Editor's Note: This site was hacked by
unknown attacker and this story was removed from our web. The link to the story was
changed to an outdoor sports site. Unfortunately, Mr. Dahlberg's response to the
original charges was lost.
___
Legendary fly
fisherman Larry Dahlberg was arrested by a Canadian federal fisheries warden last week and
charged with “molesting” a steelhead trout.
The host of ESPN’s “The Hunt For Big Fish” paid a $250 fine
and stormed out of B.C.
The angry
departure of Dahlberg has left the sports
fishing community in Kitimat and Terrace aghast at the big one that got away. By that they
mean Dahlberg, not the 18-lb. steelhead he caught, with camera running, on a fly rod in
the Kitimat River last Wednesday.
The catch was to
be the centrepiece of a show on fishing the Kitimat, and a juicy bit of publicity for the
region's beleaguered sports fishing industry. Instead, an outraged Dahlberg paid his fine,
collected his seized videotapes and told the local media it's unlikely he'll ever again
promote fishing in British Columbia. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
"In my
opinion, it was a million-dollar fish for the community," groans Colin Light, owner
of Cutty's Fly and Tackle in Kitimat. "A fish like that, given proper airing, could
have done wonders for tourism in our area." Light says Dahlberg has impeccable
credentials as a catch-and-release conservationist. "It's not conducive to tourism to
send him back with a $250 fine and his tail between his legs."
Two witnesses to
the catch, Dahlberg's fishing guide Pat Wilson, and fisheries officer Andy Lewis, give
different versions of the same event. For Pat
Wilson of Alta/B.C. Guides of Kitimat and Calgary, landing Larry Dahlberg was no accident.
It took months of correspondence and the lure of an all-expenses-paid visit to bring him
to Kitimat. Wilson estimates he spent $3,000 for Dahlberg's week-long stay in an attempt
to promote his business and showcase the region.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time,"
he says. As Wilson describes the scene, Dahlberg caught the fish, reeled it in, then left
it on the hook in the water for about 20 minutes before reeling it in again while an
underwater camera shot a second version.
The landing was
witnessed by two conservation officers on the far shore, who ordered the fish released and
charged Dahlberg with "molestation" of fish. "That looks really great,
eh," says Wilson. "Molestation." Wilson, who has a degree in biology, says
the fish was unharmed.
"This fish
was in the water the whole time. It was respiring fine. It never went into oxygen debt,
which creates lactic acid build-up in the muscles and then they die." The camera
caught the fish swimming away after its release. "This fish was fine. The issue was
that we were holding on to it for 20 minutes."
Although the
multiple takes would be edited into a clean landing and a quick release, Wilson says
journalistic integrity isn't the issue here. "The issue is not whether it's staged,
whether we're doing WWF wrestling, fishing-style. That's something totally different. The
issue at hand is we were trying to promote this province and the department of fisheries
is making life miserable as far as I'm concerned."
From Andy
Lewis's viewpoint, across the river through binoculars, Dahlberg played in the fish three
separate times over 25 minutes. He calls it a clear violation of Section 4 of the B.C.
Sports Fishing Regulations, which state: "no person shall molest or injure
fish."
Lewis says the fish could legally have been killed,
if shown to be from a hatchery, but its abuse is prohibited. He concedes he doesn't know
the health of the fish, which was released. "But, if you play a fish three times in a
row, it's probably not very happy." Lewis says he did not know of Dahlberg, whose
show is primarily broadcast in the U.S, but it would not have altered his decision if he
had.
"We fishery
officers try to be as professional, consistent and fair as possible and I would suggest it
wouldn't matter whether he had a big-time fishing show or not." Besides, says Lewis:
"I would suggest that an angler who calls himself a professional as Mr. Dahlberg
does, would treat fish with more respect."
The incident has
spawned a long discussion on the internet newsgroup rec.outdoors.fishing.fly which details
all the arguments for and against catch-and-release fishing in particular. And, if you think Dahlberg was molesting fish,
read the next item where state biologists will be shocking up fish just to show people how
it’s done on June 12.
Dahlberg's Response
Deleted by Hacker.
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