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Joe, Halkan I as well have sensed the doom and gloom attitude from Suzuki, there is no denying it. But I think in recent years it has shifted to a more positive approach of trying to make a difference by offering solutions. I think "depend" was maybe the wrong choice of words to describe the role salmon play in a bears life. I was referring to the population(percentage) of bears that reside on B.C's coast and islands such as Haida Gwaii(small geographical area) that feed mainly on salmon. Below is a snippet of info taken from a parks Canada website pointing out the importance of salmon in their diet. The importance lies in the timing of salmon runs that provide much needed fat for their long hibernation. In my opinion, if these salmon were extirpated due to industrial logging, many of the bears would go hungry. "Black bear· The most important source of food for bears in Haida Gwaii is salmon. Bears can take from 45% to 80% of the total population of chum, but the majority of salmon taken by bears are spawned out females. Bears eat on average 13 salmon a day in Gwaii Haanas." http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/gwaiihaanas/toile-web/toile-web3b_E.asp The idea that clearcutting is beneficial to bears sounds similar to someone arguing that oil development is beneficial for caribou. In the long run destroying a large mammals habitat WILL have a negative impact. More info below that addresses the short term benefits of clearcuts. "The spirit bear is threatened because much of its home range has already been logged, and a good portion of the remainder is slated for the same fate. While logging creates some short-term benefits for bears (for example, one of bears' foods, berries, grow in clearcuts), the long-term consequences of industrial logging are very serious. For example, the loss of big trees that provide dens for bears means they will not have adequate protection for hibernating through the wet, cold winters, nor adequate protection from the storms that howl in from the Pacific Ocean." http://www.savespiritbear.org/project/spiritbear/about_bear/science_info.html#scientists Take care Marc |
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