Another note from Ben, who has spent the late summer exploring rivers and streams in the Okanagan valley, when not picking fruit. He reports that Fish and Wildlife officers have politely asked him to not fish for salmon this year because the spawn is depleted and they want the ceremonial allowances not to come up short. Any first nations traditional harvest feeds the community in lots of ways, Ben knows, and so do at least some fisheries workers -- at least enough of them to actively recommend he eat trout instead.
Ben went on to add:
ben: I met a couple modern day vikings who want to kayak the northwest passage. A Finnish guy and his half Aleutian wife.
We met when an American tourist pulled in at a gas station pulling a boat that had mussels on the hull. We had a short talk with him.
ben: precisely. We mentioned the concern, the extreme fines levied over such problems, and his licenseplate. The couple gave him a card for a local marina service that cleans and inspects.
me: mussels on the hull? Bad boat hygiene!
That's how zebra mussels end up in lakes!
Glad to hear that Ben and his viking friends were good neighbours, with practical advice for the dirty boat owner. It's so important for us small boat users to clean our boats well. There's really no excuse for letting our boats carry kingsfoil weeds or zebra mussels into all the lakes we visit, y'know?
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