SPEC Headlines, March 23, 2003
Hunters and government biologists disagree on the means to
control moose population
Gilles Gagné
The Gaspesian branch of the Québec Wildlife Federation, which represents
thousands of hunters, and the Société Faune et parcs du Québec, a government
body, disagree on the means to adopt in order to manage and control the
population of moose in the Peninsula.
The hunters fear that the 2004-2010 Management Plan, as submitted by the Societé
Faune et parcs du Québec (FAPAQ), will provoke a much too fast decline in the
population of female moose and, consequently, of the whole herd.
Biologists and managers of the FAPAQ estimate that the Gaspesian herd will
probably reach a very high level before 2010. They suggest to authorize the
hunting of the female every second year, at large. All hunters would then be
allowed to kill a female or a male.
Local organizations against trout farm
Numerous local and regional interest groups showed up to a public consultation on the ECO program last week to demonstrate their opposition to the project. The ECO program proposes the implementation of an experimental trout farm in Brilliant Cove. Its promoters are the Centre Specialisee des Peches, MAPAQ and SODIM.
According to Eric Tamigneaux, ECO’s coordinator, the experimental project hopes to place 7,500 trout in a sea cage in Brilliant Cove this June for a six-month period to determine whether it is technically feasible as well as profitable to raise trout in sea cages in Quebec. Should the project have positive results, it could lead to a large-scale commercial industry in the region.
Fiber-optic network coming to the Gaspesie
The Gaspesie will soon be equipped with a massive fibre-optic network. The total length of the network will be over 950 kilometres and will cover the Sainte-Flavie-Perce-Sainte-Flavie loop. Promoters expect the network to be in place in 12 months, enabling over 300 establishments and 5,000 computers to have improved, quicker communication.
The project has been in the works for three years, with promoters waiting for both levels of government to invest in the $21 million network. Last Tuesday, Claude Drouin, Secretary of State for Canada Economic Development, confirmed that the Federal government will invest close to $6.9 million in the project. The Provincial government was also expected to accord $6.9 million to the project. But in a surprise announcement, Municipal Affairs Minister Andre Boisclair announced that the Provincial government would invest an additional $3.1 million to the project, increasing its investment to $10 million.