End of the line for hatchery grant

[Spiel]

End of the line for hatchery grant; Fish hatchery hard-pressed to find $25,000 a year

 

 

May 20, 2008

Greg Hoekstra / haliburtonecho.ca

 

 

The future of the Haliburton Fish Hatchery could be in jeopardy unless the Ministry of Natural Resources comes to the table and renews its funding commitment.

 

This June, members of the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association (which runs the hatchery) will see the end of its four-year $100,000 trust fund from the province, and as yet there is still no word on whether the fund will be replenished.

 

President Keith Hodgson says that while his organization has been unable to arrange a meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources Donna Cansfield, he’s still crossing his fingers that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

“It may be hopeless, we don’t know, but we’re still hoping,” says Hodgson. “We’re still trying to get a meeting so we can reiterate our values to [the Minister].”

 

In a typical year, Hodgson estimates the hatchery operates on a budget of roughly $75,000, which means the province’s $25,000 a year pays for one third of the overall expenses.

 

“We do need that money,” said Hodgson. “Without that $25,000 it’s going to be very tough.”

 

In 2003, when the trust fund was first announced by the Ernie Eves Conservative government, MNR officials said the money was for “base funding” to help “keep the lights on, water running, and fish fed.”

 

And while it’s estimated there is enough money in reserves to keep the hatchery afloat for another year, HHOA Treasurer John Ball says that without the MNR’s trust fund the hatchery will have trouble keeping its head above water after that.

 

“We really need that $25,000. That’s a lot of money,” says Ball. “Where are you supposed to make that kind of money back? How on earth do we make up for that?”

 

Ball says the HHOA already fundraises $30,000 to $40,000 every year – half of the hatchery’s budget – so turning to the community for even more simply isn’t an option. “Fundraising is a constant struggle,” says Ball. “We have tremendous support here in Haliburton, but we can’t be expected to suddenly raise $25,000 more, on top of what we already do.”

 

If the fish hatchery were to disappear tomorrow, Ball says the effect on local lakes would be devastating.

 

“Fishing would deteriorate in Haliburton, no question,” he says. “The Ministry has said they would raise fish elsewhere and continue to stock the lakes, but that would come at an even greater cost to them.”

 

This year Ball says the hatchery raised between 40,000 to 50,000 walleye, 25,000 rainbow trout, and 5,000 lake trout. They also raised approximately 8,000 Haliburton gold trout, a unique strain found only in the Highlands.

 

By stocking area lakes, as well as those in the Bancroft area, Ball says the hatchery helps bring in tourists that benefit the county’s economy.

 

Dysart Reeve Murray Fearrey agrees that the work of the hatchery is invaluable when it comes to attracting tourism dollars. “Fishing is a lot bigger industry than people know about, and if we don’t have good fishing then that’s a big loss,” he says.

 

“[The hatchery] has filled a void that no one else was prepared to do, so I’m just hopeful that the Ministry will come through and support them.”

 

This year Fearrey said the county has pledged $10,000 toward the ongoing operation of the hatchery, and they have also sent a letter to Minister Cansfield outlining the work that the hatchery has done and asking her to continue to support the HHOA’s efforts. Calls to Cansfield’s office by the Echo were not returned.

 

While there is still more than a month before the fund officially runs dry, Hodgson says his organization is already looking at contingency plans to help fill the void.

 

In the future, Hodgson says it’s possible that the hatchery might have to start raising eggs for other areas in Ontario as a way to generate income. However, Hodgson also says that solution is far from ideal, since it would detract from the group’s commitment to Haliburton County, which is why so many volunteer in the first place.

 

“Raising eggs is maybe the way we’re going to have to do business, but we would need a full house to make it pay, and then there is a capacity problem,” he says. “We still want to do things for our county too, and we need money to do them too.

 

“There’s a great deal of community value to the hatchery, but I think that’s sometimes hard to get across to people,” he adds. “It’s not just the act of raising fish. It’s about the history behind it, the science, and, maybe most importantly, it’s about a place for volunteers to go and be part of something special.”