After months of deliberation, the British Columbia government has decided to end grizzly bear hunting within the province. The grizzly bear hunting ban is effective immediately and cancels the spring bear hunt, which was scheduled to begin on April 1, 2018, to all resident and nonresident hunters.
“Through consultations this past fall, we have listened to what British Columbians have to say on this issue and it is abundantly clear that the grizzly hunt is not in line with their values,” Doug Donaldson, Minster of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, said in a press release. “Our government continues to support hunting in this province and recognizes our hunting heritage is of great importance to many British Columbians.”
As goHUNT previously reported, the decision is discontinue grizzly bear hunting was based upon a public outcry to end the hunts, not a decrease in grizzly bear population. With an estimated 15,000 bears in BC – and only 250 killed each year – the government has given in to public sentiment and announced last August that trophy hunting as well as any hunting of grizzlies within the Great Bear Rainforest would end Nov. 30, 2017.
“Our government is committed to improving wildlife management in B.C., and today’s announcement, along with a focused grizzly bear management plan, are the first steps in protecting one of our most iconic species,” George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, said in a press release. “We also want to promote the healthy grizzly bear viewing economy in B.C. and give everyone the tremendous opportunity to see these incredible animals in their natural habitat.”
The decision does not yet affect First Nations. According to the government, harvest of “grizzly bears pursuant to Aboriginal rights for food, social, or ceremonial purposes, or treaty rights” will continue. In addition, the government plans to review the current grizzly bear management program and, possibly, implement recommendations based upon a recent Auditor General report.
11 Comments
Steven Boyce
12/21/2017, 4:56:42 PM
How on earth can you have a ""focused grizzly bear management plan"" without harvesting or maintaining the populations? This is another example of the population of urban hubs of our states and provinces controlling the decisions made on the land for the remainder of the population. Conservation decisions should not be made by popular vote. I personally empathize, as I have no desire to harvest a grizzly bear, but this is a decision based on politics, not science, as near as I can discern.
Seth DYER
12/21/2017, 7:42:57 AM
@Terry J. Boycotting BC only hurts the good people of BC. Most of BC is rural, and but Vancouver and Victoria are full of liberals who have no relationship with the outdoor world. Over 60% of BC's 4.5 million person population lives within 50 miles of downtown Vancouver. The situation is similar to Nevada, where Las Vegas makes up the majority of the population of BC. Rural British Columbians are no different than those that live in rural areas of the rest of the Western USA and Canada.
Josey Sorensen
12/21/2017, 6:32:20 AM
What a joke. This is there idea of improving wildlife management. Maybe we can ship them a few wolves as well, and they can see more of them in their natural habitat. They are ""not in line with our values"" as sportsmen either.