Editor:
This letter was sent to Sechelt Mayor Darnelda Siegers and council.
I read with some shock and amusement the proposal to ban crabbing and fishing on the Davis Bay pier for safety and conservation concerns.
I am a resident of Wilson Creek and have been regularly walking the pier and occasionally taking my grandchildren there to fish for several years. Today, a sunny Sunday afternoon, I took one of my frequent walks from my home in Wilson Creek to the pier. There were seven people at the end of the pier, a couple with two children and three men. The family had a fishing line in the water, two of the men had rods but were not fishing and there were about six crab lines in the water. There were no swimmers and I was the only sightseer. I have never been uncomfortable with the other people using the pier – in fact, watching the fishers and swimmers is a valuable part of the pier experience. Once in a while during the summer it does feel a bit crowded, but banning fishing and crabbing for the whole year to relieve some congestion for two months seems a bit of overkill (maybe we could ban cars on the highway too).
Let the fisheries people look after the illegal fishing.
David New-Small, Wilson Creek
