to OntORA’s values and views…. with all this money being spent why is our Provincial Government closing more  lakes , roads, trails to the tax payers of Ontario and opening them to the rich and privileged. Does MNR not understand the economic damage they are doing to the Province? Read on for more details………

Sport fishing is a way of life in Northern Ontario where thousands of pristine lakes invite anglers to drop a line.  Most of these great fishing lakes are on Crown land and here in northern Ontario, provincial Crown land makes up over 95% of our land base.

 

It seems rational to believe that Ontario taxpayers, under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Ontario Public Lands Act should have equal access to our public lands without fear of discrimination or intimidation or being impeded in any way.  However, for the last few decades, a concerted effort by the Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters (NOTO) in partnership with the Ministry (MNR) has seriously impeded our access to over 2,000 of our best lakes and hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of pristine Crown land – reserved by the MNR for the paying tourist guests of NOTO tourist lodges.

 

Signs are posted on too many roads in the north stating “This road is closed to all unauthorized motor vehicles under Section 26 of the Public Lands Act. This closure is to protect remote tourism values”.  Or “This road is closed to all unauthorized vehicular traffic beyond this point….pursuant to the Public Lands act RSO1990”.  And heavy fines are meted out by Justices of the Peace to all convicted “trespassers” who often plead guilty to avoid the expense and trouble of hiring a lawyer.

 

Why is the MNR reserving our best lakes and most pristine lands for the enjoyment of paying tourists while effectively keeping ordinary Ontarians out?  That why OntORA, the Ontario Outdoors Recreational Alliance, was formed, to set a course of action to change this discriminatory two-tier access policy.

 

Of course, NOTO and the MNR claim that they are not preventing us from access to those areas only are preventing us from using motor vehicles to bring in our fishing/hunting equipment.  They say that we can WALK in past these signs, from a minimum of 3 kilometers, up to 50 kilometers, which is quite a feat while carrying a canoe, rods & tackle, camping equipment, food etc. and/or hunting equipment.  They are not only denying us legal access, they are laughing at us by claiming that we can walk in. It’s time that we deliver a strong, united message to them – we want our public lands back!

 

Join OntORA and help us deliver the message.